Coffee shop with creative Mexican influence on drinks & food

























"A Mexican cafe and 2024 Eater Award Winner, this was added to Austin’s Bib Gourmands, which recognize great food at great prices." - H. Drew Blackburn

"Hidden in East Austin down an alley decked with cafe lights and flowers, this spot intentionally emphasizes farmers and growers over itself; you order at a window and find a tightly focused menu exploring heirloom Mexican corn and specialty coffee. Pastries stand out — a blue-masa masa twinkie filled with chocolate and fermented chili ganache topped with piped campfire fluff — and a biscuit that takes 100 hours to make can be toasted with espresso butter and smoky, tangy green tomato jam or served as a breakfast sandwich. Masa pancakes, burritos and rotating specials round out the lineup." - The MICHELIN Guide

"From coffee roaster to Farmer’s Market staple to Eater Austin’s Best Cafe in 2024, this East Side gem runs a small menu that’s all hits and no misses, specializing in good coffee, masa-driven dishes, and creative twists on foods and drinks you’ve known all your life. I order the masa “twinkie” riff for its added depth and earthiness, and the bean and cheese and chile colorado burritos are simple but executed perfectly—quietly the best burritos in the city. The coffee is light on astringency and heavy on complex flavors; alongside standards like drip and espresso, there are exciting creations like the Nada Coke Float with a cola syrup, cold brew, lime juice, and black lime. For the caffeine-averse, seasonal drinks rotate, like a summer tomato agua fresca with heirloom tomato tepache, coriander syrup, and a splash of soda water. There’s even an alleyway patio. Pro tip: get there early because items sell out quickly; on a visit when most food was gone, they offered me the biscuit sandwich with masa pancakes instead of biscuits—and it was even better than the original." - H. Drew Blackburn

"In Austin I tried blue corn masa twinkies at Mercado Sin Nombre." - BySam Stone

"An East Austin café and Eater Austin’s Best New Cafe last year, this masa-centered spot would sit at the top if we were power-ranking the city’s pastries and baked goods. Its complexity comes through in the masa Twinkie, which makes the Hostess version taste like paper; other standouts include the bean and cheese burrito, masa pancakes, and the Bad Honey Bunny. Anything on the food menu will do—just get there early, because food sells out fast—and you might luck into an off-menu breakfast sandwich that swaps biscuits for masa pancakes, which might be even better than what you came for." - H. Drew Blackburn