If you are looking for cozy and comfortable cafes that serve good quality coffee, Barranco is one of the best neighborhoods in Lima to find these places.
Being from Lima, and specifically from Barranco, I know all the cafes in the neighborhood. From the time when there were basically just two simple cafes in the whole area, until around 2010, where gradually, a few charming places started to emerge.
Nowadays there are a lot of options, and I’ll share with you here what I like about each of them.
Alanya
This cafe is in Domeyer Street, just one block away from the Bridge of Sighs. While they also have pizzas and other bigger meals, their specialty are their pastries and desserts.
What I love about Alanya are their filled croissants, which make this my favorite cafe in Barranco. They are so good! They make them in lots of different flavors, though depending on the day they might have or not have specific flavors.
Some of their best flavors, in my opinion, are lemon pie, capuccino and strawberry cheesecake. Other flavors they have are crema catalana, lucuma and gianduia. They used to have a matcha one, which was amazing (who knows they might have it again at some point).
If you are looking for a place to have breakfast in Barranco, this is a great option. What it might not be very suitable for, is probably for working and staying there for a long time, as there are not that many tables.
La Bodega Verde
La Bodega Verde has two locations. One just across the Bridge of Sighs, and one on the basement of a building in the corner of Av. El Sol and Av. San Martin (also in Barranco).
The location of the one across the Bridge of Sighs is much nicer. It has both an indoor and and outdoor sitting space, and it’s pet-friendly. The environment is nice, and it’s a great place to relax and have a coffee with a friend or by yourself. It is a good place for working, since there is enough space (though maybe not on the weekends).
Though it’s mainly a cafe, they also serve meals, For me, what I like, is that they have enough vegetarian options if I go for lunch, like nice salads (and I’m not a salad person). and lasagna. It’s not so easy to find vegetarian food in Peru, so this is a big plus. They also have very nice breakfasts.
La Panetteria
La Panetteria is another cafe in Barranco that also has two different locations, though they are across each other. They are in Av. Grau, which is one of the main avenues of Barranco.
Both locations are very similar, though one is bigger than the other one. They have very good sandwiches, quiches, toasts, croissants, and pastries, and they also have a lunch menu.
My favorite items on the menu are the sandwiches (the vegan sandwich, with hummus, is really nice). If I would have to choose a place to have a cafe in Barranco to have a light lunch, it would be this one.
I have gone to work at both cafes, and they can be great places to work if they are not very busy (especially the bigger one).
Sofa Cafe
Sofa Cafe is in the corner of Av. San Marin and Calle Centenario, and is one of the most popular cafes in Barranco. While the previous cafes that I have listed have more of an intimate atmosphere, this is a bigger place, though it still remains cozy.
Besides normal tables and chairs, they also have some sofas, so it’s a very comfortable place to spend and afternoon just hanging out.
They have a big menu, and you can find both coffee shop items like sandwiches and desserts, as well as food. One item on the menu that I love are their waffles.
Singular
What I love about Singular is their outdoor sitting space, which is a beautiful place to have a coffee in Barranco in the summer. It’s very near the Bridge of Sighs and the main square of Barranco, on a little side street.
They serve excellent coffee, offer a wide selection of teas, and delightful macarons (I recommend the lavender one). They also serve sandwiches and some cakes.
Demo
Demo is a cafe by the same owners as Merito, which is one of the best restaurants in Barranco (and in Latin America as a whole). It used to be in the same building, but the cafe has recently moved to their own space in Domeyer Street (across Alanya).
I have to say I love cafes but I’m not a big coffee person, so I am not giving you my personal opinion about how coffee is. But according to my coffee enthusiast boyfriend, they arguably serve the best coffee in Lima. They also have a few pastries to accompany your coffee.
On Sundays they serve a great brunch (you might need to book ahead).
Caleta Dolsa
This is one of the most popular cafes in Barranco, in Av. San Martin, on a basement. Every time I go there it’s basically full. They have both an indoor and an outdoor sitting space.
Coleccionista
This cafe, in Av. San Martin, is a very good place to go and work for some hours on your computer.
You can order at the counter and just go with your coffee to do your work and no one will be bothering you. They have this very long table where you can sit with other people who are also just doing their own thing. The downside is that it can be a bit loud because of the noise from the street.
They mainly have coffee, some cookies and a few cakes.
El Bigote Coffee & Waffles
I love the waffles at El Bigote. They serve them with many different toppings and are really good. The coffee shop is located in Av. Grau, close to the limit of Barranco and Miraflores.
The place isn’t very spacious, especially in the afternoon (when I’ve always gone). It’s advisable to arrive no later than 4 pm to secure a seat.
El Beso Frances
While I’m not particularly fond of this cafe (I personally find their crepes too small, and their shakes too sweet), it’s a super popular place among locals. It’s a relatively new place, but now they have several locations in Lima, with two of them in Barranco.
The reason I’m including it in this list of the best cafes in Barranco is because one of their locations is quite nice, right next to the MAC museum in the middle of the garden. So if you are staying in that area of Barranco, it can be a very nice place to have breakfast.
Before You Go: Cafes in Barranco That Don’t Exist Anymore
If you have been reading other articles about the best cafes in Barranco, you might have come across names not listed in this post. Unfortunately, many cafes closed down during the pandemic, but they are still listed in many blogs that haven’t been updated.
These were some good cafes in Barranco that are now permanently closed:
- Bissetti: This was one of my favorite cafes in Barranco. They had good bites and coffee. Now, instead, you can find the other location of El Beso Frances in that building.
- Cafe from the MATE: The MATE was Mario Testino’s Museum, which was a museum I’d always recommend to anyone visiting Barranco, which exhibited photos by the famous Peruvian photographer. They had a very nice cafe, “but the museum no longer exists.
- Vernácula Cafe Bar: Vernácula was a concept store very near the Bridge of Sighs, which had a cute cafe inside. They don’t have a location in Barranco anymore.
As you can see, Barranco has a big variety of coffee shops. Savoring a cup of Peruvian coffee, known for its excellent quality, at one of these cafes, is truly one of the best things to do in Barranco.
