Café Rústiko — Restaurant in Oaxaca

The coffee: I’ve had brilliant café moments before, Clemente in Puebla pulled a beautiful V60 with crisp citrus clarity... but this?

This is exquisite. Every sip of this AeroPress pulls my hand back like a spell. The aftertaste doesn’t fade, it glows.

Their barista team, their roastmaster, their craft, I’d put them up against any shop I’ve ever visited. New York. LA. Even Tokyo. And they’d win. I ordered an aeropress because they are getting ready for a competition and the cup they made me was better than most pour over competition cups I've ever had.

If there was a Michelin system for coffee? Rústiko wouldn’t just earn a star. It would earn three.

The pizzas: If you're in Oaxaca and you don't try the pizza at Rustiko, you're making a huge mistake. I’ve had pizza in NYC, Chicago, LA, and from top-rated pizzerias across the U.S. and Rustiko’s pies rank among the best I’ve ever had in my life.

I tried both the Vegetariana and the 4 Quesos & Pesto, and they were flawless.

The crust? Thin, foldable, perfectly chewy, not greasy, not dry.

The sauce? Bright, balanced, a mix of fresh tomato and umami depth that hits you right in the memory.

The toppings? World-class olives, fresh heirloom tomatoes with acidity, fresh oregano, high-quality cheeses blended like a symphony.

This isn’t “good for Oaxaca.” This is world-class pizza, period.

This is no longer just a good café in Oaxaca. This is the best café in the world by experience, execution, and depth of...

Sierra Mazateca – Lorenzo Jiménez (Café Rústiko)

Tasting notes: Bright citrus leads into soft stone fruit, with a clear peach note that rounds out the midrange. The sweetness is layered, raw cane sugar fading into something deeper, almost like the caramelized top of a peach pie. The finish leans gently into vanilla and molasses, long and delicate without turning sticky or dark.

I picked up a 250-gram bag of semi-washed, 48 hour + 24 hour double fermented Catuai grown at 1,470 meters in San Mateo Yoloxochitlán, roasted by Café Rústiko. I've been roasting coffee for over 30 years, and this is one of the finest examples I've ever seen of someone pulling every good characteristic out of a bean. The roast is clean, restrained, and respectful, nothing overdeveloped, nothing hidden, nothing forced.

The citrus, fruit, and cane sugar notes are all there, clear and present without overwhelming each other. It goes well beyond any Mexican-roasted coffee I’ve had, and honestly beyond anything I ever managed to dial in with Mexican beans myself. I’ve roasted too many single origins chasing versatility, but what they’ve done here is mastery through focus. This coffee reflects a deep understanding of the origin and a real philosophy behind the roast.

Logged:...

I live on the coast and every time I go to Oaxaca I go here. Not any more. I get the tostado olivo brunch combo. This time my salad had basically zero dressing. The toast was nice. But it comes with a "combo" of a coffee and pastry, and the chocolatin they gave me was a day old! It was dry, not flaky, NOT good and in the past the pastries from here have been amazing. Then whilst yesterday's chocolatin was sitting on our table, the guy brought out freshly-baked chocolatins! I mean, we arrived at 8:10am but she could have said "oh, just wait ten minutes for the fresh pastry" because I don't even eat it first anyway. I always like to eat it after the meal. And when we told the waitress that it was disappointing that they gave us a chocolatin from yesterday and had to smell the fresh ones, and she shrugged and said nothing. So disappointing. This was my "go-to" place but...