Last Updated on 22 November 2025 by Vanessa
Looking for the best cat café in Mexico City? Then read why Café Mistu might become your favorite spot in the heart of CDMX.
A great cat café in Mexico City: Café Mistu review
This is a guest post by Patri Vidal from Spanish Nomad.
I’m not a cat person.
It’s not that I dislike them, but I tend to respect their space because it wouldn’t be the first time one scratched me.
Still, as part of my mission to explore ethical pet cafés in Mexico City, I knew I couldn’t skip Café Mistu. It’s the most popular cat café in the Mexican capital, and with good reason.
I lived in Monterrey, Mexico, for three years, and my love for Mexico City has taken me there countless times.
Every visit has given me a new chance to uncover hidden gems that most tourists miss.
Discovering unique cafés and socially responsible spots has become one of my favorite ways to experience the city beyond its famous attractions. Café Mistu fits perfectly into that category.
It’s exactly the type of place that reminds me why I keep returning: creative, welcoming, and full of local character.
What is Café Mistu and where to find it
Café Mistu is located in the Historic Centre of Mexico City, inside a small shopping mall called Pasaje Capital.
You’ll find it on the second floor, which can make it a little tricky to spot from the street. Keep an eye out for the mall entrance and head upstairs.
Due to its popularity, you might need to wait before entering, but there is no real peak time for the café.
When I visited, I waited about 40 minutes, but the host told me the wait times are hit-or-miss. Some online reviews mention that they were never able to get in due to long queues.
The café doesn’t offer reservations. However, if you’re visiting on a weekend or a holiday, try messaging them beforehand to check availability.
The wait can feel long, but they have a spacious waiting area where you can sit while you get familiar with the rules posted at the entrance. Or you can browse the shops at the mall.
Preparing for the Café Mistu experience
Once it’s your turn to go in, the staff provides a detailed introduction to how everything works.
The process is impressively organized and reassuring for both cat lovers and those who, like me, prefer a little distance.
Before you even sit down, you’re asked to wash your hands, get a light spray of disinfectant, and cover your shoes with plastic sleeves.
Hygiene and animal welfare are top priorities here.
Instructions are posted throughout the café and also explained verbally by the staff.
They even explain how to properly hold a cat and what to do if one approaches your table.
Their clear, professional approach made the environment respectful and well-organized.
You can stay for one hour from the moment you receive your order. This helps the café manage its flow.
There were around 20 cats during my visit. They were all friendly and curious, and they moved comfortably between the play area and the tables.
I liked that the staff enforced the rules politely but firmly. This kept both visitors and cats relaxed.
The atmosphere: a feline wonderland in the heart of CDMX
Café Mistu is fully dedicated to cats in both spirit and design.
The walls are filled with cat-themed decorations and the shelves stacked with trinkets. There are even displays of cat food, toys, and accessories for sale.
I found the amount of merchandise a bit overwhelming.
Every wall is used for something, and I would have liked to see a few more locally crafted items instead of mostly mass-produced goods.
The cats have their own designated play area equipped with swings, climbing furniture, and toys.
Most of them spend their time there, but a few wander freely, occasionally stopping by to inspect visitors’ tables.
There are also several toys for guests to use. I even joined in from a safe distance, using the cord I keep around my phone. It was a small but funny moment that made me feel part of the experience without stepping too far out of my comfort zone.
Despite the number of visitors and cats, the atmosphere was calm and pleasant, all thanks to the attentive staff who clearly care about maintaining balance in the space.
Food and drinks: beautifully presented and worth the wait
Café Mistu’s menu is extensive and affordable, offering both sweet and savory dishes, as well as vegetarian and vegan options. The range is impressive, and the effort they put into their dish presentation shows.
Since I had already eaten lunch elsewhere, I went straight for dessert, which had me a bit worried because I do not have much of a sweet tooth.
I ordered a sweet crepe with cream cheese, berries, and chocolate syrup, paired with a cup of loose-leaf herbal tea. These flavors paired well.
The tea was served directly in the cup, which I loved because we can all do with less plastic in our food.
The crepe was delicious, soft, creamy, and not overly sweet, and the portion was generous.
Since I was alone and only ordered a crepe, I cannot comment on the flavors of the other dishes.
However, while I waited, I curiously peeked at the orders as they came out of the kitchen. All of them looked carefully arranged and decorated with cat motifs.
Presentation is clearly important to the staff, and even simple dishes are made to look inviting.
The story behind Café Mistu and its cats
Café Mistu was founded in 2021 by two independent rescuers who wanted to create a space where adoptable cats could meet potential families in a safe and friendly environment.
The café operates with the support of volunteers, donors, and a cat-specialised veterinary clinic that helps with medical care.
Most of the cats here come from local rescue efforts rather than a specific shelter. All are mixed breeds, a charming mix of personalities and colors.
Every cat is available for adoption, and the staff will gladly tell you their names and backstories.
Once an adoption is approved, the team personally delivers the cat to its new home, ensuring each adoption is responsible and well-matched. It’s a thoughtful process that emphasizes care over speed.
The whole adoption system reflects the café’s focus on ethics and animal welfare, something that goes far beyond the simple idea of a themed café.
This sense of community involvement gives Café Mistu a purpose beyond serving coffee and food.
It’s a project that brings together travellers, locals, and animal lovers with one shared goal: helping cats find forever homes.
Visiting Café Mistu as a traveller in Mexico City
If you’re spending the day exploring the Historic Centre of Mexico City, Café Mistu fits perfectly into your sightseeing plans.
You can easily add your visit to Café Mistu to your itinerary in Mexico City because it’s located right in the center.
Within walking distance, you’ll find some of the city’s top attractions, including the Zócalo Square, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Templo Mayor ruins and museum.
After a morning spent walking through the plaza or visiting the museum, Café Mistu offers a comfortable place to rest, have dessert, and enjoy an hour surrounded by cats.
Its central location means you don’t need to go out of your way to visit. It’s an easy and relaxing stop that blends well into a full day in the city’s historic core.
You can plan your visit as a mid-afternoon break or a cozy stop before heading to dinner.
Either way, it’s a refreshing pause that lets you experience something different while still staying close to Mexico City’s cultural highlights.
How Café Mistu compares to other cat cafés
I visited two other cat cafés in Mexico City. While they are fantastic because they serve the same purpose, helping and rehoming rescued cats, they don’t have all the features that Café Mistu offers.
Some cat cafés are located a bit outside the typical tourist areas, and their menus are more limited, with less emphasis on presentation.
While all of them post their rules clearly, Café Mistu stands out for how well those rules are explained and consistently enforced, ensuring that both cats and visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Overall, Café Mistu excels because of its central location, extensive menu featuring beautifully presented dishes, and well-organized system that keeps everything running smoothly.
For anyone exploring Mexico City, it’s the perfect example of how a business can combine ethics, organization, and genuine care in one experience.
What online reviews say
Café Mistu has a good score of over 4.5 stars out of five, which matches my review.
However, I am compelled to mention some of the low reviews I read, which comment on the lack of hygiene and care.
Some customers said the staff let cats onto the tables and let them nibble on food, or that there are so many that people step on them.
These problems stem directly from customers’ careless behavior. We are partly responsible whenever we share our space with animals.
Because let’s remember something: the cats are not there to entertain us; we are there to help them.
Other reviews also mentioned issues such as cat hair or fur in the environment.
While this might sound unappealing, it is important to remember that this is a cat café, and cats shed.
The staff maintain a high standard of cleanliness. However, there is simply no way to guarantee that a hair will never end up on a table or chair.
If that is unacceptable to you, it may be better to skip the visit altogether.
The rules are specific, and one of them is not to let cats on tables when food has arrived.
It is displayed in writing, it is verbally explained to you, and I am sure it is reminded to customers who are not following this rule.
From what I saw during my visit, the staff were attentive and proactive in reminding visitors when needed. However, customers are ultimately responsible for respecting the space and the cats.
As customers, we must act responsibly and meet expectations.
If we can’t commit to at least following the rules, it’s best not to go.
Café Mistu is not for people seeking entertainment or playful chaos. It’s for those who genuinely care about animal welfare and can appreciate the café’s mission of helping cats find safe and loving homes.
Practical information
Address
Café Mistu, 20 de Noviembre 126-1er piso local 15, Centro Histórico de la Cdad. de México, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06090 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico.
Opening hours
- Monday: Closed.
- Tuesday: 12:00 pm – 07:00 pm
- Wednesday: 12:00 pm – 07:00 pm
- Thursday: 12:00 pm – 07:00 pm
- Friday: 12:00 pm – 07:00 pm
- Saturday: 12:00 pm – 07:00 pm
- Sunday: 12:00 pm – 05:40 pm
While this information is current at the time of writing this post, make sure you contact the café via social media to confirm opening times, as the information on Google Maps may be incorrect.
Final thoughts
As someone more into dogs than cats, I didn’t expect to enjoy Café Mistu as much as I did. It’s clean, well-run, and managed by people who truly care about both animals and visitors. The experience is structured but warm, and I felt comfortable the entire time.
For travellers who value ethical animal experiences, Café Mistu is a must-visit.
It blends a meaningful mission with good food, friendly staff, and an accessible location right in the heart of Mexico City.
Whether you’re a devoted cat lover or simply a curious traveller, this café offers an hour of calm, charm, and animal companionship that you won’t find anywhere else in the city center.
It left me with a deeper appreciation for the thoughtful initiatives that exist within Mexico City’s sociocultural environment.
Have you been to Café Mistu in Mexico City? Tell us in the comments what you thought. And if you’ve adopted one of their rescues, did you give it a classic Mexican cat name?
For more cat café adventures, check out cat cafés in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Originally from Southern Spain, Patri Vidal left her home country at 28 to embrace a nomadic life across Australia, the USA, Mongolia, and Mexico.
On her blog, Spanish Nomad, Patri shares practical tips, stories, and destination guides to help travellers make eco-friendly choices, support ethical tourism, and reduce their impact on the planet. She believes small, collective actions can make travel more responsible and inspiring.
Cat café photos courtesy of Patri Vidal and Café Mistu.
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3 responses
It looks like an amazing place!
This sounds like such a lovely spot! Places like this are exactly why I want to go back to Mexico. I love that Café Mistu focuses on being ethical and welcoming — and the atmosphere looks so charming. Adding it to my list for my next CDMX trip!
Been there many times. It is indeed a cozy place to enjoy while you help those amazing cats. The staff are polite, kind, welcoming and the food is delicious. If you come to Mexico City, don’t skip a visit to Mistu’, you won’t regret it!