Last Saturday, the typical nighttime quiet on the corner of Broome Street and Eldridge Street was drowned out by Dominican post-punk music. But the pop-up concert — “Mañana no, Oi!” — wasn’t at a concert hall, bar or nightclub. The venue was none other than Café Colmado, a new Puerto Rican coffee shop bringing Hispanic vibrance to the Lower East Side.

A short walk from NYU’s Broome Street residence hall, the cafe opened on Sept. 29 and offers a variety of Hispanic coffees. More importantly, Café Colmado is located in Loisaida — a historically Puerto Rican enclave in the Lower East Side, whose name stems from a Spanish-speaking pronunciation of the neighborhood.

“Colmados used to be the cornerstone of every neighborhood,” Manolo López, Café Colmado co-founder, said in an interview with WSN. “That’s what we wanted to bring to Café Colmado,” López said.

Colmados — “grocery stores” in English — serve as cultural hubs across the Caribbean, where community members can gather and socialize. From the floral couch to the cans of Goya products that line the bathroom wall, every design choice in Café Colmado contributes to its authentic, unapologetically Hispanic atmosphere. The cafe has put effort into creating a strong brand presence, garnering nearly 4,000 followers on Instagram.

“I’m proud that people walk into a space and see a couch that is like their grandma’s — their abuela’s,” López said.

It wasn’t until López moved from Puerto Rico to New York at the age of 21 that he learned to truly connect with his heritage.

“Growing up in the oldest colony in the world and having the privilege to go to private school, they pretty much Americanize you,” López said. “It was very eye-opening that I landed in the Lower East Side — Loisaida. That pride of being Puerto Rican started coming up within me there.”

Café Colmado barista Brian Velez moved from Puerto Rico to New York at the age of nine. Growing up in a Hispanic household, coffee was an integral part of his upbringing. But having worked in coffee shops for eight years, Velez finds himself disillusioned by coffee shop culture.

“I worked in two other Hispanic coffee shops,” Velez said. “They really had great stories starting off, but every so often, they lost sight of it. It became a little whitewashed.” He does, however, feel differently about Café Colmado.

“[López] is very headstrong on keeping this Latino,” Velez said. “I know he has it under control.”

Like Velez, Stephanie Venegas, a local graphic designer, has faith in the coffee shop’s authenticity. A few years ago, Venegas created Lárgate Coffee, a satirical brand that aimed to criticize the commodification of Hispanic culture in America.

“A lot of people were using NYC culture, like the visuals of bodegas, without actually saying anything about it,” Venegas said in an interview with WSN. “Están chupando la cultura” — they are sucking up the culture.

Beyond its role as the noisy new neighbor on the block, the cafe also aims to support the Hispanic American community at large. For example, Café Colmado recently hosted a fundraising event for communities affected by Hurricane Helene — and as it approaches the end of its first month in business, its employees remain committed to keeping López’s optimistic vision alive. 

“It has taken a village to put this colmado together,” Carla Holguin, Café Colmado’s general manager, said in an interview with WSN. “I feel super supported. I feel very appreciated for what I have to offer.”

Contact Juan Hanes at [email protected].