The best restaurants, coffee shops, rooftops, and digital nomad workspots in San Miguel de Allende
We´ve been to more than 23 different restaurants, rooftops, and cafes in the four weeks we were in beautiful San Miguel de Allende. So, we know where to go!
Follow our lead, and you will enjoy stunning views from the best rooftops, enjoy healthy lunches, work at the best spots for digital nomads and eat at the best restaurants in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
(the majestic views from the Luna rooftop bar)
Best work spots for digital nomads
We quickly discovered that San Miguel is not quite a harbor for digital nomads, but more for ex-pats and retirees. And of course, tourists who love a nice long weekend in a lovely little picturesque town like San Miguel. But nonetheless, we packed up our laptops and sought out spots to get some hours in. These are our favorite spots to work for digital nomads:
Selina San Miguel: The best coworking spot, and probably the only one really catered to modern/digital nomads is Selina. You can book a room here and combine it with coworking spaces (and yoga and relaxing). Or you could book a solo session in the coworking space as well. The rooftop here is amazing by the way!
Starbucks Centro: Right in the heart of the city center is the Starbucks. They have many tables with hard wooden seats. It´s just fine for about two hours and then your butt gets sore. The courtyard outside of the Starbucks is also a must-see. Enjoy your break here!
KiBok Cafe: Our second favorite spot was definitely KiBock Cafe, and that was mainly because of the friendly staff, the delicious menu options, and two excellent tables to work on. There are not many spots where you can sit, but if you can obtain these seats, you can get some good hours in!
Cafe Rama: The third best place to get your hours in, and enjoy a good lunch, is at Cafe Rama. This artistic cafe has many tables and comfy armchair seats to get some work done.
Ojo de Agua: This decent cafe has a modern design and a modern menu for us western digital nomads. Little pricy, but overall pretty excellent. Gets the job done!
Geek&Coffee: Right next to the Fabrica Aurora, is the hip, creative, and very affordable Geek&Coffee. It´s a bit hard to find, but really keep moving to the right side of the front of Fabrica Aurora. This quirky cafe has a couple of mediocre seats to maybe work an hour of two at, but we found that this cafe is more a place for young couples with kids. This is because of the lovely little outdoor courtyard where kids can play. Geek&Coffee might be the spot for parents with kids and laptops 😉
Cafe Rustica: Our definite favorite spot for working as a digital nomad in San Miguel was the wonderful Cafe Rustica. The ambiance and interior design are just so lovely! And the staff was very kind to us. We´ve gone to Cafe Rustica about 5 times, and every time we felt very welcome. And wow… their menu… wow! It´s sooo good!
I´m not gonna spoil what you can order there, but you will understand and love our recommendation afterward.
This cafe is located on a busy main road, so the ambiance on this street is not cozy at all. We disliked the restaurants and cafes on this street because of this, but Cafe Rustica works around the noise and sand. You can easily get 2-4 hours of work in while enjoying a great breakfast or lunch here. We miss you Cafe Rustica!
(left: got a nice spot at KiBok, right: the artistic Cafe Rama)
Best places for lunch & coffee
Just looking for a great lunch and/or coffee? We got you!
Cafe Rustica: As said before, Cafe Rustica is by far the greatest cafe in town. Their lunch options are heavenly and the coffee is excellent.
La Cabra Iluminada Café: This small hipster cafe looks like Steve Jobs designed it. The espresso was amazing, and their healthy bowls were very tasty. Try the smoothie bowl with blueberries!
Lavanda Cafe: This cafe is known to be one of the most popular cafes in town, but we didn´t really like how the staff treated us. Weird stand-offish vibes! Their coffee and brownie were pretty good though, but we didn´t order lunch here because of how awkward we felt thanks to the staff.
KafeWow: This simple ´cafe´ might not look inviting at all, but they got superfoods in bulk. Healthy salads and healthy juices all over the menu. And there was some fast food as well on the menu (pizzas and stuff), but we came here mainly for the quick healthy lunch.
Cafe de Santos: Love people-watching? Then please, take a seat here. This terrace on the corner of one of the most beautiful streets of San Miguel is a delight!
Cen-Tro: This pretty standard terrace is nothing special in any kind of way, but sitting here on the main square (Jardin) for some people watching is the main reason to get a coffee here.
Pura Vida: Looking for a simple, affordable, and typical Mexican lunch spot? Go to Pura Vida and enjoy some huevos ala Mexicana!
Chill SMA: Up north from the city center, you will find a cute little lunch spot in the colorful neighborhood of Guadalupe. It doesn´t look like much, but their kombucha, espresso, and sandwiches are really great. If you´re close by, go to this simple but excellent lunch spot!
Inside Cafe: This cool and hip three-story restaurant is hard to find, but when you do, you will like what you see (and eat!). They have an Asian fusion menu, with many delicious options. Please do try the dish with the peanut sauce and thank me later. The Inside Cafe is also a great spot for diner!
(above: Inside Cafe. Left & right: Cafe Rustica)
Best restaurants in San Miguel
Before I tell you our favorite restaurants, I must say that we were a bit spoiled before going to San Miguel by all the delicious food we had in Oaxaca and the Yucatan-Peninsula. We concluded that San Miguel isn´t a gastronomic paradise as we hoped, but we still ate like spoiled royalty. Mexico in general is just such a feast for your tongue!
You will find not only typical Mexican restaurants here, but also many Italian, American, and French restaurants. And those are, by default, delicious! The vast community of Canadian and American pensionados and ex-pats are to blame for that.
These were our favorite restaurants:
Hecho en Mexico: Thé place to be in San Miguel for tasty Mexican cuisine. You will leave this restaurant with a full belly and your wallet still filled with cash.
Mama Mia: Looking for a fun busy Italian restaurant with bang for bucks? Mama Mia is the place to be. They have big pizzas and pasta for a very good price. And there´s some fun live music as well.
La Sirena Gordo: This translates to ´The fat mermaid´. If you´re in for a greasy, spicey, fatty dish, you´re in the right spot. Their shrimp burger was pretty darn good!
El Grandpa & Son Burgers: You will find this burger joint in the Fabrica Aurora, and trust me: these burgers are soooooo good! Fat, juicy, and delicious, just the way we like 'em.
And oh lord, don´t forget this tip if you are close by: there is this cafe on the left back side of Fabrica Aurora, and they have the most delicious brownie!
Luxury restaurants: There are also many luxury restaurants in San Miguel where you can wine and dine like royalty. These places are a bit posher and quite expensive compared to the average restaurant in Mexico, but your tastebuds will thank you for the experience.
Aperi, Bistro 300, Zumo. The Restaurant, Aqua Live, 1826, and Casa Nostra are highly rated restaurants to have a great night of dining. Disfruta!
Skip please
And you can easily skip San Agustin for their trademark churros con chocolate, we didn´t really find it that special. Waiting in line is not worth it. And for the love of everything that is holy, please do not go to Aqua Live. Your wallet will thank you. We walked out when we discovered a simple espresso was 5 dollars…
(the BBQ burger at Fabrica Aurora, yumm!)
Wanna see more of the dishes we had? Check out our Instagram Stories!
Best rooftops in town
There are a couple of amazing rooftop bars where you can enjoy the unforgettable vistas of San Miguel de Allende. We went to the best ones and thoroughly enjoyed the good life here!
Luna: By far the best rooftop in town is Luna. This rooftop bar can be found ON the Rosewood Hotel. You can just walk right into the hotel and ask if you may be escorted to the Luna rooftop. The entry is free, so don´t let the fancy entrance discourage you. You will love the grand views from this fancy and very cool rooftop bar. The seats are comfy, the staff is professional, the food is great, the drinks are delicious, and these majestic views are just breathtaking. It´s a little more expensive but worth every penny extra. You will not quickly forget how wonderful your evening was!
Be at Luna around sunset and thank me later.
Fatima 7: Posh, snobby, arrogant, and expensive. Skip this one, because there are way better rooftops in town with better views.
Quince: This rooftop looks as if you´re in San Tropez, and by that, I mean expensive, fancy, and posh. But we never got to see it from up close, because we got turned down by a very arrogant bell boy with no clear apparent reason. We told him with a friendly smile we would go to the Luna instead. Bon dia senior!
Selina: The best view up close from the pretty pink church is from Selina´s rooftop. Also, you can get a majestic grand view of the whole city from here. This rooftop bar is for the cool kids!
(the viewpoint from the Selina rooftop bar)
Go go go !
We´ve even made a Google Maps San Miguel list with all our recommendations and exact locations. Now you know where to go when you´re in San Miguel de Allende. But did you also check out our articles about the 7 best accommodations in San Miguel and our Top 10 Things to Do in San Miguel? And if you don´t have a plane ticket yet, be sure to first compare prices with Kiwi or Skyscanner. This alone will save you many hundreds of dollars that you can spend on delicious meals in San Miguel de Allende! 🙂
Enjoy your time here amigo!
