Cafeography
Pereira · Centro

Cafés in Centro

Farm coffee on Calle 23 by the lake, espresso on Calle 20 by the Bolívar Desnudo.

Photo: CRISTIAN CAMILO ESTRADA, Pexels License

Pereira's Centro is the grid between Plaza de Bolívar and Lago Uribe Uribe, a few blocks apart. The plaza, between Calles 19 and 20, is the city's main commercial and financial hub and a meeting place for residents,1 and it faces the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Pobreza.3 The park around the lake has also gone by Plaza de la Concordia and Plazuela de Colón.5

The cafés follow those two landmarks. On Calle 23 and Calle 24, around Carreras 6 and 7 by the lake, Café Jazmín, Casa Moratta, María Antonia Café, Raíces 2, Mystic Coffee and Munzuwa Cafe Bar sit within two blocks of each other. Calle 19 and Calle 20, by the plaza, have Café Del Toro, Mulera Cafe, Ristretto Espresso and Pura Molienda.

Local tip: Start at Raíces 2 on Calle 23, which opens at 04:00, then walk three blocks to Calle 20 for a second cup by the Bolívar Desnudo.

At a glance

44Cafés listed
2With opening hours
04:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Raices 2, from 04:00 (Daily 04:00–23:00).
  • Closes latest: Cafe Bar Classic, until 23:00 (Mon–Sat 09:00–23:00).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (11%), wi-fi (7%), open late (5%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Pereira.

Coffee chains in Centro

Plaza de Bolívar and the Bolívar Desnudo

In the middle of the plaza, Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt's Bolívar Desnudo shows the Liberator nude on horseback: 9 m tall, 14 tonnes of bronze, made with the engineer Guillermo González Zuleta and unveiled in August 1963 for Pereira's centenary.2 It drew criticism at first and is now the emblem of the city.12

Coffee around the plaza runs along Calle 20, where Café Del Toro, at 6-26, and Mulera Cafe, at 6-20, are next door to each other. Ristretto Espresso is on Carrera 8, steps from the square, and Pura Molienda is on Carrera 5 at 19-34. Tintto, at Calle 19 and Carrera 10, is in the Edificio El Diario del Otún; in 2016 it served a variety from La Morabia farm in Belén de Umbría, grown at 1,740 m.6

Calle 23 by Lago Uribe Uribe

The park's fountain sends its jets up in time to music,4 and a statue of General Rafael Uribe Uribe by Franco A. Cano stands there. Frisby, the fried-chicken company, was founded in 1977 in a shop on this park.1

Calle 23 is the coffee street. Café Jazmín, at 6-55, worked farm to table, with an 84-point cupping score and European-style breakfasts, when Pereira City Guide reviewed it in 2016,6 and a 2025 round-up singled out its second floor and its view.7 Casa Moratta is at 6-38. María Antonia Café, on the corner of Carrera 6, grows its coffee on a farm in Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, at 1,700 m, exports it, and sells brewing gear.8 Raíces 2, at 7-23, is open daily 04:00–23:00.

Calle 24 and Carrera 7 after dark

A block north, Calle 24 has Mystic Coffee at 6-70 and Cafe Bar Classic, open Monday to Saturday 09:00–23:00 with Wi-Fi. Munzuwa Cafe Bar is on Carrera 6 at 24-72, and Marruecos Cafe on Carrera 7 at 23-72.

Walking back toward the plaza on Carrera 7, El Gran Café is upstairs at 21-53. Its menu runs from specialty coffee to cocktails, and Reservándonos put the average spend at COP 10,000–20,000 a person in March 2025.7 Arataka Café Bar, on Calle 21 at 6-52, has outdoor tables.

Getting around the Centro

Megabús, the bus rapid transit system opened in 2006, carries more than 200,000 passengers a day,1 and the Lago Uribe sector has stations within walking distance.5 Within the grid, Calle 20 and Calle 23 are three blocks apart, so both clusters fit one walk.

Farther south, Turrón del Bosque, at Calle 16 #12b-49, runs on a cat-café concept.7 At the north end, Cafetería y Panadería Orus, a bakery on Carrera 13 Bis at 32B-37, sells to take away and has a few seats outside.

Sources

  1. Pereira, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  2. Bolívar desnudo, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  3. Pereira, Colombia, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Sitios turísticos de Pereira, Uber Blog Colombia (June 18, 2018), accessed October 2026
  5. Sector Lago Uribe en Pereira, Fincaraíz (May 10, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. 12 Independent Cafés in Pereira Which Are Worth The Taste, Pereira City Guide (June 14, 2016), accessed October 2026
  7. Las 10 mejores cafeterías en Pereira, Reservándonos (March 27, 2025), accessed October 2026
  8. María Antonia Café, María Antonia Café (official site), accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Centro cafés: questions

Which cafés are near Lago Uribe Uribe in Pereira's Centro?

Calle 23 and Calle 24, around Carreras 6 and 7, have Café Jazmín, Casa Moratta, María Antonia Café, Raíces 2, Mystic Coffee, Cafe Bar Classic and Munzuwa Cafe Bar within two blocks. María Antonia grows its coffee on its own farm in Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, at 1,700 m.

What is the Bolívar Desnudo in Pereira's Plaza de Bolívar?

It is Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt's statue of Simón Bolívar, nude on horseback, 9 m tall and 14 tonnes of bronze, unveiled in August 1963 for Pereira's centenary. It was controversial at first and is now the city's emblem. Café Del Toro, Mulera Cafe and Ristretto Espresso are a short walk away.

Which café in Pereira's Centro opens before dawn?

Raíces 2, on Calle 23 at 7-23 by Lago Uribe Uribe, opens every day at 04:00 and closes at 23:00. Cafe Bar Classic on Calle 24 also stays open to 23:00, Monday to Saturday, from 09:00.

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