On the first day in Antigua Guatemala during my recent visit, I decided to walk across town from north to south to discover and experience the famed local coffee culture first hand. I had created a little list of places I wanted to check out and Artista de Café was the furthest away so it became my first destination.

Before I talk about this cute café, I just have to say how absolutely beautiful Antigua is. I was gagged honey. Being half-Mexican and having seen many colonial beauties across Latin America, I realised that Antigua is somehow on another level. It’s not just its natural surroundings with a total of three visible volcanos but the incredibly well-preserved buildings, cobbled streets and laid back atmosphere too. It stole my heart immediately.

Artista de Café is a bit outside of the core centre where it is generally a bit quieter but I was surprised that inside the café it was basically a full house. With various spaces, levels and outdoor seating to boot, Artista de Café is hugely popular with expats who live in the city. Thanks to its wide-ranging brunch menu and excellent coffee, it’s also a draw to visitors like myself.

I walked up to the bar and asked the host for a recommendation. She held up three little glass containers with their selection of beans and suggested that I go for an anaerobic processed Gesha, which was then promptly prepared for me by one of the baristas. The elegant interior is a manifestation of Artista de Café’s founder María Andreé Negreros de Durán envisioned when she created this space. It creates a strong contrast with the often bold reds, blues and greens seen on the façades of buildings all over the city.

María drew part of her inspiration from her Guatemalan roots and the close proximity of coffee producers and roasters. There are fantastic coffee farms just 10 – 15 minutes drive outside Antigua, for example. But María also spent some time with Gloria Montenegro of Parisian roastery  La Caféothèque where she was able to expand her knowledge and understanding of this unique beverage.

My coffee was sweet and floral, exactly what I expected from a Gesha. Behind the bar, I could spot the current Guatemalan Aeropress Champion Carlos Emanuel Vivar Ajuchan hard at work and the public at the time of my visit was a wild mix of locals, expats and tourists poking their heads inside.

I didn’t end up ordering any pastries or breakfast despite the fact that the food looked delicious. I’ll just have to save it for my next visit!

After getting off my minibus from Antigua and dropping my luggage at the hotel, I wandered down to 12 Onzas in Zona 4. I was planning on meeting David Solano, the three-time Guatemalan Barista Champion and co-owner of 12 Onzas later that day. But I was early so I just had two Flat Whites to start my day.

The café is located in a happening part of Zona 4. This area is widely regarded to be one of the most diverse and exciting parts of Guatemala City. Everywhere you look, you can find something tasty to explore. From a local craft beer brewery to an award-winning pizza joint and from a cool food court to a popular bakery. 12 Onzas is nicely nestled somewhere in between.

I really liked the interior. It’s open, colourful and spacious. A large bar dominates the back of the café where a skilled team prepares all kinds of coffees and delicious brunch dishes. I finished my two flat whites and went off to discover Guatemala on that quiet Sunday before returning a bit later in the afternoon to meet with David.

David started 12 Onzas together with his wife Atenea Kairé and his brother Eddie. Atenea is responsible for the operations behind 12 Onzas as well as the branding while Eddie takes care of the coffee production at their own farm Finca Concepción Buena Vista, which is now in its 4th generation.

In the past, David represented Guatemala three times on the world stage including in 2018 when the World Barista Championships happened in Amsterdam. Today, he is focusing on growing the coffee business at home. With their export company, they are working towards supplying Guatemala’s finest coffees to roasters and importers from around the world.

Their café, on the other hand, is a place where they want to make Guatemalan coffees available to the local population, which for the longest time only had access to Nescafé. When I previously visited Central America, it was really hard to find any locally grown specialty coffee. This, thankfully, is changing.

Guate, as the city is also called, is often skipped by travellers. I think that is a shame. The city, while not super pretty, has a lot to offer. But I was surprised by how much was closed on Sundays! Luckily 12 Onzas is always open.

After spending two magical nights on Lake Atitilan, I headed back to Panajachel to get a haircut and grab some coffee. I heard there was a great spot in town that was by far the best in the area. And this came from a fellow barista who also owns and runs a specialty coffee shop on the lake.

The most curious thing about Café Loco, however, is not that it’s a fantastic coffee place that roasts its own beans on site. Using a Stronghold roaster no less. No, it’s that the c0-owner is Korean. His name is Diego Kim aka. DJ and he’s married to Alyssa Yamamoto, founder of Hiptipico. They met in Panajachel in 2013, just after Café Loco opened.

Café Loco is on a busy commerical street but relatively far from the lake shore. This means that many people who get dropped off by the minibus to head to one of Lake Atitlan’s smaller communities might miss it. But it also means that it attracts people in the know. The Stronghold roaster is on full display right by the entrance and there is a long bar where you can sit.

I actually went twice, once before my haircut and once after, just before I jumped on the bus to go back to Antigua. The team is completely Korean, which I found really cool. I started off with a Flat White and later had a filter. I would say my only gripe was that they use the same cup size for all milk beverages, which resulted in my Flat White being more of a Latte.

The filter I ordered later was sweet and delicious. There is not a lot of distaction here. A bit of coffee related memorabilia on the walls and some coffee beans and merch for sale. I sat at the bar overlooking the buzz outside and it was instantly clear to me that Café Loco has a very loyal following.

DJ was crowned Cup Taster Champion of South Korea in 2025 and he spends much of his time travelling to producers around Guatemala to find the tastiest coffees and sometimes to take foreign visitors to meet new potential partners. Cafe Loco also has a pretty serious set up behind the bar. There are a custom water filtration system, a three-group La Marzocco GB5, a hot water dispenser, a cold brew mini-fridge and more.

Whatever you personal preference might be, chances are, you’ll find a really outstanding cup of coffee at Café Loco.

Just off the main square in Antigua, there is a great café. It’s called El Gran Café to be precise. It was the first place I visited to get my caffeine fix while in town and it became my regular. I went four times in total. I just fell in love with it.

From outside, it looks very inconspicious and if you blink, you might miss it. I knew exactly what I was looking for though and I’m glad I found it. This coffee shop is really tiny and has almost no seating. But it’s interior is absolutely beautiful. From the gorgeous tiles on the floor to the classy branding and the well-equipped bar. It all works.

The staff was always friendly and knowledgable. I learned that El Gran Café has its own Finca just outside Antigua where much of its coffee comes from and where its coffee is roasted. Unfortunately, you cannot visit, which would have been great to do for an afternoon.

El Gran Café also works with a number of other producers from around Guatemala. Some of its coffees are Cup of Excellence participants. You can buy them to take home or have them brewed for you on site. I actually only had flatties there because El Gran Café was one of the only coffees shops I came across that knew how to prepare this drink properly. In other words, using the right cup size and coffee to milk ratio.

If you have travelled around Guatemala by road, you will have noticed the sad amount of trash everywhere. In contrast, Antigua is surprisingly clean and this is in part thanks to a volunteer project called ‘Nuestra Antigua limpia’. Volunteers can always get their morning coffee from El Gran Café as it is one of the supporters of this project, amongst other initiatives.

According to its founder Josué Morales, he always dreamed of creating a space like El Gran Café where the best specialty coffee could be showcased. I think he very much accomplished that dream. I loved having my morning coffee on the big bench opposite the bar or sitting by the window looking out. This fine little café stole my heart and it will steal yours too.