Cafeoteca

A coffee library is the idea here: Cafeoteca roasts in house in San José and turns Costa Rica’s growing regions into the thing you actually order.

Costa Rican coffee treated as a map

The programme is built around Costa Rica rather than a parade of imported lots. Cafeoteca roasts in house, buys directly from farms, and has long used origin as the way into the cup. In its earlier eight-coffee format the counter poured one coffee from each of the country’s eight producing regions; the collection now runs broader, with more than twenty-five coffees across varieties, processes, farms and brewing methods. That is why the house calls itself a coffee library and tasting centre rather than a café. The language on the menu leans into territorio del café, with altitude, climate, history and the people who grow it treated as part of the drink. Let the bar lead with the day’s coffees and choose by region or process.

Ten seats, a wood bar and time for the pour

The room works because it is small. There are about ten seats, floor-to-ceiling windows, geometric metalwork, chalkboard walls and a custom wood bar that keeps the exchange close to the grinder and the cup. It occupies a renovated 1950s International Style house, the same design-minded setting that ties the founders’ café, restaurant and boutique projects together. The counter is not built for anonymous volume; it is built for questions, tasting and a barista-led choice, which matters when the list carries so many Costa Rican coffees. Regulars give themselves time here, especially to compare origins or talk through a brewing method. Food makes it more than an espresso stop, with breakfast, lunch, coffee-break plates, desserts, baked goods and salads made from local ingredients.

What to ask for first

Start with an in-house roasted Costa Rican coffee chosen from the current collection rather than out of habit. If the bar offers a choice between regions or processes, take the one that shows the sharpest contrast, because Cafeoteca is at its best when it makes Costa Rican coffee feel specific rather than general. Espresso is part of the service, ground at the bar, but a brewed coffee is the better first order because it lets the origin do the work. Add something from the bakery case or the kitchen if it is mealtime. The house was ranked ninety-eighth in The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops for 2026, and the range behind the counter is the reason to walk here.