Café Altura Paseo Bulnes

Café Altura started as a cart in the La Vega market and grew into one of Santiago's most respected specialty roasters, and the Paseo Bulnes branch is where the group shows off its widest range. A broad, welcoming room with a long bench out front sits on a pedestrian stretch of a heritage neighborhood, with a generous open air dining area that catches the shade and the view.

The coffee is the house roast, led by sweet, balanced Peruvian beans and rounded out with seasonal lots from Guatemala, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Open from early morning to late evening, it suits office workers, students and passersby looking for a calm place to relax or work, and bags of whole beans are on sale to take home.