Inside the new Café Calaveras in Seattle’s Yesler Terrace neighborhood. Photos by @ulysses_image, courtesy of Café Calaveras.
A colorful third space celebrating Mexican culture through coffee, Café Calaveras is now open just east of downtown Seattle in Yesler Terrace.
Bursting with flowers, plants and textural patterns in a space previously occupied by longstanding Seattle shop Tougo Coffee, the shop offers a wall of windows looking out to Yesler Terrace Park.
Alternating green and patterned tiles line the front of a bar that’s topped with a cool green La Marzocco Linea Classic S espresso machine. More green is echoed in the chairs, couches and the occasional matcha drink.
Warm marigold and cheery pink accent walls catch the glow of sunshine and reflections from chandeliers dressed in wooden beads and slats. Works from local artists hang on the walls, while stuffed calavera pillows provide additional comfort.
“I wanted to create a space that felt warm, inviting and really celebrates our culture and identities,” Café Calaveras Founder Clarissa Griego told Daily Coffee News. “I wanted to reflect and celebrate Latinx, BIPOC, female-identifying and LGBTQIA+ communities. I identify with these all significantly and hope to continue to nurture these communities both personally and professionally.”
Drinks served in the 1,200-square-foot cafe are all based on the same single-origin coffee grown in Mexico, roasted in a variety of styles by Seattle’s Middle Fork Roasters. These include espresso drinks, whiskey-barrel-aged cold brew and a cafe de olla that takes the place of drip coffee.
“It’s a pretty traditional way of making coffee in Mexico,” said Griego. “In a pot we boil piloncillo, cinnamon sticks, star anise and the ground coffee. This makes a slightly sweet, slightly spiced cup of coffee.”
The shop sells its coffee beans in retail bags as well as cafe de olla kits for home brewing, while the specialty drink menu serves as another playground for cultural celebration.
In addition to lattes flavored with mazapan and horchata, a drink called La Chingona featuring cold brew topped with salted caramel cold foam and cinnamon is “a little sweet and salty, just like a chingona,” Griego said.
The Bidi Bidi Brew Brew — horchata with lavender syrup, ube foam and purple sugar rim — is an ode to Mexican-American singer Selena’s iconic purple jumpsuit, and the La Reina white mocha latte with rose syrup and rose petals is another dedication to the “Queen of Tejano.”
Sweet conchas from Seattle-based Bakescapade line the pastry case at Café Calaveras, where a menu of breakfast tacos and sandwiches will soon expand to include smoothie bowls, avocado toasts, arroz con leche and more.
Griego, who grew up in San Antonio, Texas, lived in various locations in Central America before returning to the States and settling in Seattle in 2018.
“I left San Antonio in my mid-20s because I was craving change,” said Griego. “I spent time living and exploring Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and southern Mexico, which all had a big influence on how I see the community, craft and the ritual of coffee.”
In Seattle, Griego followed her passion for coffee into a position at Ghost Alley Espresso, serving as its first manager before going solo and founding Café Calaveras two years ago.
What started with occasional popups at events led to a residency at a pop-up promenade on Pier 62, during which time the business built enough financial history to qualify for a loan from Seattle-based Ventures Nonprofit and two community investors. These funds, plus bootstrapped earnings and savings, paved the way for the Yesler Terrace shop.
“We are going to start hosting community events, which is exciting. That is the next immediate thing,” said Griego. “Then, the sky’s the limit. I’m open to growth in all the ways.”
Café Calaveras is located at 860 Yesler Way in Seattle.
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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