Café de las Sonrisas (Cafe of Smiles) is a Managua institution with a social mission: it is staffed entirely by deaf and hearing-impaired young people, trained in barista and waitstaff skills as part of a vocational programme. The menu includes good coffee, fresh juices, sandwiches, and pastries; communication with staff is by pointing at the menu, hand gestures, and written notes, which sounds more cumbersome than it is.
The cafe is genuinely pleasant to sit in — well lit, comfortable, and popular with the international community and progressive Managuans. The coffee quality is above average, and the experience of the place is warmer than most Managua cafes. Proceeds support the NGO that runs the training programme. It has been featured in enough travel pieces that it sees a fair share of foreign visitors, but it does not feel performatively worthy — it is just a good cafe with an interesting model.