Coffee aficionados will feel at home in Mérida. Over the past half a dozen years an incredible number of new independent coffee shops have opened. Most are centred in the downtown and tourist dominated areas but there are also gems to be found in the sleepy suburbs. Almost any independent coffee shop is going to be superior in every way from any of the big name chains that plague shopping malls, airports and pricey plazas. This is because they have to be good to survive and unlike the chains they don’t have deep pockets, political connections and shady accountancy practices. Usually with independent coffee shops the owners and most have the staff have a passion for coffee and it shows with the quality of the product and the level of service offered.