The Coffee Shop I Went to Almost Every Day in Puerto Rico

When I spent six weeks living in Puerto Rico this past winter, I was lucky enough to have Gustos Coffee close to where I was staying.

At first, the convenience got me through the door.

The coffee kept bringing me back.

By the end of my stay, I was going to Gustos almost every day.

It became my neighborhood coffee shop, but I almost hesitate to describe it that way because it makes Gustos sound like I loved it simply because it was nearby.

I didn’t.

I loved it because this place takes coffee seriously.

The coffee was exceptional. The food was excellent. The service was consistently friendly. And there was a level of care in the little details that I noticed more and more with every visit.

Gustos didn’t just happen to become my regular spot.

It earned it.

Seriously Good Puerto Rican Coffee

I drink a lot of coffee when I travel.

And there’s good coffee — and then there’s the kind of coffee that makes you genuinely excited to go back the next morning.

Gustos was the latter.

Gustos is a Puerto Rican coffee company, and the quality of the coffee was immediately noticeable.

This wasn’t a place where coffee felt like an afterthought or simply something to accompany breakfast. There was a standard here.

The espresso was consistently excellent. Drinks were carefully prepared. And after going there enough times to experience different days and different people behind the counter, what impressed me most was the consistency.

It was never, “That latte I had the other day was really good.”

It was just:

The coffee at Gustos is really good.

Every time.

And when you’re going somewhere almost every day for weeks, consistency becomes a much bigger compliment than having one great cup.

I Started Looking Forward to the Latte Art

There was also something else I started looking forward to every day.

What were they going to put on my latte this time?

It became a little surprise.

Some of the designs were seriously impressive.

Then I’d come back another day and get something completely different.

It wasn’t necessary. The coffee underneath it was already excellent.

That’s actually why I appreciated it so much.

The latte art felt representative of Gustos in general: they cared about doing things well, even when they didn’t necessarily have to.

When a place maintains that kind of attention to detail day after day, you notice.

And Then There Were the Quesitos

Of course, I wasn’t surviving on coffee alone.

Well…

Not entirely.

The quesitos at Gustos were amazing.

A good quesito is such a simple pleasure: flaky pastry wrapped around that sweet cream cheese filling, preferably sitting next to a really good cup of Puerto Rican coffee.

I ate quite a few quesitos during my six weeks in Puerto Rico.

The ones at Gustos were among the ones I kept wanting again.

Coffee and a quesito became an extremely easy decision.

SHLAYED.

The Mallorca Sandwich

When I wanted something more substantial, there was the Mallorca sandwich.

There’s something about that soft, slightly sweet Mallorca bread with a savory filling that just works.

And Gustos did it very well.

My camera roll provides fairly convincing evidence that this was not a one-time order.

Coffee.

Mallorca sandwich.

Maybe a quesito.

And SHLAYED.

Service That Matched the Coffee

The other thing I don’t want to gloss over is the service.

The staff at Gustos were genuinely friendly.

Not performatively friendly. Not “here’s your coffee, next.”

It was the kind of warmth that makes a place feel comfortable.

And because I went so frequently, I got to experience something you don’t really get when you’re bouncing between cafés trying to visit every highly rated place in a city.

I got to become a regular.

Over those weeks, Gustos became familiar.

I’d walk in knowing I was going to get an excellent coffee. Familiar faces would be there, and I’d find somewhere to sit. Maybe I’d hang around for a while. Maybe I’d meet a friend.

There was a consistency to the experience that matched the consistency of the coffee.

And that’s harder to pull off than it sounds.

A Place Where You Actually Want to Stay

Gustos also gets something right that isn’t really about coffee at all.

It’s a nice place to be.

There are coffee shops that make fantastic coffee but aren’t particularly comfortable places to spend time.

Gustos managed both.

I could pop in for a coffee and leave, but I could just as easily sit for a while, write, think, relax or meet up with somebody.

The atmosphere was relaxed without feeling sleepy. The space felt polished without being precious.

It worked as a serious coffee shop and as a neighborhood gathering place.

That combination is probably part of why I ended up there so much.

Almost Every Day for a Reason

Eventually, Gustos became part of the rhythm of my time in Puerto Rico.

But proximity only explains the first visit.

It doesn’t explain all the others.

I kept going because the coffee was exceptional, the staff was genuinely friendly, the food was great, and there was a consistency and attention to detail that made every visit feel worth it.

After weeks of going there, the novelty should have worn off.

Instead, I still looked forward to walking through the door, ordering my coffee and seeing what they’d put on top of my latte that day.

One of the best parts of staying somewhere for six weeks is getting to find places that become part of your life there.

Apparently, when I find a place I love, I just keep going back. I visited SUR Barra Nikkei four times during those six weeks, and Gustos became my almost-daily coffee ritual.

Next time I’m in Puerto Rico, I don’t need to search for a coffee shop.

I already have one.