Juan Valdez Cafe

The staff was very friendly, I never had pastries like these before. I got the Paselito de guava and its was nice and fluffy, the guava jam filling had great filling. The coffee was nice and strong, the staff was so friendly and welcoming. Felt like a true Miami local speaking with the staff haha.

This café is located near gate D20. My original coffee destination was Einstein Bagels, but the line was astronomical. I'm glad I decided to give this place a try. I've had the Juan Valdez instant coffee from the grocery store, and best I can remember, it was decent enough. The Americano from this place actually surprised me! Nice and strong brew, and friendly service. If you want a cup of REAL coffee, skip the Starbucks and Dunkin' line and come here. Decently priced as well, considering it's an airport location.

In general, the staff is friendly, and both the pandebonos and the tequeños filled with guava and cheese have great flavor, although I do think the prices are a bit high. What I see as more of a cultural issue is the size of the iced coffees. They use a cup size that doesn’t exist in any coffee shop in the U.S, I’d say around 12oz or less, and charge the same as what you’d pay for a 16oz coffee at the airport. On top of that, they fill the cup completely with ice from the start, leaving very little actual product. They should pour the liquid first and then add the ice, like Starbucks does. In my case, I’d estimate I only got about 5oz of actual coffee, which is ridiculous. I also ordered a coffee and was given one with caramel (arequipe), which I didn’t ask for. They replaced it with the correct one, but no one mentioned that they’d refund the extra $2 charged for the topping I didn’t request. It’s not about the money, it’s about the service.

Stopped here for a quick coffee during my short layover and was so impressed! They were busy but I still didn’t have to wait long for my drink- I tried the arequipa latte (or dulce de leche) and it was fabulous. It was sweet but not too much and the perfect pick me up after a super early morning at the airport. The workers were kind and it was a cute kiosk- their bakery items looked great as well and I’d definitely like to try the food whenever I make it back to the Miami airport.

If you're looking for a caffeine fix before an early morning flight out of Miami, Juan Valdez Colombian Cafe might catch your eye. However, my recent experience left much to be desired, though it's worth noting that options are quite limited once you've passed through airport security. I started with the Espresso Cubano Xtra. The coffee was decent, but the balance was off. It was overly sweetened, which overpowered the flavors you'd expect from a good espresso. Despite the sweetness, there was still an underlying bitterness that seemed out of place. It was drinkable, but not something I'd look forward to again. Next, I tried the Iced Chai Latte. This was a significant disappointment. It was ridiculously sweet, to the point where it tasted more like a sugar-laden milkshake than a chai latte. The worst part was the complete lack of any noticeable tea flavor or spice that makes a chai latte enjoyable. It felt like drinking flavored syrup with ice. If you're a fan of chai, I'd recommend avoiding this one altogether. For a quick bite, I opted for a plain bagel with butter. Unfortunately, this was another letdown. The bagel itself was okay, but the butter situation was frustrating. They don't spread the butter for you, leaving you to struggle with cold butter packets and a flimsy plastic knife. Trying to evenly spread cold butter on a bagel while at the airport is not an ideal start to the morning. It might seem like a minor inconvenience, but when paired with mediocre coffee, it just added to the overall disappointment. In summary, Juan Valdez Colombian Cafe is not a place I'd recommend unless you've exhausted all other options. The coffee was mediocre, the chai latte was a sugary mess, and the food was lackluster at best. Given the limited choices at the airport, it might do in a pinch, but I'd suggest looking elsewhere if you have the time or the option. With so many great cafes out there, even in an airport setting, it's a shame this one didn't live up to its potential.