Where To Get A Decent Coffee In La Paz
Hallelujah for Higher Ground
Food is such an integral part of a culture so eating and drinking like a local is an important part of the travel experience.
That said, sometimes you just want comfort and familiarity. Maybe your bowels have fallen victim to the foreign diet. Or you miss home. Or you want a treat, or just a proper coffee.
In La Paz there are a tiny handful of places that stand above the rest and at the top of the ladder is Higher Ground, a one stop shop for breakfast, lunch and dinner and always delivering a good strong cup of the good stuff.
Hailing from Australia’s coffee capital, you can guarantee that Melburnian Mark Symons can tell one delicious Bolivian coffee bean from the next. Before creating Higher Ground in 2017 he thought it was the biggest irony that Bolivia has the perfect conditions for growing high altitude coffee yet you couldn’t get a decent cup of it for love nor money. He made it a priority to establish relationships with local growers and now the restaurant’s extensive menu is sourced from as close to home as possible, including Bolivian wines and craft beers.
Higher Ground offers all the morning favourites including brekky wraps, smashed avo and eggs benny. All bases are covered at lunch with six burger options and a great selection of salads, curries and soups. For dinner, or something more substantial menu items include T-bone steak, pork medallions, chicken linguini pesto or good old bangers and mash.
Higher Ground’s entire offering is tasty western classics with an Australian-Bolivian twist. Aussie travellers will be stoked to see their beloved vegemite and chicken parma making appearances on the menu.
One last, very important detail which puts Higher Ground ahead of the pack, is their commitment to leading the way into a sustainable future. In a country which barely has a recycling system, Higher Ground no longer uses many single use items like plastic bags, straws and cutlery and has transitioned their takeaway packaging to greener alternatives. Better still, training is provided to staff about why all of this is so important.
If you’re in La Paz and you’re hungry for something hearty, fresh and familiar or you’re craving a decent coffee – head to Higher Ground and they will sort you out in a jiffy.