Fort Greene is about to get a new neighborhood obsession—and it comes with Ecuadorian chocolate croissants, guava-and-cheese donuts and wine with a soundtrack.
La Mestiza, the highly anticipated Latin American-inspired bakery and café at 154 Carlton Avenue in Brooklyn, is preparing to open this fall, with a soft opening expected in mid-October and a grand opening to follow.
Created by Fort Greene couple Kati Morales Ordoñez and Zachary Green, La Mestiza is shaping up to be much more than another coffee shop. Morales Ordoñez grew up in Ecuador and has worked in some of New York’s acclaimed restaurants, including Sailor, Altro Paradiso and Frenchette. Green, a former advertising professional, is joining her to create a neighborhood spot built around food, music and hospitality.
And the menu is already giving Brooklyn plenty to look forward to.
Expect Ecuadorian chocolate croissants, guava-and-cheese donuts, pasqualina, passion-fruit cake, flan and other pastries, alongside lunch offerings. Their previous pop-ups have offered treats including passion-fruit and guava-and-cheese donuts, giving locals a preview of what is coming to Carlton Avenue.
The concept also has a particularly appealing split personality. During the day, La Mestiza will operate as a bakery and café, making it an obvious candidate for morning coffee, pastry runs and the increasingly important “I need something sweet immediately” emergency.
Then, at night, the mood changes.
La Mestiza plans to transition into a vinyl-and-wine bar, complete with a record player and a more relaxed evening atmosphere. The space is expected to include 14 indoor seats, 16 sidewalk seats and six bar seats, making it intimate without feeling precious.
For Fort Greene, it is a welcome addition—and exactly the kind of place that can become a neighborhood ritual.
Coffee in the morning. Pastries at lunch. Wine and vinyl at night.
La Mestiza may be new, but it already sounds like a local favorite in the making.
