Hanging Garden Café

Ask ten guides in Santa Elena and you get ten answers, so here is ours: the best coffee in Monteverde is grown here, roasted here and brewed slowly. At Hanging Garden Café we pour coffee from El Trapiche, a family farm on this mountain, roasted locally and ground for each cup. Read how we choose it on our coffee page.

We open at 6:00 every day, one hour before the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve opens its gate at 7:00. Coffee, a warm croissant or an empanada, and you are on the trail before the crowds. We close at 19:00.

Right here, from 6:00. Sandwiches such as the Mano de Piedra with Costa Rican beef, empanadas, croissants, banana bread and a chorreado coffee. Leaving before dawn? Order an Adventure Box by 20:00 the night before and pick it up from 6:30.

We are 50 metres south and 50 metres east of the church in Santa Elena, Monteverde, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is about 10 minutes away by car, and the centre of Santa Elena is a short walk. Tap "Get directions" in the visit section and Google Maps takes you to the door.

Yes, and there is a reason. Monteverde sits at about 1,400 metres, where cool nights make the coffee cherry ripen slowly and build sugar. That is why a Monteverde cup tastes sweet and clean, with chocolate and citrus notes. Our coffee page explains altitude, harvest and roast in plain words.

Yes. Several family farms around Monteverde run coffee tours of two to three hours, from the plant to the roaster, usually with sugar cane and chocolate too. If you only have twenty minutes, come and taste the same mountain in a cup: we serve El Trapiche coffee and are happy to tell you how it is made.

Ask at the counter. We sell what we brew when we have it, whole bean or ground, and we can tell you which farm it comes from and when it was roasted. It packs flat in a suitcase and it is the souvenir people write to us about.

Let it rain, this is a cloud forest. A hot chocolate or a Cloud Forest Latte under the hanging plants is the local way to wait it out, and the forest is at its greenest right after. Our rainy day guide lists what stays open and what is better in the mist.

Our tables sit under hanging plants, ferns and flowers, with the cloud forest air coming through. It is a garden more than a view: hummingbirds visit, and on clear afternoons the light comes in sideways through the mist.

Cool, not cold: about 15 to 22 °C most of the year, with mist and wind. Bring layers and a light rain jacket even on sunny mornings. Then come in for something hot; we have coffee, tea and Costa Rican hot chocolate.

Yes to all three. Prices are in colones; we also take dollars at the counter, cards, and SINPE Móvil. Change is given in colones.

Yes, there is free wifi for guests; ask at the counter for the password. You are welcome to work a while. Mornings are the quietest and there are some outlets.

We have lactose free milk for any coffee or hot chocolate, just ask. We do not stock oat or almond milk. Every smoothie can be made in water instead of milk.

No, we do not serve decaf. Our coffee is arabica from Monteverde, which is naturally lower in caffeine than most supermarket blends. For no caffeine at all, try the tea, the Costa Rican hot chocolate or a garden smoothie.

Vegetarian, yes: the Monteverde sandwich, most pastries, drinks and smoothies. Vegan: smoothies in water, americano, tea and the sweet cane drink. Our kitchen is small, so we cannot promise zero contact with gluten; tell the team when you order and they will guide you.

Well behaved dogs are welcome at the garden tables, and we will find them a bowl of water.

Very. The garden gives children room to look at plants and hummingbirds, and the Costa Rican hot chocolate was practically made for them.

Yes, free street parking right by the café. Mornings before 7:00 are the easiest time to find a spot.

No reservation needed, just come in. For groups of eight or more, or a small celebration, message us on WhatsApp a day ahead and we will set the garden for you.

Everything on the menu travels well; just ask for it to go. To order ahead, write to us on WhatsApp at +506 6400 6601 and tell us when you will pick it up.

Yes. We open every day of the week, 6:00 to 19:00, holidays included. If a storm or a special day changes that, we post it on our Google profile first.

Yes, we have restrooms for guests.

Tips are never expected in Costa Rica and always appreciated. If someone made your morning, a small extra says so.

English y español, con mucho gusto. The menu, this website and our team speak both.