There's a new and inviting café now open on Granville Island, but it's part of something locals and visitors alike have already come to know and love.
El Cafécito is a Mexican-style coffee and snack shop located within Alimentaria Mexicana. The café, which quietly opened in September, can be accessed through the restaurant or its own door on the side of the building.
As Alimentaria's partner and head chef Martin Vargas explained during a recent in-person visit, El Cafécito emerged out of an evolving goal to expand what the business could offer under one "umbrella." The bustling restaurant, which opened on July 1, 2021, is already also known for its in-house cooking and spirits workshops and lively special programming all year long.
New café created to expand Alimentaria's already robust offerings
While the back area of the former longtime Edible Canada space had initially been dedicated to retail items, the Alimentaria team took some time to figure out what would best serve its clientele. Simultaneously, Alimentaria's menu of family-style modern Mexican fare - from lamb belly barbacoa to bone marrow sopes - was among the many places Vancouverites were growing more familiar with regional and traditional Mexican cuisine.
And so El Cafécito - the little café - was created.
The coffee shop was designed to be familiar and comforting while further introducing Mexican ingredients and preparations, all while having its own identity under the Alimentaria banner.
Coffee program in the spotlight at El Cafécito
El Cafécito forged a partnership with supplier Agro Roasters and developed an exciting coffee program featuring drip and espresso beverages alongside some inventive creations you won't find anywhere else in Vancouver.
Coffee drinkers can enjoy craft beverages like the Horchatte, which merges the familiar flavours of Mexico's staple rice milk and cinnamon drink horchata with a classic latte. The Mesoamericano Brew builds on the traditional thick and rich Mexican hot chocolate drink made with corn meal (masa) called champurrado, while the Nitro Cafe de Olla employs Mexican cane sugar (piloncillo) with a hint of orange for a bright cold coffee option.
Hearty, affordable burritos on the food menu
In addition to its coffee program, El Cafécito has an exciting food program tailored as yet another way the Alimentaria hub can offer visitors and locals on Granville Island something fast, filling, and authentically Mexican.
To that end, Vargas says they took inspiration from the northern Mexico tradition of picking up a burrito from a vendor for a quick and satisfying snack or lunch.
Using 10-inch tortillas, El Cafécito offers a trio of burritos, which are priced at $5.50 apiece and are produced from the kitchen in a flash (not quite grab-and-go, but close). The burrito options are: Beans and Cheese, Egg and Chorizo, and Beef and Beans. They come out nice and warm, and Vargas says one is an ideal snack while two are a hearty lunch. On the side: Alimentaria's house-made salsas, which are available to purchase in jars.
The jarred salsas are some of the products that are still on offer in the remaining retail space in what is now El Cafécito.
A selection of pastries is also available to pick up from the café counter.
Over the summer, work got underway to turn the former retail zone into a café counter and indoor seating for El Cafécito. Additional seats are available on the vibrant outdoor patio in the form of umbrella-shielded pink picnic tables and colourful loungers (which folks love to pose on).
Designed by Scott Cohen, the El Cafécito space has a bold, engaging tropical motif and joins Alimentaria and many of the other businesses on Granville Island that have bright, colourful exteriors, all of which reflect the vibrancy of the unique Vancouver area known for its arts and culture.
As a way to continue to contribute to the destination's thriving community, El Cafécito offers a 10 per cent discount on all orders to people who work on Granville Island, and pledges to get orders out lightning fast.
El Cafécito is located at the rear/side of Alimentaria Mexicana at 1596 Johnston St at Granville Island and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The café will be represented on social on the Alimentaria channels, including @alimentariamexicana on Instagram.
🍽 Find more delicious Vancouver food and drink video stories by following V.I.A's Forking Awesome on TikTok and Instagram, and signing up for our Forking Awesome newsletter 📬 delivered fresh to your inbox every Thursday.
