“Cafe de Colombia, ven a tomar!”
Among the nightclubs, bars and restaurants in Medellin’s El Poblado district are many small cafes. Expats who live in El Poblado spend much of their time in these popular spots, working, having meetings, or simply enjoying a nice latte with a friend.
Within these cafes, you can find some of the best coffee Medellin has to offer. Colombians love to drink coffee, but are too often willing to settle for low quality, flavorless instant coffee, so upscale coffee shops never had much success in the country. In recent years, though, coffee shops owned by foreigners have begun to open up, serving high quality food and desserts, and better-tasting coffee. This trend has blown up quickly, and today more and more coffee shops are opening in El Poblado and Laureles. Here are some of the best.
Photo credit: Pergamino Cafe
Pergamino
Anyone wholives in El Poblado knows about Pergamino. This cafe has become a hot spot for expats and entrepreneurs to work and socialize. Pergamino is well known for the quality of its coffee, regarded as the best in Medellin. When Colombians living in the US go home to visit, relatives in America always ask them to bring back Pergamino coffee; it’s that good. The cafe has become so popular, in fact, that it can be tough to work from there, because you’re almost guaranteed to see a familiar face and wind up spending the afternoon in conversation with friends.
Pergamino Address:Carrera 37 8A – 37 (VÃa Primavera)
Phone: +57 (4) 2686444
Website: http://www.pergamino.co/
Facebook: Pergamino
Manager: Pedro Echavarria
Email: info@pergamino.co
Credit Cards: Visa, American Express, MasterCard
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 AMto 9:00 PM; Saturday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM – Closed Sunday
Photo Credit: Cafe Velvet
Cafe Velvet
Cafe Velvet shouldn’t be considered a rival of Pergamino, but rather a great alternative. Cafe Velvet is run by a Belgian fellow who serves amazing desserts and possibly the best hot chocolate you will ever taste. They also offer sandwiches for lunch, which are definitely recommended. Much like Pergamino, Cafe Velvet has grown in popularity in the last few years, and many people from El Poblado go there to get their work done. They have a specially designed area for people who require a small table for their laptop, and offer free Wi-Fi. Again, it can sometimes be difficult to get much accomplished, because you’re likely to run into people you know.
Cafe Velvet address: Carrera 37 #8A – 46
Phone: +57 (4) 3119405
Website: http://www.cafevelvet.co/
Facebook: Pergamino
Email: cafevelvetmedellin@gmail.com
Credit Cards: Visa, American Express, MasterCard
Hours: Monday – Saturday 9:00 AMto 9:00 PM; Sunday 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Photo Credit: Juan Valdez Cafe
Juan Valdez
Before Pergamino and Cafe Velvet, there was Juan Valdez. This brand of coffee is known all across Colombia, and while it’s great, it doesn’t compare to Pergamino. There is a Juan Valdez cafe located across from the Charlie Hotel in Medellin, and there are many others around the city, particularly in shopping malls. A Juan Valdez cafe can be a great place to get some work done, or have a meeting with a client.
Juan Valdez in Parque LlerasAddress: Carrera 37A #8A-74
Website: http://www.juanvaldezcafe.com/
Facebook: Juan Valdez in Parque Lleras
Credit Cards: Visa, American Express, MasterCard
Hours: Dependent on location
Exploring for Yourself
El Poblado has become the headquartersforcafes in Medellin. There are fartoo many to mention in asingle blog post. Walk around El Poblado, and set up camp in whatever cafe appeals to you the most. Who knows? It may be even better than the ones mentioned above. Branch out and visit Laureles, Ciudad del Rio, and Belen to find some of Medellin’s other amazing cafes.
Staying With Us?
All of our apartmentsin Medellin are a short walk from the cafes of El Poblado. Feel free to contact usif you want more information about apartments in Medellin.
