The 10 Best Sustainable Cafés in Mexico City

Camino a Comala has carefully selected a variety of beans, roasts and processes, resulting in an outstanding cup of coffee. If you’d like to sit at the bar and ask for a recommendation, the baristas are kind and willing to talk about what they can offer in an understandable way to help you decide. The growing chain has three locations, each one with its own personality and profile of clients. The one near San Cosme metro station is very small and therefore provides personalized attention. The one near the Chopo University Museum tends to attract more counterculture clients. And the last location is inside the Ex Fábrica de Harina, which is a former flour factory rescued by neighbors and business owners. Every Saturday morning the shops host coffee workshops for those who want to learn more about the brew, and they organize jazz events from time to time. They also offer a rewards program where, after collecting stamps, every ninth beverage is free.

In a beautiful big house in the Roma neighborhood sits Madre Café, a restaurant that has sustainability at its core. The coffee comes from Finca San Martín Cohuapan in Puebla, where they practice fair trade and sustainable production processes. The café also offers food made with local products and vegan options. Also, the place is pet friendly. The open kitchen is visible behind a big marble bar, which is bustling from the early-morning hours serving international and Mexican dishes and amazing caffeine combinations. Keep in mind that during rush hours sometimes the wait can be more than 30 minutes.

Máximo Bistrot is technically a restaurant, but everything on the menu here is spectacular, and the coffee and desserts are no exception. The careful selection of ingredients and preparation make the coffee and desserts an excellent option all on their own. The restaurant uses sustainable products from local producers, so its menu varies depending on the season, the fruits available or the best option that their producers can offer. Though everything here is recommendable, don’t be shy to pop in just for a cup of coffee.

At Buna 42, there are two main reasons to visit: the coffee and the chocolate. It has seven types of coffee that rotate throughout the week, with a different profile every day. It also has a special selection that it labels with their own golden seal. The beans come from Oaxaca, Hidalgo or Morelos and the chocolate is from Tabasco. This coffee shop takes sustainability to another level. It has a group of specialists who advise small producers on how to make their products without chemicals and pesticides and help them enhance the quality of the soil and ecosystem to create a healthy environment that produces a better bean. It makes its own non-dairy milk every morning from fresh macadamia nuts. Buna 42 is certified as a B corporation, which measures its social and environmental impact and recognizes it as a business with a circular scheme of sustainable products and fair trade to producers.

Despite the relaxed ambiance, Avellaneda exudes the utmost professionalism. Two plaques are visible behind the bar, which are awards for excellence. Carlos de la Torre, the owner, has been maintaining the café’s reputation for more than 10 years. The baristas are kind while attending to several people at the same time and are clearly concentrated on their craft. The café’s own creations of cold beverages with espresso or cold brew are quite original. If you are in Coyoacan center, it’s well worth the walk two blocks from the San Juan Bautista church to Avellaneda.

A group of university students founded Cooperativa Cafeína in 2013. They decided to form a collective where they could share their love for coffee and create an equal relationship between producers, owners and clients, based on respect. They believed this would help create empathy, quality products and fair prices, not only in Mexico but all over the world. Beto, one of the owners and a barista in the café, says that he likes a phrase printed on the menu that reflects this. It says, “We believe that as a collective and as individuals we can make actions that trigger major changes.” You can find hot and cold coffee beverages here, such as the cold brew drink verde amanecer (green dawn), which is made with albahaca (basil), orange and maple and tastes like a bit of utopia in a cup. Cooperativa Cafeína also offers organic or natural products made by other cooperatives, collectives and small producers. And if you want to know more about the cup of coffee you’re drinking, you can ask the barista, who will be more than happy to tell you.

Whether you’re in a rush or want a calm place to sip your steaming cup, Chiquitito Café is an ideal spot. Unlike other coffee shops that only have one or two baristas, here you can find three or four, even in a small setting. This means that service is very efficient, and each drink is beautifully presented with care. It also offers a variety of desserts, cookies, sandwiches and panini. Jeremy Clouser, the owner of Chiquitito Café, says that their coffee “is made with love and skill in a warm and comfortable environment for everyone. This, with our personal service, results in a place that always welcomes, and is a guarantee of quality.”

This café is serious about organic produce. It tries to have at least 70% ecological ingredients or organically certified items on the menu. To achieve this, it works with more than 40 communities and sustainable organizations in Mexico. When it first shop opened in 2007, the owners realized that Mexico City had a growing clientele of people who cared about the environment and conscious consumerism. Now with two locations in Coyoacan, you can find vegan dishes and a so-called Eco-pâtisserie: a French-style bakery that uses organic and sustainable practices. It often bakes with alternative flours, such as those made from almonds, chickpeas or lentils. The diversity of ingredients is well represented through plates full of colors and flavors to join your coffee, delighting the eyes as well as the taste buds. Even the sweeteners are organic.

This is a lovely place located in the south of Mexico City in the center of Tlalpan. Katsina has a homey feel and serves Turkish coffee and espresso with honey and lemon. Desserts change constantly, since the bakers use seasonal ingredients and seek new and innovative recipes. During celebrations for Día de los Muertos, the baristas decorate lattes with skull designs. Some days it closes in order for the staff to do training and learn how to improve their craft, so don’t forget to check its Instagram or Facebook page before you go.

La Casa del Pan Papalotl has several locations, each one with its own charm, but always with fresh products. It works with local producers and makes its own bread. Here you can find a wide variety of Mexican dishes, which you can enjoy with a cup of coffee and homemade bread. The Coyoacan location is the perfect spot for tranquility. Even if you are passing by, you will notice the bread aroma wafting your way or the crowds gathered around the food. Here you can find vegetarian and vegan dishes and local folkloric musicians who stop by to play live music. It also has branches in Cuicuilco and Tlalpan.