La Paz's café culture is concentrated in Sopocachi, the sloping neighbourhood below Miraflores centred on Plaza Avaroa. This is where you'll find good espresso, afternoon salteñas, and the mix of local professionals and travellers that makes a neighbourhood feel alive. The cafés along Avenida 20 de Octubre and the streets radiating from Plaza Avaroa open mid-morning and run through the afternoon; by evening most shift into bar mode or close in favour of the bars that open later. Café Alexander on the Prado is a classic of a different kind — a long-running, slightly faded institution where La Paz's middle class has been meeting for decades and where the coffee is fine and the people-watching is better.
One practical note about drinking at altitude: alcohol hits harder and faster at 3,600 metres than at sea level. This is partly dehydration, partly reduced oxygen, and it catches out almost every first-time visitor. A couple of beers will feel like three or four. Paceña, the local lager, is the standard bar order; it's drinkable, cold, and everywhere. The cocktail scene is better than you'd expect — singani, the Bolivian grape spirit, makes a good base and appears in the Chuflay (with ginger ale) and Bolivia Libre (with cola). For craft beer and a louder crowd, Diesel Nacional in Sopocachi is the most consistent option in the neighbourhood.