For most people, you do not need to wait after eating. Having coffee with or shortly after a meal is generally fine.

Exception: iron. Coffee can reduce absorption of non-heme iron, the type found in plant foods and many iron supplements. If you have iron-deficiency anemia, low ferritin, are pregnant, or take an iron supplement, wait at least 1 to 2 hours after the meal before coffee. Keep coffee separate from an iron tablet as well. Tea has a similar effect. NIH iron guidance and clinical textbooks note that coffee reduces iron absorption (Goldman-Cecil Medicine, p. 1287).

Also consider waiting if coffee after meals gives you reflux, palpitations, or disrupts sleep.