The Best Cafés and Coffee Shops in Arica, Chile

Find this café on a little side street off Paseo 21 de Mayo where you’ll also have a selection of great coffee spots to start or end your day. Café Benaki is hidden on this narrow alley shaded by an overhang of trees and is a small café you can step into to enjoy a coffee or tea at the bar or outside on its improvised patio. Whichever it is, you’ll be treated to a great beverage or snack.

The espresso process | © Camila Tamara Silva Sepúlveda/Flickr

Continue a little farther down the street from Café Benaki and you’ll run into Espacio Ribus. The advertisement for Marley Coffee and the café’s Rastafarian colours will be the first thing you’ll notice, but the delicious and smooth coffee will be what you remember. The café’s cornered-off wooden patio in the middle of the alley is a great place to enjoy a coffee or lemonade in the mornings but it also has a very quaint and quiet indoor area for seating.

Pizza, treats, tea, coffee—it’s all offered at Salón de Té 890 (Tea Salon) no matter what you’re in the mood for. Even if you’re with a group with differing opinions on what to eat or do on a night out, this café’s good food, hot beverages and nice ambiance will be crowd-pleasers. Take your time here as it’s more of a place to relax, socialize and eat or drink slowly. Maybe even live a little and try one of the delicious sugary desserts.

A well-known place to start your day, Cafe del Valle is a great fit for anyone who believes coffee must be accompanied by an edible treat. On offer are great cakes, pies, creamy frappés for those looking to satisfy a sweet tooth and fresh sandwiches available for lunchtime. It’s also located in a calm, quiet neighborhood only a couple blocks from the centre of town.

Kawri Café is home to some of the strongest and best coffee in town. A creamy cortado (a single espresso with a dash of warm milk) offers a delicious head of fluffy cream, with a strong, dark roast underneath that will wake up your taste buds. The café has a great bar area that runs along the front window where you can get some work done using the free WiFi or simply enjoy a coffee or freshly squeezed juice and watch the people walking by.

Step outside of Arica’s ‘coffee neighborhood’ and away from the bustling Paseo de Mayo to sit on the front patio of Café Catedral. With a view of the tranquil plaza in front of you, a beautiful fountain to your left, and fittingly, Saint Mark’s Cathedral to your right, this coffee shop is a good place to come with an appetite, especially if you’re willing to try one of the stacked burgers to satisfy your hunger.

Though Café La Bicicleta has a small inside seating area and patio, its menu is anything but limited as you will not find many cafés with such a well-rounded menu. It offers great breakfast options, large sandwiches, burgers, fries and vegetarian options for lunch. You should definitely make La Bicicleta one of your options for a coffee, breakfast or lunch. Just look for the bicycle!

In Arica, Di Mango does it all. From breakfast when the café opens to a hearty lunch or gourmet dinner, you can’t really go wrong with Di Mango. The café also offers delicious creamy cappuccinos, lattes and strong espressos at both locations, plus a great patio.