Cafés of San Juan: A Coffee Shop Tour of Puerto Rico's Capital

old san juan historic balcony flowers

Calle Fortaleza, Old San Juan. Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Summary

Coffee in San Juan runs on two tracks. The older one is café con leche with a mallorca, a quesito or pan sobao at a panadería or cafetería, a habit shared across Puerto Rico. The newer one is the specialty café, serving single-origin coffees, several of which opened in the 2010s, mainly in Old San Juan and in Santurce. This article describes cafés that are documented in published sources. It does not rank or recommend businesses. Cafés open, close and change their hours often, so readers should confirm with a café before visiting.

Old San Juan

old san juan blue cobblestones colonial

A street in Old San Juan. Photo: Jorge Láscar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

La Bombonera. La Bombonera, on Calle San Francisco, was founded in 1902 by two immigrants from Mallorca surnamed Puig and Abraham, according to a 2012 report by the news agency EFE. It became known for mallorcas, the sweet buns named after their island. In 2012 a dispute over the lease of one of its two buildings threatened its future. The café later closed, and it reopened in May 2016. This encyclopedia could not confirm whether it is open in 2026.

Cuatro Sombras. Cuatro Sombras opened a café and micro-roastery on Calle del Recinto Sur in 2011. Lonely Planet describes it as Old San Juan's first micro-roastery. According to Discover Puerto Rico, the island's official tourism organisation, it serves 100% Arabica coffee from Yauco, roasted weekly on the premises. The same source says the name, "four shades", refers to growing coffee under four kinds of shade tree: pacay, guama, sangre de dragón and almizcle.

Café Don Ruiz. Café Don Ruiz roasts and serves coffee from a family farm in Yauco at the Cuartel de Ballajá, a historic former barracks in Old San Juan. It has its own article: Café Don Ruiz and Specialty Coffee in Old San Juan.

Chocobar Cortés. Chocobar Cortés, at 210 Calle San Francisco, opened in 2013. It is a restaurant built around chocolate that also serves coffee. It belongs to the Cortés chocolate company, which the president's Puerto Rican grandfather started in the Dominican Republic in 1929. The upper floor of the same building holds the family's art collection.

Santurce

Café Comunión was founded in 2017 in Santurce by Abner Roldán and Karla Quiñones, according to Imbibe magazine. It is a multi-roaster café: it serves coffees from several roasters, local and foreign. Roldán has twice won Puerto Rico's latte art championship, and the café later opened a second location in Río Piedras. Avenida Ponce de León, where Café Comunión stands, and nearby Calle Loíza both have several specialty cafés.

Watch: SXSE Season 1 Episode 1: Cafe Comunion San Juan, Puerto Rico — Black & White Coffee Roasters

The Panadería Tradition

For most of San Juan, coffee still means café con leche at the neighbourhood panadería. Puerto Rican bread came with Spanish colonisation, and the historian Pedro Reina Pérez counts pan sobao, pan de agua, pan de maíz and the mallorca among the island's breads today. A quesito, a flaky pastry filled with sweet cream cheese, is a common partner for café con leche. The mallorca takes its name from the Spanish island of Mallorca, where bakers make a related pastry called the ensaïmada.

Before You Visit

Business details change quickly. Check a café's current hours and address directly before visiting. Inclusion in this article is not a recommendation.

Key Facts

La Bombonera: founded 1902 on Calle San Francisco by two immigrants from Mallorca; reopened May 2016
Cuatro Sombras: café and micro-roastery on Calle del Recinto Sur since 2011; coffee from Yauco
Chocobar Cortés: opened 2013 at 210 Calle San Francisco; Cortés chocolate company founded 1929
Café Comunión: founded 2017 on Avenida Ponce de León, Santurce
Traditional order: café con leche with a mallorca, a quesito or pan sobao

Frequently Asked Questions

What is La Bombonera? A café and bakery on Calle San Francisco in Old San Juan, founded in 1902 by two immigrants from Mallorca and known for its mallorcas. It closed and reopened in 2016; check whether it is open before visiting.

What is a mallorca? A sweet, soft bun usually served dusted with powdered sugar, often with café con leche. It is named after the Spanish island of Mallorca, where a related pastry, the ensaïmada, is made.

Where are San Juan's specialty cafés? Mainly in Old San Juan and in Santurce, especially along Avenida Ponce de León and Calle Loíza.

Does this encyclopedia recommend particular cafés? No. It describes cafés that are documented in published sources and does not rank or recommend them.

Sources

EFE, "Cafetería la Bombonera podría ser clausurada", as published by La Opinión, 4 May 2012. Supports: the 1902 founding by two Mallorcans named Puig and Abraham; the location on Calle San Francisco; the 2012 lease dispute.
El Nuevo Día, "Reabre La Bombonera", 11 May 2016. Supports: the reopening in May 2016.
Lonely Planet, "The best places to find coffee in San Juan". Supports: Cuatro Sombras opened in 2011 as Old San Juan's first micro-roastery, on Calle del Recinto Sur.
Imbibe magazine, "Where to Drink in San Juan, Puerto Rico". Supports: Cuatro Sombras' café and micro-roaster opened in 2011; Café Comunión founded in 2017 in Santurce by Abner Roldán and Karla Quiñones, a multi-roaster with a second location in Río Piedras.
Discover Puerto Rico, the island's official destination marketing organisation, "Marcas de cafés especiales para degustar en Puerto Rico". Supports: Cuatro Sombras' Yauco Arabica, weekly roasting on site, and the four shade trees of its name; Café Don Ruiz roasting and serving at the Cuartel de Ballajá. Tourism material, used only for what these businesses offer.
News is my Business, "Puerto Rico's 1st ChocoBar opens in Old San Juan". Supports: the ChocoBar on San Francisco St.; the Cortés company started in the Dominican Republic in 1929 by the president's Puerto Rican grandfather; the art collection in the building.
Smart Meetings, January 2016. Supports: the address, 210 Calle San Francisco.
Chocobar Cortés, restaurant listing on OpenTable. Supports: the opening in 2013. Business's own statement.
Platea, "5 Must-Try Coffee Shops in San Juan". Supports: Abner Roldán as a two-time Puerto Rico Latte Art Champion; Café Comunión as a multi-roaster.
Suitcase magazine, "San Juan's Chicest Coffee Shops". Supports: Café Comunión at 1616 Avenida Ponce de León; specialty cafés on Calle Loíza.
Pérez Pintado, Amanda, "Contrabando, harina y sobao: la historia del pan boricua", Platea, interviewing the historian Pedro Reina Pérez. Supports: wheat bread arriving with Spanish colonisation; pan sobao, pan de agua, pan de maíz and the mallorca as Puerto Rican breads.
Discover Puerto Rico, "Guide to Puerto Rican pastries". Supports: the quesito as a cream-cheese pastry eaten with café con leche.
King Arthur Baking, "Puerto Rican mallorcas", 16 February 2023 (a Puerto Rican baker's account). Supports: the mallorca's name and its relation to the Mallorcan ensaïmada.

Claims this encyclopedia could not source

The following statements appear in published material about San Juan's cafés. This encyclopedia could not trace them to a reliable source:

That Santurce is the island's most important hub for specialty coffee.
That coffee competitions, cupping events and barista training take place regularly in Santurce.
That partnerships with San Juan cafés are a primary revenue source for small specialty farms.
That tourists who drink Puerto Rican coffee in San Juan become loyal customers of Puerto Rican brands.
That the Cuatro Sombras farm's history dates to the mid-nineteenth century.

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