Coffee news
Frida Kahlo is the inspiration for exciting new coffee shop in downtown Garland
Cafe Frida with Frida Kahlo mural
There's a new coffee shop in downtown Garland from a team that knows the turf: Called Cafe Frida - after the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo - it’s a cute and colorful coffee shop from Gerardo and Zoya Hernandez, the husband-and-wife duo who own dessert shop Scoop N’ Buns.
In fact, the coffee shop, located at 509 W. Walnut St., is attached to Scoop N' Buns, accessible via a hidden door.
Both the menu and decor are a blend of the couple’s heritage: Zoya is Filipina while Gerardo is Mexican. They call the fusion “Mexi-pino.”
In addition to classic lattes, Americanos, cappuccinos, and tea, the menu features specialty lattes such as
- Frida, a Mexican vanilla and Oreo blend
- Galleta, a cookie butter drink
- Miel, cinnamon honey oat milk latte
- Azucar, a brown sugar drink
- Canela, a horchata latte
“We’re offering drinks that no other coffee shop has,” Zoya says.
They also do matcha drinks in flavors such as strawberry, lavender, and coconut; and a series of Asian-inspired drinks topped with foam including a Vietnamese coffee with ube (purple yam) foam, a caramel latte with sea salt foam, and a lavender latte, and cookie butter latte, both with vanilla foam.
Pastries are sourced from Cajun Donuts and Colibrí Panadería, both local to Garland.
The cafe seats 35-40 people, and is a vivid space, with streamers, plants, tapestries, and cozy couches. The hidden double-door entry, which you swing open, is covered with trendy faux greenery. Zoya says the aesthetic is meant to feel warm and inviting.
A highlight is the colorful Frida Kahlo mural on one of the cafe’s walls, painted by Sydney Gomez, a Booker T. Washington High School graduate and one of Zoya’s employees.
“We want a cozy environment,” she says. “Scoop N’ Buns is very lively, but Cafe Frida is just somewhere you can unwind and relax.”
While downtown Garland has Rosalind Coffee on 6th Street and Awaken Coffee House inside the Lavon Drive Baptist Church, Zoya says they felt like there was room for one more. They also wanted to capitalize on extra space in the Scoop N' Buns building, which they previously used for events and pop-up markets.
“This space is for the community,” Zoya says. “People always ask ‘What’s in Garland?’ and everyone thinks there’s nothing here, but we believe this space can help more people discover Garland.”
