Julep Café

Julep is a specialty coffee shop on Avenida Mutualismo, in Tijuana’s Zona Centro, that doubles as a small cultural space: in San Diego Red’s 2025 reports, that meant local artists’ work on the walls, live jazz on Tuesday evenings and a drag brunch once a month. San Diego Red profiled it in August 2025 as a hub for the city’s creative community, called it one of two “cultural pillars” among Tijuana’s creative cafés in an October 2025 roundup, and in December 2025 named it one of its nominees for the best coffee in the city. Those are the most recent dated reports we found, so check the café’s Instagram before you go.

The coffee

The menu is built around specialty coffee. San Diego Red’s coverage mentions lattes and cold brew, along with seasonal drinks such as a pumpkin spice latte served hot or iced, and Atly’s listing adds tea and chai, iced tea included. Some of the café’s creative afternoons come with coffee or craft cocktails, according to San Diego Red. We haven’t seen a current menu with prices.

What’s on

• Jazz on Tuesdays: live jazz every Tuesday evening, according to San Diego Red, which says there are no tickets and that ordering a coffee gets you a seat. Atly also lists a Tuesday jazz night with local musicians.
• Drag brunch: once a month, on a Sunday afternoon, for about two hours, with a brunch cart, San Diego Red reported.
• Art and workshops: rotating exhibitions by local artists, plus literary readings and creative workshops. San Diego Red’s roundup mentions painting and lettering sessions and tote-bag decorating, and Atly says the exhibitions and workshops change monthly.

What to expect

Atly describes a quiet, cozy room with a vintage feel that works for reading or working, with good wifi. The café was founded by a woman San Diego Red identifies only as Abril, and its walls double as a gallery: San Diego Red’s 2025 profile said they have shown work by Sabina Espinoza, Samantha Humaran and Nano Malhora.

Prices and entry

The Tuesday jazz nights don’t need a ticket; San Diego Red says buying a coffee secures your seat. The sources we checked don’t list prices for drinks, the drag brunch or the workshops, so look for each month’s events and costs on the café’s Instagram, @julep.coffee.

Getting there

Julep is at Av. Mutualismo 1233 in the Zona Centro, according to San Diego Red and Atly. If you’re making an afternoon of it downtown, our Zona Centro guide has museums, tacos and bars nearby.

Good to know

• Opening hours aren’t published in the sources we checked; check Instagram before you go.
• Book lovers can pair it with Bunko, the bookstore café on Avenida Revolución that San Diego Red named as the other of its two “cultural pillars” among Tijuana’s creative cafés.
• We haven’t reviewed it; this profile is built from the sources listed on this page.

Plan the rest of your trip with our guides, and see what’s coming up on the calendar.