Choosing a favorite coffee shop is highly subjective. Everyone has their go-to barista and preferences for the vibe and decor, making each pick just as personal as the coffee order filling up your cup.
But as Food & Wine reports, even under that intense scrutiny, each year, The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops takes on the challenging task of naming the top coffee spots around the world, and the group just announced its 2026 picks during CoffeeFest Madrid earlier this month. This global ranking of the best places to get a cup of coffee uses eight different criteria to determine its top spots, including coffee quality and consistency, ambiance and atmosphere, barista expertise, and sustainability practices.
The list is created by considering nominations from a public vote and a panel made up of 800 renowned coffee experts. It then weighs the two groups’ insights, giving 30% to the public’s take and 70% to the pros’ opinion and ranks the shops with the highest scores from there. This year’s list was compiled from more than 15,000 nominated cafes from around the world.
The top coffee shops on the list span the globe, from a stateside location in an unexpected city to Singapore, Italy, Australia, and beyond. Here’s a closer look at the list’s leading honorees.
Onyx Coffee lab in Arkansas Has Earned World’s Top Coffee Spot for 2026
Americans don’t have to travel far to visit the best coffee shop in the world. Onyx Coffee Lab, a roastery and shop with eight locations across Arkansas, topped the list this year after placing second on the organization’s inaugural rundown in 2025. This marks the first time a United States-born shop has taken the top spot, as Toby’s Estate, a specialty chain hailing from Australia, was named No. 1 last year.
“Honestly, it feels amazing and a little bit unbelievable to be mentioned with other shops that are our peers and that we look up to,” says Andrea Allen, Onyx Coffee Lab’s founder. “It feels exciting that quality and excellence can transcend trendy or popular geographical locations, and it brings legitimacy to the high level of execution our team is doing here in Arkansas.”
The team’s commitment to high-quality coffee has helped it gain recognition beyond Arkansas. Most notable is the brand’s dedication to radical transparency in sourcing, pricing, and sustainability of its beans. Onyx Coffee Lab publishes all its trade data in real time, which Allen says has been a point of pride for the shop from the beginning. “This idea practice began more than a decade ago, and we are still one of the only coffee companies doing this,” Allen says. “Our commitment from the beginning to the end of the supply chain is evident in every coffee we roast.”
From Oslo to Singapore, the Rest of the Top-Tier Coffee Shops
Tim Wendelboe, an Oslo-based espresso bar, and Alquimia Coffee, a specialty shop and roastery in El Salvador run by the most successful coach in the World Barista Championships, were ranked second and third on the list, respectively.
Two of the shops in the top 10 are located in Australia, including Only Coffee Project at No. 4 and last year’s winner Toby’s Estate at No. 5. The other coffee spots in the top 10 are Singapore’s Apartment Coffee, Gota Coffee Experts in Austria, Story of Ono from Malaysia, Tropicalia Coffee in Colombia, and France’s Tanat rounding out the top 10.
Most of the cities known as coffee capitals — like Sydney, Melbourne, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, and Tokyo — received numerous awards this year. Meanwhile, cities in growing markets such as Taiwan, Turkey, and Mexico also made the list, showing that the specialty coffee scene is more vibrant than ever worldwide. “This ranking is more than just a list of exceptional coffee shops; it’s a snapshot of the cultural, creative, and professional moment coffee is experiencing around the world,” César Ramírez, CEO of The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops with DaVinci Gourmet, said in a release.
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