regular COFFEE AND BOOKS — Restaurant in Nuevo León

Regular’s reputation preceded it as one of the good coffee shops of Monterrey, so I had to go. It is in the middle of San Pedro’s traditional Centrito and this was my second attempt to go after the first was aborted due to traffic and parking chaos and an hour wasted driving around.

The coffee shop is rather small but very well designed for maximum occupancy. They offer both coffee to go and hot mugs, good wifi, and power plugs. Great for work on a laptop. Ok for a date though a bit cramped it makes up in decor. Part of the decor is coffee table books, mainly artsy with nice full page photos.

The baristas were somewhat reserved though accommodating compared to other places in Monterrey, and knowledgeable. I requested a latte with honey, which is actually a their 50% pure honey to get it dissolved y better than pure honey. They also have commercial vanilla syrup, maple syrup (the real Vermont thing) and mocha flavorings. I requested a small hot mug and 180 g of whole milk, and two teaspoons of syrup with a double. Double is only 15.5 grams. I appreciated the preparation and latte art, very well done and they have a great Italian higher throughput machine.

Regarding today’s coffee it was a Nayarit dark (medium-dark according to the bag) roast. I asked about the extraction time. Price was slightly on the high side of market reflecting the affluent location. Flavors are extra.

Regarding the coffee, the roast is recent, mine was 8 days prior, from Nayarit, roasted in a third state in México and rapidly received in Monterrey. Coffee was on the bitter side but not objectionably so. Through the milk and honey it tasted something between earthy and floral, not sweet. I asked the barista about that and it was described as a long aftertaste 🙂 and confirmed calibration was a few seconds under 30. Unfortunately, many superior coffees are available here but they were on that bag when I visited.

The barista commented that the real specialty of the shop are the pour overs and I believe that.

The overall experience was nice, but I got a parking ticket which has nothing to do with the review but serves to emphasize the poor access and related frustrations comments earlier, not to mention lots of construction going on.

The benefit of this place, almost unique in Monterrey, is fresh 3.3% milk from a regular milk jug. NOT the ultrapasteurized stuff in almost every other place. Temperature was perfect too.

Also the coffees available for purchase include some decent international whole beans though roast dates are typically over a month from what I saw, but reasonably fresh. There’s enough choice you can find a special one.

Now to find the transit office and spend an hour or two paying my ticket. Looks like I got two… for being here 1-1/4 hour. I’m told they are 150 pesos each. Wish it were easier to get here, and it’s great if you can walk. The owner seems to have a flair for variety and...

A cozy, tiny café offering friendly service.

By far one of my favorite cafés in terms of coziness and that homey vibe, this little spot in Centrito, complete with a limited assortment of books for sale—feels warm and inviting despite its cramped size.

The non-coffee selection was a bit disappointing, as they mostly offered tea infusions rather than chais or matcha. However, they did have an Earl Grey tea option, which I went with. Although I didn’t order anything else, the pastries looked quite appealing and tasty.

It took just a bit for the barista to brew my tea, but once ready, it was exactly what I expected from a cup of Earl Grey. The atmosphere was quiet, cozy, and perfect for spending time. While the space is a bit tight, it was just the right size to feel snug without being uncomfortable.

Prices were appropriate for the area, and I really appreciated the...

Tried the espresso tonic, cold brew tonic, and another tonic that had salt on it (can’t remember the name, but it was the best of the three!). Also had their iced tea, which was more like a delightful iced tea mocktail. It was as sweet as Starbucks’ sugary drinks, but it was nice. Wish I had tried the mineral oolong, which looked like a nice mocktail of...