Cafecito, an inviting neighborhood coffee house, restaurant and community gathering space, opened its doors in the heart of the Baca Railyard District toward the end of 2019 thanks to its owners and visionaries, Solange Serquis and Andres Paglayan. After meeting and marrying in Buenos Aires, Solange (Argentinian) and Andres (Armenian decent) moved to Santa Fe some 20 years ago and we couldn’t be more grateful. Their dedication to the development of the Baca District led to their beautifully designed Trailhead Compound on 922 Shoofly St., which houses Cafecito, the offices for their other businesses, Serquis + Associates Landscape Architecture and EMR-Bear (which Andres co-founded), and more.

As mentioned in the SF New Mexican, Cafecito brings taste of Argentina to Baca Railyard, in the beginning the plan was simple: Take the community-minded space they’d already designed (formerly occupied by Opuntia), offer some good coffee and put a few pastries on the menu. But simple doesn’t always sit right with serial entrepreneurs, which is why Solange and Andres ended up creating something so special. They expanded Cafecito’s offerings to include breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch — a full menu of Argentinian, Armenian and globally inspired dishes, made in-house and incorporating locally sourced ingredients and products from places like Reunity Farm, Sage Bakery, Revolution Bakery, ArtfulTea, Chocolate Maven, Zia Beverages, Lotus Farms, Red Mesa Meats and Hoy Farms. They even hosted an art tour holiday pop-up and had other events in the works at the intersection of music, art, food and social gatherings. Then the pandemic hit.

Thanks to some serious dedication, Cafecito is continuing to serve our community through take-out and delivery Monday thru Saturday, a heated patio sitting area, as well as Sunday brunch from 10 to 3. Now, I don’t know about you, but my Cafecito curiosity has certainly been piqued. I’m dying to know how they’ve navigated the new requirements, constantly changing restrictions, added expenses for things like PPE and to-go containers, supply chain disruptions and more of the past 10 months to keep their employees working and their doors open so that folks like you and I have a place to capture a small semblance of normalcy or an occasional treat for the palate.

So, before Solange and Andres share their story with us on the 4th, call or order online to get your Cafecito fix. I know I will, cause writing this has created a serious craving. Enjoy and I’ll see you on the 4th!

Photo credit: Anthony Mitchell

Zoom Meeting Link: 
https://zoom.us/j/96157752777?pwd=THYwY24vczl2dEpsTWQrSk1hcEdWUT09

Meeting ID: 961 5775 2777
Passcode: 782906