We fell in love with the Cafe Arabica Espresso Bar when we stumbled through its doors looking for a good coffee a few years ago. There are two Arabica cafes, one on 269 Recavvaren street and the other in the Larcomar shopping centre in Miraflores.
The Arabica Espresso Bar on Recavarren is a tiny space usually filled with locals stopping off for a latte or espresso during the day. It’s a nice laid-back place to stop for a quick coffee or cake as you explore Miraflores and is full of character with tables decorated with subway maps and walls displaying information about local cultural events.
Arabica in Larcomar is a more modern style café and is one of Lima’s only slow coffee and espresso bars. Tucked away on the ground floor, Arabica Larcomar is a haven for coffee aficionados. The slow coffee bar offers a range of traditional coffee brewing techniques for customers to enjoy including the chemex, French press, V60 pour over, aeropress and siphon methods.
Arabica is owned by the geniuses behind Café Bisetti so the quality of their coffee is second to none in a country that has historically exported most of its great coffee. They have a good selection of coffee from all over Peru and work under fair trade principles ensuring the producers get a fair wage and are thus encouraged to continue producing the fabulous beans in each cup.
The other thing we love about Arabica is their great cakes and pastries. Hannah is one of the co-founders of Arabica and she bakes her sweet treats in-house daily. Her carrot cake is a firm favourite, (it‘s moist and full of carroty goodness) but if chocolate is more your thing, the dark chocolate and espresso mousse pie will hit the spot.
We personally prefer the Cafe Arabica on Recavarren street as it feels like more of a local spot with good music, casual vibes and great coffee without pretension. However, if you want to try a wider range of great Peruvian coffee the Cafe Arabica Espresso Bar in Larcomar should definitely be on your Lima to do list!
