I had often driven by a small coffee place on the transpeninsular highway on the way to the airport about a block north of the light at the Pemex at the top of Centenario on the northend of downtown San Jose del Cabo – Coffee Bar 54. I decided to stop for a late breakfast. The owner of the coffee bar and restaurant, Eulises was behind the counter. The menus were posted on blackboards behind the counter as well as a printed menu that he offered to me.

The menu offers scrambled eggs with the choice of a variety of proteins, scrambled eggs with sausage, ham, or a la Mexicana, burritos, chilaquiles, quesadillas, eight different sandwiches, some special combinations. There is a long list of extras that can be added to your choice. I decided on the scrambled eggs with bacon. The platter was huge and the scrambled eggs came with refried beans and a salad of lettuce, cucumbers, and sliced tomatoes. It was a great breakfast.

Eulises stopped at my table to ask how everything tasted and I asked him to give me the history of the coffee bar. He started right off by saying that he wasn’t a chef but his mother had told him that he needed to learn how to cook because she wasn’t going to feed him forever. He and his wife knew that they wanted to have their own business someday. When they were visiting Europe the year before COVID, they visited a number of small coffee bars and decided that this was something that they would like to consider.

They found the small location on the highway and the business started small six years ago. Almost immediately, COVID hit. They stayed open by delivering coffee and burritos to people as they drove up outside the restaurant. It was a challenge to survive by they did. Then, Hurricane Olaf took off the top of the restaurant – another challenge. This also led to improvements in the restaurant – adding a metal roof. Before opening the coffee bar, his wife had never cooked and now she is the queen of the kitchen. They even prepare their own pastries and breads for the items on the menu. A new kitchen was built.

A big part of their dedication to coffee was to find the best coffee available from Mexico. Eulises explained that while George Bush was in the White House, a trip to Nayarit had convinced him this was the best coffee there was. President Obama agreed and the coffee served was with beans from Nayarit. As a result, Coffee Bar 54 offers great coffee from both Nayarit and Chiapas. You can even buy a bag of coffee beans prepared to your specifications – the process, the toasting and more. The choice of coffees in the restaurant includes expresso, cappuccino, mocha, chai, a coffee of the day, and iced coffees.

Coffee Bar 54 is a small hidden gem on the highway toward the airport from San Jose del Cabo with great coffee, good and very reasonable food choices (scrambled eggs starting at $99 pesos) and friendly service.