Cafeography
Cusco · San Blas

Cafés in San Blas

The artisans' hillside above Hatun Rumiyoc, with small coffee bars and bakery cafés.

Photo: Susan Flores, Pexels License

San Blas climbs the slope north-east of the Plaza de Armas. Under the Incas this was T'oqokachi, and its church was built over a temple to Illapa, the Inca god of thunder.1 It has long been the artisans' quarter. Hilario Mendívil carved his long-necked religious figures here, and his daughter Juana inherited the family museum-workshop on the Plaza de San Blas; the clay sculptor Edilberto Mérida's workshop also still takes visitors.2

The church's carved pulpit, from the 1670s, is counted among the finest woodwork in the Americas. Legend says a man cured of leprosy cut it from a single trunk over about 20 years, though some scholars credit the Andean master Tuyru Túpac.2 The cafés are small and sit along the climb: Choqechaka, the Cuesta de San Blas, Tandapata and the lanes above the plaza.

Local tip: Climb in the morning: Bunnu Café on Lucrepata opens at 07:00 daily, while The Meeting Place shuts at 16:00 and closes on Sundays.

At a glance

26Cafés listed
6With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
22:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Bunnu Café, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–21:30).
  • Closes latest: Dr. Beer & Miss Potato, until 22:00 (Mon–Sat 08:00–22:00).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (42%), wi-fi (23%), brunch (12%).

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

Getting up to San Blas

From the Plaza de Armas, take Calle Triunfo up beside the Cathedral; Hatun Rumiyoc is two or three minutes ahead.3 This pedestrian street runs along the Inca wall of Inca Roca's palace, and the twelve-angled stone, a finely cut diorite block, is set in the wall of the Archbishop's Palace.4 At its north-east end it meets Choqechaka and the Cuesta de San Blas.4

Past that corner the Inca walls stop, and a narrow street open to cars climbs on into the barrio. Go early in the day if you are still adjusting to the altitude.3

Choqechaka and the Cuesta

Altura Café & Tostadores, at Choqechaka 131, has a menu that runs from espresso and cortado to cold brew and an orange coffee.5 & Jill's by Jack's is further along at number 509.

Jack's Café, a breakfast place known for generous portions, moved to Ruinas 493 in August 2023.67 Local is up the hill at Cuesta de San Blas 525, and Cicciolina Café is a few doors away.

Three Monkeys and the specialty bars

Three Monkeys Coffee began as a small coffee cart in San Blas.7 Its founders are three Cusco baristas, Neto Solórzano, Iván Salas and Diego Huillca, and it placed 22nd in The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2025.8 In 2026 it came 26th.9 It has its own roasting plant and has won a Sprudge Design Award.10 The café is at Pampa de la Alianza 474.

L'atelier, at Atoqsaycuchi 605, is a café and boutique that serves organic coffee.7 It opens 08:15–19:00 daily. Eusebi & Manolo sells coffee to go from Carmen Alto 116.

Tandapata, Lucrepata and the weekend fair

Tandapata is lined with tiny boutiques.2 Dr. Beer & Miss Potato, at Tandapata 101, stays open until 22:00 Monday to Saturday. Kaqlla, a bakery café that also serves brunch, is at Carmen Bajo 226, and Barrio Cafe is at Siete Angelitos 675.

Higher up on Lucrepata, Bunnu Café opens 07:00–21:30 daily and Café Tallado 08:00–18:00 Monday to Saturday. The Meeting Place, a volunteer-run café whose profits go to charities, closes at 16:00 and breaks for lunch from 12:00 to 13:00.7 Artisans hold a crafts fair in the plazoleta on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.2

Sources

  1. Historic Centre of Cusco, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Art and Artisans in Cuzco's San Blas Neighborhood, Southern Explorations (updated May 4, 2024), accessed October 2026
  3. Rua Hatun Rumiyoc em Cusco, The Only Peru Guide, accessed October 2026
  4. Hatun Rumiyoc, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Altura Café: carta, Altura Café, accessed October 2026
  6. 10 Best Cusco coffee shops: prices, locations & tips, Quechua's Expeditions, accessed October 2026
  7. Best Coffee Shops in Cusco: Where to Enjoy Specialty Coffee in the Andes, Machu Travel Peru (July 9, 2026), accessed October 2026
  8. Estas cinco cafeterías peruanas brillan entre las 100 mejores del mundo, Forbes Perú (February 18, 2025), accessed October 2026
  9. Top 100 de las mejores cafeterías del mundo: 32 son de América Latina y el Caribe, Bloomberg Línea (February 17, 2026), accessed October 2026
  10. Puku Puku, Three Monkey Coffee, Coffee Busters, Origen and Florencia y Fortunata ranked among the world's top 100 coffee shops, Peru.info / PromPerú (March 7, 2025), accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

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In San Blas, also browse: Wi-Fi Open late Bakery cafés Brunch Specialty coffee

FAQ

San Blas cafés: questions

How do you walk from the Plaza de Armas to San Blas in Cusco?

Take Calle Triunfo up beside the Cathedral; Hatun Rumiyoc, the pedestrian street with the twelve-angled stone, is two or three minutes ahead. At its north-east end it meets Choqechaka and the Cuesta de San Blas, where a narrow street climbs on into San Blas. Go early in the day if you are still adjusting to the altitude.

Which café in San Blas, Cusco, is ranked among the world's best coffee shops?

Three Monkeys Coffee, which began as a small coffee cart in San Blas, placed 22nd in The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2025 and 26th in 2026. It was founded by three Cusco baristas, Neto Solórzano, Iván Salas and Diego Huillca, has its own roasting plant, and is at Pampa de la Alianza 474.

When is the San Blas crafts fair in Cusco?

Artisans hold a crafts fair in the plazoleta of San Blas on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The barrio has long been Cusco's artisans' quarter: Hilario Mendívil's family museum-workshop is on the Plaza de San Blas, and the clay sculptor Edilberto Mérida's workshop still takes visitors.

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