Crossroads Cafe — Restaurant in Panajachel

I came for amazing coffee -- and the coffee is amazing and roasted on site by the owner -- but seriously came away with a great memory of my trip. I am a newbie coffee enthusiast (having recently purchased my own espresso machine) and was traveling with my mom and sister. Mike was so much fun to talk to - very interested in us, and our trip, and I was very interested in his coffee shop. He stayed almost an hour past closing to talk to us; I felt I made a new friend. I intended to just buy a pound of coffee, but bought five pounds because I was so impressed with the quality of the coffee. It seemed way better than what I'm used to either from the chic local roaster or Whole Foods. Also, the prices seemed low compared to similar places I have seen in Lake Atitlan and Antigua, and what's more, Mike offered to take dollars at 7.4, the bank rate, when most places offer only 7 or even 6 for dollars. In short, Mike is an amazing coffee enthusiast with fantastic coffee, a super chill and interesting personality, and very honest with good prices. He's there for love of coffee and Guatemala, and it shows!

Also, I had the last slice of the blueberry pie. I mentioned this at my hotel that that night, and the owners told us that they always buy their coffee from Mike, and that the pastries are made by Mike's wife, and the blueberry pie is...

TL;DR Best Cafe/Restaurant Experience Ever!...coming from a non-Coffee "aficionado"”

BTW, Google maps is a little off on location; use coordinates: 14.745390, -91.154199

-- My review has more to do with Mike than the coffee. Don't get me wrong, my wife and I thought the Iced mocha and the house coffee were excellent. They use locally grown Guatemalan beans and roast in house.

Mike is an incredible person and talking to him can be a truly inspirational experience and this all happened within an hour of us walking in the door. He is full of energy, warmth, passion, happiness, stories, and surprises. I can't say I've ever had more positive experience at any place of business.

I'm not going to tell you the stories as that's besides the point of this review. Go there and be a little inspired. All of his guests are great too, almost every single one of them talked to my wife and I, without us prompting them either. That's the type of atmosphere Crossroads Cafe has...all because of Mike.

One of his surprises; giving us a gift for doing a math problem!...

Can't say enough about Crossroads Cafe. Came for a cup of coffee and ended up with the most amazing experience. I can't recommend this place enough.

I have never left a review for any place before but I felt this was a must. My gf and I bought some delicious coffee from a beautiful batista here and ended up with the most amazing experience. Also the coffee is so good and so are the pastries.

We then met Byron who tought us of the history of the coffee shop and gave us an enthusiastic and English-speaken tour of how he roasts coffee. We were invited back the following day for coffee drinks and to help roast. The three of us roasted 80 lbs of coffee and my gf and I were given a wealth of information.

Crossroads Cafe is a MUST for any traveler that appreciates a good cup of coffee. Grab a cup, talk to Byron, and see where this place takes you. Crossroads also ships roasted beans around the world at very affordable...