Qūentin Café

What began as a single outpost on Álvaro Obregón in Roma Norte has grown into one of Mexico City’s most quietly indispensable coffee institutions — five locations strong, and somehow still feeling like a neighborhood secret. Co-founder Menachem Gancz traces the origin back to a trip to a Chiapas coffee plantation after years of teaching in Caracas, a moment that set him on a path through farms in Colombia and Peru before returning home to open something different. Inside, the mood is warm and lived-in: marble tables, bar stools, shelves stocked with craft chocolate from as far as Madagascar, and a coffee bar where every cup is made in full view. Qūentin Café’s menu rewards curiosity. The pour-over is meticulous, the cascara comes in two variations — one smooth, one ginger-forward and almost funky — and the espressonic, a lightly fizzy marriage of espresso and tonic, is the kind of drink you didn’t know you needed. Then there is the carajillo: espresso, Licor 43, one generous ice cube. Order it with the banana cake or whatever donut has made it to the counter that day.