I’ve lived in El Albir since 2007 and I’ve had breakfast in just about every café in town. This is the short list: the places I keep coming back to, and the hours they really open.
Two heads-ups that will save you some frustration. First: almost nothing here opens before eight. If you come down from the lighthouse trail at half past seven, you’ll find the shutters down. Second: several of the best cafés close one day during the week, and not all of them on the same day. I’ve noted it in each entry.
You’ll find everything from specialty coffee roasted right here in town to Dutch brunch, Norwegian waffles and classic toast with tomato. El Albir is a mix of Nordic, Dutch, British and Spanish, and you can taste it on the menus.
How I picked these five
They’re not ranked by Google score. They’re sorted by type of breakfast, because coming down from the lighthouse genuinely hungry is not the same as wanting to sit down with a good coffee and your laptop. Each one covers something different. Below I’ve listed the other places in town where you can also have a good breakfast.
The 5 best cafés for breakfast in El Albir
1. D·Origen Coffee Roasters — specialty coffee
Avenida Óscar Esplà, 8, on the corner with Bulevard dels Músics. Open every day from 8:30 until 21:00, except Wednesdays, when it runs from 9:00 to 14:00.
They roast their own coffee over in Altea. They’ve got a Solete from the Guía Repsol and they won the Spanish cupping championship in 2025. It’s the most reviewed café in all of El Albir and it fills up in summer, so if you’re coming in August and you want a table outside, get there early.
Rough price: between 7 and 12 euros.
2. Wanderlust Coffee & Kitchen — brunch
Camí de la Cantera, 4. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 23:30. Closed on Mondays.
Brunch is served Tuesday to Friday until 16:00, and at weekends and on public holidays only until 13:00. There are three options — sweet, savoury and full — with a hot drink included. There’s a kids’ area, which makes it the most sensible place in town to have breakfast with children without fraying your nerves. Dogs are welcome.
Rough price: between 10 and 20 euros.
3. Seixal Coffee & Bakery — bakery and coffee roasted in Albir
Carrer Ruperto Chapí, 4, in the Capitolio building. Opens at around 8:30.
It used to be called KL Bakery. They roast specialty coffee right here in Albir and they bake their own bread. It’s one of only two places in town with its own roaster, and the only one that’s also a bakery.
4. Good Old Times — for an early breakfast
Avenida Óscar Esplà, 12, right opposite the Eucalyptus park. Opens at 8:00.
It’s run by a husband and wife, and you can tell from the way they treat you. Homemade cakes and Italian coffee. Along with bola Coffee House, it’s one of the few places that opens at eight on the dot, so it’s the natural stop if you’re on your way back from the lighthouse trail or from a run along the seafront.
5. Dolce Coffee & Cakes — sweet things and pastries
Carrer Ruperto Chapí, 12.
Artisan pastries and specialty coffee. Avocado toast, filled croissants, sandwiches and cakes made on the premises. If what your body asks for in the morning is something sweet, this is the place. The hours they publish don’t match between their website and their Instagram, so it’s worth putting your head round the door or calling before you make a special trip.
Other good places for breakfast in El Albir
- Maison Coffee — Carrer Pau Casals, 10. From 8:30 to 19:00. Closed on Mondays. Specialty coffee, matcha and homemade cakes.
- bola Coffee House — Carrer Richard Wagner, 12. Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 to 14:00. Closed on Mondays. Specialty coffee and sandwiches. Dogs welcome.
- Lekker — Avenida de l’Albir, 72. From 9:00 to 18:00. Closed on Wednesdays. Dutch-style brunch and cakes.
- Broodbar — Avenida Óscar Esplà, 14. Dutch-style bakery and café. They do a brunch for two. The opening hours they publish vary depending on where you look, so it’s best to check before you head over.
- Den Norske Bok-Cafe’n — Avenida de l’Albir, 70. Norwegian café with big waffles and Scandinavian cooking. It works better as a mid-morning stop than as an early breakfast.
- Cafecito Albir — Bulevar dels Músics, 21, unit 8.
- Universal Lounge Bar — Avenida de l’Albir, 68. Full English breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausages and tomato, plus a terrace for watching the avenue go by. It opens later than everywhere else on the list, so check the hours before you head down.
- Salt & Pepper — Avenida de l’Albir, 54. Homemade continental breakfast. Rough price: between 5 and 8 euros.
- Cafetería La Fuente — Avenida del Albir, 80, unit 06. A neighbourhood bar-café with breakfasts and tapas.
- Arlequin Bistro — Avenida del Albir, 80. A café-bistro serving breakfasts and lunches. Careful with this one: there are two Arlequíns in El Albir and they have nothing to do with each other. This is the one on the avenue. The other, Arlequín Authentic Indonesian, is at Avenida de l’Albir, 50, and it’s an Indonesian restaurant that opens at eleven.
What to have for breakfast depending on where you’re from
L’Alfàs del Pi has around 2,500 registered Norwegian residents out of a population of roughly 20,000. It’s the second largest Norwegian community in the world outside Norway, behind only London. There are also some 2,600 Britons and around 2,300 Dutch. That’s why, in a town this size, you’ll find specialty coffee, Norwegian waffles and Dutch bread within four streets of each other.
If you want a taste of home: the Norwegians have Bok-Cafe’n; the Dutch and Belgians, Broodbar and Lekker; the British, Universal Lounge Bar. If what you want is proper coffee, D·Origen and Seixal roast their own. And if you’re after brunch, Wanderlust.
Frequently asked questions about breakfast in El Albir
Where can you have breakfast earliest in El Albir?
Good Old Times and bola Coffee House open at 8:00. D·Origen and Seixal at 8:30. Before that you won’t find much of anything open.
Which café opens every day?
D·Origen opens seven days a week, although on Wednesdays only until 14:00. Almost all the others close one day during the week, and never the same one: Maison, bola and Wanderlust close on Mondays, and Lekker on Wednesdays. It’s worth checking before you leave the house.
Where can you have breakfast after the lighthouse walk?
On the way down from the lighthouse you’ll pass D·Origen and Good Old Times, both on Avenida Óscar Esplà. Bear in mind that if you finish the walk before eight you’ll have a bit of a wait.
Which is the best specialty coffee?
D·Origen and Seixal, the two that roast their own coffee locally. Maison Coffee and bola Coffee House also work with specialty coffee, though without their own roaster.
Where can I have breakfast with my dog?
Wanderlust and bola Coffee House allow dogs. Most terraces in town are relaxed about it, but those two say so openly.
Where can you have breakfast with children?
Wanderlust has a kids’ area, which is about as close as El Albir gets to a peaceful breakfast with children in tow.
Where can you get the most complete full English?
Universal Lounge Bar is the go-to for a full English. Check the hours before you go, because it opens later than the cafés on the main list.
To wrap up
In nineteen years here I’ve watched plenty of cafés open and close, and I’ve learned one thing: in El Albir the problem is never finding somewhere to have breakfast, it’s turning up when the place is actually open. The hours shift between winter and summer and nearly everywhere closes one odd day during the week. Make a note of the closing day of wherever you’re heading and you’ll save yourself a wasted walk.
If you’re after lunch or dinner in town, there’s a separate list of restaurants in the area. And if you’re looking at El Albir as a place to live and not just to visit, here’s everything else about the town.
