Cafe Santo

The inspiration

Cafe Santo exists to gather the community around art, food, music and fashion while honoring the many hands that cultivate coffee beans across Latin America, from seed to cup^1,2 . The founders wanted to bring a modern, contemporary Oaxacan coffee experience to the Eastside, with a fresh look that shows Latinos belong in the specialty coffee space^3,2 . The name, which means holy coffee, reflects how set apart they consider their product, given all the effort behind it³ .

Who's behind it

Pilar Castañeda and Marlon Gonzalez, who also go by just Pilar and Marlon on the company's own about page, created Cafe Santo in 2016 after years of pop-ups and farmers market stands^1,3,4 . Gonzalez came to Los Angeles from Oaxaca in 2010 and worked his way from dishwasher to certified barista, bringing about seven years of coffee experience to the project^1,3 . Castañeda has spent over 15 years in television production and shapes the cafe's visual aesthetic through photography, video and art¹ .

What to order

• Oaxacan hot chocolate: cacao drinks frothed until creamy, including a semi-bitter style with cane sugar and cinnamon and a walnut version⁵
• Espresso drinks: the usual lineup of cappuccinos, lattes and americanos alongside dirty chai and matcha, all well-executed^3,4

What people are saying

Thrillist points to the chocolate, imported directly from Oaxaca's Reina Negra, as the real reason to visit, whether in the Oaxacan Mocha or as a dark drinking chocolate with an espresso shot added⁴ . Remezcla highlights the cafe's ties with Oaxaca and its role in building community in Montebello through events involving music, mezcal, chocolate pairings and car shows² .

Why you should try it

This is a shipping-container coffee window inside Montebello's BLVD MRKT outdoor food hall, serving chocolate-forward drinks you won't find at an ordinary cafe, with beans roasted locally in Los Angeles^3,4,6 .