Xapiri Ground

Aug 10

Xapiri Ground has excellent coffee, hot chocolate and pastries.

While the menu is limited, it has everything you really need in a coffee shop. Everything I’ve tried on their little menu has been delicious. They even have a rotating selection of kombucha, made by their talented baristas. You can ask for a taste if you’re unsure about the flavor they have at the time.

Xapiri Ground has taken the space that used to be a hostal called The Meeting Place and turned it into coffee shop and art gallery. Downstairs the two rooms off the central patio are reserved for rotating exhibitions. One is a sound room and the other is for visual art. The patio space has a couple small tables with benches and a little recessed side space perfect for two people. They also have a couple tables outside when the weather is nice.

Upstairs is the bar in the photos above but the only other place to eat and drink is a tiny balcony that overlooks the Plazoleta San Blas. It’s a beautiful view and perfect for two people.

Upstairs there are also two rooms dedicated to rotating art exhibits and another room with the shop, where you can buy incredible pieces of art and some smaller crafts that make great gifts for anybody who loves the Amazon.

Sometimes it really is the small things that make all the difference.

My favorite thing about Xapiri are the bowls used to serve coffee or hot chocolate. They are the perfect size and shape to hold your drink and warm up your hands. The bowls are handmade by artisans in the Amazon communities that the shop supports. You can buy these same bowls in the upstairs shop along with incredible pieces of art.
My favorite things about the hot chocolate are the texture and the intensity. I always ask for the 85% cacao, which warms me up no matter how cold it is in Cusco.

The seat with a view of the plaza

Besides the two tables outside in the plaza, there is a tiny balcony upstairs with just enough room for two people to have a lovely view of the San Blas church, plaza and most of the historic center of Cusco.

My favorites

The hot chocolate at Xapiri truly is something special. The 85% cacao gives me a similar buzz to a cup of coffee and the banana nut bread is perfectly moist on the inside.

The current art installation is by artist Pecon Quena, who creates art based on her dreams. I will update this when the next artist’s installation is open.