Cafeography
Quito · La Carolina

Cafés in La Carolina

Offices around Parque La Carolina, with cafés lined up on República de El Salvador and the Shyris.

Photo: Diego F. Parra, Pexels License

Parque La Carolina covers 64 ha, framed by Avenida de los Shyris, Eloy Alfaro, Amazonas, República and Naciones Unidas.1 The land was a hacienda used mainly for grazing until 1939, when its last owner, María Augusta Urrutia, donated most of it to the city; work on the park began in 1976 under Mayor Sixto Durán Ballén.1

The park sits in Quito's main business area, and many of the cafés around it follow office hours.2 Coffee Factory, in the GAIA building at Eloy Alfaro and Mariana de Jesús, opens Monday to Friday 08:00–17:00; Cafetería El Capuchino, on Antonio de Ulloa, runs weekdays 07:00–17:00. La Carolina has more cafés than any other part of the city.

Local tip: On a Sunday, when many office cafés here are shut, Floyd's on the Shyris and Abiñela on Bulgaria both open daily from 08:00.

At a glance

72Cafés listed
12With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
22:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Cafetería El Capuchino, from 07:00 (Mon–Fri 07:00–17:00).
  • Closes latest: Saca la resaca, until 22:00 (Mon–Sat 08:00–22:00).
  • Most listed streets: Avenida Mariana de Jesús (3), Avenida Naciones Unidas (2), Avenida Río Amazonas (2).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (15%), bakery café (7%), card payment (7%).

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

Coffee chains in La Carolina

Two metro stations

The metro stops twice here: La Carolina station is at Eloy Alfaro and República, and Iñaquito station at Naciones Unidas and Japón.3 Both are on the single line, entirely underground, that runs south to Quitumbe.3 Naciones Unidas, the Iñaquito station's avenue, has Chiche Bombon, Swiss Corner and Vafeldagen (at 10-44); Mariana de Jesús, on the district's southern side, has Fruta Café, La Jarra Siria and Omi Cafe Bar.

Inside the park

The Jardín Botánico de Quito keeps orchids and other plants under steel and glass; the Club de Jardinería de Quito took over the old municipal nursery on 4 October 1989.1 The Vivarium, on the Amazonas side, opened on 1 December 1989 with reptiles and amphibians.1

The lagoon was renovated in May 2016 at a cost of a million dollars.1 A concrete cross stands where John Paul II said mass during his 1985 visit.12

República de El Salvador, the café avenue

Avenida República de El Salvador has more cafés than any other street in Quito. Ceres is at N34-229, Europa Café at N34-361 and Milagro Cotidiano at N34-529, with Kaffe at 406 and San Isidro Coffee at 575. Saca la Resaca, at 35-08, opens Monday to Saturday 08:00–22:00, the latest in the district.

Café Guayasamín has a branch at El Salvador and Portugal; in September 2026 an espresso there cost US$3, a tasting of two filter coffees US$8 and a humita US$2.75.4 Benchtime, whose founder Audrey Kim brings South Korean flavors to Quito, started in a small shop at Suiza and República de El Salvador; its ranked café is in Plaza Marú, in Cumbayá.4

Specialty coffee on the Shyris

Floyd's Specialty Coffee, in the El Kalifa building at Shyris and Portugal, brews Ecuadorian specialty beans through Chemex, V60 and AeroPress and opens daily 08:00–19:00.5 Palatu Coffee Spot, in the La Recoleta building on Catalina Aldaz (N34-168), was one of the Quito cafés Primicias singled out in 2024.6 Galletti's café at Shyris and El Telégrafo opens Monday to Saturday 08:00–19:30 and Sunday 09:00–18:00.7

For a table outside, Lekka Lekka, on Pasaje Rumipamba off the Shyris, has outdoor seating and opens weekdays 08:30–17:30. Abiñela, at Bulgaria 146, opens daily 08:00–19:00 with tables outside, and takes cash only.

Sources

  1. Parque La Carolina, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  2. Quito, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Metro de Quito, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  4. Las cuatro mejores cafeterías de Quito | Son parte del ranking 100 Best Coffee Shops de Sudamérica, Primicias (September 23, 2026), accessed October 2026
  5. Floyd's Specialty Coffee, Floyd's Specialty Coffee, accessed October 2026
  6. Lo que debes saber sobre el café ecuatoriano: Los mejores y cómo prepararlos en casa, Primicias (April 6, 2024), accessed October 2026
  7. Café Galletti: cafeterías, Café Galletti, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

More of Quito

Centro Histórico

61 cafés

La Mariscal

53 cafés

La Floresta

17 cafés

La Coruña & González Suárez

16 cafés

In La Carolina, also browse: Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Brunch Outdoor seating Open late

FAQ

La Carolina cafés: questions

How big is Parque La Carolina in Quito?

Parque La Carolina covers 64 ha between Avenida de los Shyris, Eloy Alfaro, Amazonas, República and Naciones Unidas. Most of the land was donated to the city in 1939, and work on the park began in 1976. It holds the Jardín Botánico de Quito, a vivarium, a lagoon renovated in 2016 and the cross marking John Paul II's 1985 mass.

Which metro stations serve La Carolina in Quito?

La Carolina station, at Eloy Alfaro and República, and Iñaquito station, at Naciones Unidas and Japón. Both are on Quito's single underground metro line, which runs south to Quitumbe. Avenida República de El Salvador, the street with the most cafés in the city, is in the same district.

Where is specialty coffee in Quito's La Carolina?

Floyd's Specialty Coffee, at Shyris and Portugal, brews Ecuadorian beans through Chemex, V60 and AeroPress, daily 08:00–19:00. Café Guayasamín has a branch at República de El Salvador and Portugal, where an espresso cost US$3 in September 2026. Palatu Coffee Spot is on Catalina Aldaz, in the La Recoleta building.

For café owners

Own a café in La Carolina?

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design