The Best Cafés in Ceuta, Spain

A spacious café on the marina, Charlotte is a popular spot for breakfast, brunch and merienda, the Spanish version of afternoon tea in which churros replace scones. Customers regularly coming for any (or all) of the above love the coffee, the value for money and the friendly service. Charlotte’s also open late enough (until midnight) for a relaxed drink on the terrace.

Boasting a smart black-and-red frontage on the marina, Manhattan is always crammed with people at breakfast time. Regulars come here for the café’s take on a Spanish classic: deep-fried churros with a cup of wickedly thick chocolate in which to dip them. There’s also a good selection of pastries, bocadillos (baguette sandwiches) and milkshakes. Whatever you order, the big sunny terrace is the perfect place to dine.

Café Teatro Cervantes is a modern, light-filled hangout in the city centre. It’s a sought-after breakfast and merienda venue, with customers rating the coffee, tostadas, churros and milkshakes highly. Sweet-toothed travellers, meanwhile, can choose from a mouthwatering selection of cakes and tarts. Amiable, speedy staff service the covered terrace and the interior.

A cute pastry joint close to the iconic Casa de los Dragones, Pasteleria Juaja is known for its creative sweet treats. Attractively displayed for all to see, they can be accompanied by a mean cup of coffee, an infusion tea or a freshly squeezed fruit juice. There’s not much seating inside, so if you’re breakfasting here make sure you arrive before about 11am.

Vincentinco is renowned for its delicate meringues and millefeuilles and scrumptious raisin cakes. These can be enjoyed in the cosy interior or on one of the several tables outside, on a lively street that leads directly up to the marina. Reasonable prices and charming staff keep visitors coming back time and again.

Offering two stylishly decorated floors and a portside terrace, Monalisa is one of the best all-purpose cafés in Ceuta. Open from dawn until midnight every day except Friday, it’s the perfect spot for a breakfast of coffee and tostadas, a lunch of beers and tapas or for a late-night drink overlooking the marina. Whatever you eat, leave room for dessert: the Kinder Bueno crêpe is to die for.

It might not be a whole lot to look at, but Café Bar Las Balsas is a Ceuta institution, famous for its epic breakfasts. The star dish here is, without doubt, the bocata de pata de cerdo asada, a mighty bocadillo packed with melt-in-your-mouth roast pork – ideal fuel for a busy day of sightseeing. If you’re particularly hungry, try the version that comes with a fried egg.