Lima, Peru is a top foodie destination, and it’s fortunately located in a continent – and a country – known for growing high quality coffee. Google “Best Coffee Shops in Lima” and you’ll find a lot of cozy spots where you can get a perfectly decent cup of brew, but what we were most excited about was the blossoming specialty & third wave coffee scene in Lima.
We visited a ton of amazing third wave coffee shops in Lima and were pleased to find that every single one of them was proudly brewing only locally grown Peruvian coffee beans!
Our list of the best specialty & third wave coffee shops in Lima, Peru is a labor of love (and many very jittery afternoons).
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Psst: Planning a trip to Peru? We’ve got a few other posts that might be helpful!
- The Ultimate Self-Guided Free Walking Tour: Lima, Peru
- 13 Things to Know Before You Go to Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru
- 40 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking in Peru
- Hiking Laguna 69 in Huaraz, Peru: Everything You Need to Know
What is Specialty/Third Wave Coffee?
Before we dive in, here’s a quick primer on Third Wave coffee. Born in Portland, Oregon and coined in 2002, the Third Wave Coffee movement is the latest iteration of coffee brewing. You may also hear it referred to as specialty coffee or craft coffee.
Focusing on high quality, small-batch coffee, specialty coffee is everything that Starbucks isn’t, and the difference in quality is easy to taste. Personally I never liked the bitter, burnt taste of coffee until I drank my first cup of single-origin light roast heaven. If you’ve ever wondered how anyone can drink their coffee black, this is your answer.
San Francisco is rich with amazing third wave coffee, and we are full blown Bay Area third wave coffee snobs (we’ve also got a guide to the best San Francisco specialty coffee shops, if you’re curious). Coffee to us is what wine is to… well, people who know a lot more about wine than we do.
But you don’t have to be a third wave coffee snob to find, appreciate, and enjoy a delicious cup of specialty coffee at a great coffee shop! Here are some tips for finding a third wave coffee shop near you.
When identifying a third wave coffee shop, know what to look for:
- Single Origin Beans: Coffee beans should be sourced from one country, region, and/or farm. No blends! Each bean variety responds best to different roasting and brew treatments, so mixing beans means losing the ability to let each unique bean shine.
- High Quality Beans: The best of the best from the crop. Each coffee farm will harvest and sell both cheaper, imperfect beans and a top-quality crop. A third wave coffee shop only buys the best quality beans. (Yes, this means you will pay more for your cup of coffee!)
- Each cup is hand crafted to order. No giant vats of drip coffee here. Each cup of coffee is hand crafted precisely for you, from a freshly ground bean to your preferred brewing method. Some of the unique brewing methods you’ll find at third wave coffee shops include V60, Chemex, Clever, Aeropress, Siphon, and Cold Brew. Each brewing method brings out different flavors for different beans, and many third wave coffee shops offer a variety of roasts and beans to best match its featured brewing methods. If you prefer espresso drinks, you’ll also find that latte art is a good indicator of a third wave coffee shop.
Now that you know what to look for, check out these incredible third wave coffee shops in Lima, Peru and get your hands on a delicious ristretto or an aromatic pourover!
The Best Third Wave Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru
Aromia
- Aromia Coffee Shop is as elegant and refined as its coffee: from the melt-in-your-mouth butter cookie that came with our espressos, to the minimalist aesthetic and baked good selection, Aromia is picture perfect. However, the real star at Aromia is its incredible espresso. Unlike most of the espresso drinks we’ve had in South America, the sweet milk in our ristretto and cortado perfectly balanced the expertly pulled espresso without overwhelming it. In addition to espresso, Aromia offers a wide variety of third wave brewing methods, including Chemex, V60, Aeropress, and Siphon.
- Address: Libertad 415, Miraflores | Hours: Sunday – Saturday 8 am-9 pm
- Facebook | Instagram | TripAdvisor
Movement Surf + Cafe
- Outfitted with a couch and several surfboards, Movement Surf + Cafe felt more like a relaxed hang-out than a third wave coffee shop, but its cold brew, pour-over, and cappuccino were all on point. A huge bonus for this cafe is that it has excellent food in addition to its coffee: we ordered a fantastic Movement panini and a rich, luscious piece of chocolate cake. Had it been a little later in the afternoon, we might have topped things off with a craft beer: Movement has a whole fridge stocked with intriguing local craft brews.
- Address: Berlin 135, Miraflores | Hours: Monday – Saturday 7:30 am-9:30 pm, Sunday 8 am-8 pm
- Facebook | Instagram |TripAdvisor
Cafe Verde
- Cafe Verde doesn’t have the aesthetic appeal of Aromia or the hangout vibe of Movement Surf Cafe, but it does have excellent in-house roasted coffee. Cafe Verde’s roaster occupies a whole room in the bright green shop. Our drip coffee was an impressively aromatic dark roast: it was rich and deep without that burnt bitterness that is common among imperfectly brewed dark roasts. Cafe Verde is the perfect spot for an unpretentious cup of finely brewed earthy black coffee.
- Address: Av. Santa Cruz 1305, Miraflores | Hours: Monday – Friday 7 am – 9 pm, Saturday 8 am – 8 pm, closed Sunday
- Facebook | TripAdvisor
Cate Tasting Room
- Located on a busy street in Miraflores, we almost walked right by this nondescript coffee shop. We’re so glad we didn’t! Specializing in tea, coffee, and chocolate, Cate Tasting Room offers some of the best local Peruvian espresso we’ve ever had. Our cortado was bright and bitter, with a hint of sweetness and a spark of acid. Our server explained the origin and location of each of our cups: our excellent espresso was from Cusco. Cate Tasting Room serves up Clever, v60, Aeropress, and French Press as well as an entire selection of drinking chocolate; we recommend the espresso.
- Address: Independencia 269, Miraflores | Hours: Monday – Sunday 8 am – 10 pm
- Website | Facebook | Instagram | TripAdvisor
Puku Puku Cafe
- A block away from the sprawling handicraft markets in Lima sits 1 of the 3 locations of Puku Puku Cafe, a laid back coffee shop with a cozy patio looking out over a gorgeous old colonial home. Our espresso was bold and dark, but our Chemex was bright and acidic. We weren’t surprised to learn that Puku Puku hosts a barista class for third wave coffee shops in Lima. With a large selection of local artisan beers, Puku Puku also makes a great post-shopping wind-down spot. BTW, huge shout-out to Puku Puku’s Tiramisu cupcake: it was the best cupcake by far we’ve had on our entire 4-month South America trip!
- Address: 1) Narciso de la Colina 297 | 2) Larco 1285, Miraflores | 3) Pardo and Aliaga 695, San Isidro | Hours: Monday – Sunday 7am-9pm
- Website | Facebook | Instagram | TripAdvisor
True Artisan Cafe
- Roasting Peruvian coffee with Italian finesse, True Artisan Cafe in Miraflores is an excellent place for espresso, coffee, or cold brew. They proudly brew their espresso on La Marzocco espresso machine hand crafted in Florence, Italy, and the attention to quality shows. True Artisan Cafe also sells fantastic quiche, sandwiches, and pastries.
- Address: Bolivar 153, Miraflores | Hours: Monday – Saturday 7am-10pm, Sunday 9am-7pm
- Facebook | Instagram | TripAdvisor
More Third Wave Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru
We didn’t get a chance to visit these third wave coffee shops in Lima, but we’ve heard good things. These third wave coffee shops are part of Lima’s Ruta del Cafe. Give them a try when you’re in Lima and let us know what you think!
- Apu: Jr. Risso 381, Lince
- El Cafe de Harry: Av. Armendariz 546 (Peru pa’ti)
- Origen: av. Bolivar 1199, Pueblo Libre
- The Coffee Road: Av. Guillermo Prescott 378, San Isidro
- Tostaduria Bisetti: Av. Pedro de Osma 116, Barranco
Map of the Best Third Wave Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru
Use our handy map to locate the best third wave coffee shops in Lima! Travel Tip: download this map to your smartphone for offline browsing (click here for instructions).
Yum! Are you totally fiending for a hot cup of coffee now, or is it just us?
Psst: Planning a trip to Peru? We’ve got a few other posts that might be helpful!
- The Ultimate Self-Guided Free Walking Tour: Lima, Peru
- 13 Things to Know Before You Go to Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru
- 40 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking in Peru
- Hiking Laguna 69 in Huaraz, Peru: Everything You Need to Know
If you are looking for more tour tips during your visit to Peru the amazing guys over at ViaHero will connect you with a local person who will share all their juicy knowledge and help you plan your perfect itinerary. Check it out here.
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Alonso Fouche says
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Divya says
Great roundup! 🙂 I’m slowly learning about third wave coffee shops myself, so I’ll be sure to check them out on my visit to Lima next month. xx
Lia Garcia says
Have a great trip, Divya!
Ana says
Those are all great cafes, ones that my coffee loving friends go to regularly!
If someone is looking for something more off the beaten path, they might try Martin’s (he has a green sign) in Mercado Magdelena (plus you get to experience an authentic South American market, always a plus!). Not only can you buy an excellent cup of coffee (or frozen hot chocolate, in my case), you can also buy coffee from all over Peru to take back with you! He’ll bag it and seal it on the spot, and even grind it for you if you ask. It’s where a lot of expats go to get coffee to take home to friends and family.
Lia Garcia says
Great tip! Thank you, Ana!
Mary says
Great article! I’m headed to Lima on Monday, so I’ll be sure to check out your recommendations. You are the second person this week to recommend Puka Puka, and the first was a total coffee snob, so I’m definitely headed there. The detailed explanation on third wave coffee shops is very informative. I’ve never heard that term before. I did a coffee tour in Colombia recently called WakeCup Coffee Tour and I met two farmers who grow specialty coffees. It’s a really great tour. If you go to Colombia, it is THE coffee tour to take. You can read about it on my blog, if you like. Thanks again for the great post!
Lia Garcia says
We are total coffee snobs too, so now you definitely need to go 😉 We took a wonderful coffee farm tour here in Colombia at Finca el Ocaso in Salento, which is in the coffee region of Colombia. But that tour sounds really interesting. Thank you for your recommendation!
Aidan says
Great post, but I’ve found a relatively new coffee shop that tops most of these called Colonia & Co in Barranco. They have a slayer espresso machine and pull the best shot of espresso I’ve had in South America! Great vibe with a small bakery and small ice cream shop sharing the same building.
Lia says
Ooooh thanks for the tip Aidan! We will def check it out next time we’re in Lima!
Bizarre Globe Hopper says
What a lovely and informative article! I had absolutely no idea that Lima has so many excellent third wave coffee shops. So nice to meet fellow traveling coffee geeks, looking forward to your new articles!
Lia says
Thank you! They have a TON, we were surprised too!
Peter says
Peru is apparently the worlds fastest growing country, and with that, Lima has a fast developing coffee culture. It’s no surprise, given the easy access to their coffee production. It really is growing very rapidly. I tend to visit Peru every couple of years so ive noticed the development in standards of coffee and cafes and attention to detail and service. I highly recommend Origen Tostaduras. They do espresso, aeropress, v60, iced coffee aeropress, french press, moka pot, pisco coffee sours, chilcano con cafe. the espresso is a single origin blend of washed and honey process from San Martin in the Amazonas region.
Lia says
Wow, I didn’t realize Peru was the world’s fastest growing country! That’s incredible! We will definitely check out that coffee shop next time we’re in Lima – thanks so much for the tip!