Cafe Calacas Now Open in Downtown Santa Ana

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Man, downtown SanTana is chockablock with new restaurants or culinary attractions to come. We're proud to be on top of all of them, and here's the latest: Cafe Calacas, a Mexican-themed coffeeshop-turned-deli is now open for business--kind of.

The cafe is run by husband and wife Rudy and Jackie Córdova  and is right next to their shop, the awesome Chicano curio shop Calacas. I called Rudy today and proceeded to yell at him because I've known about this for more than a year and swore them to secrecy--and then they announced it on Facebook!

"We're kinda open," Rudy responded with a laugh. The menu isn't set yet, but the Córdovas figured it was time to work out all the kinks on the menu before the grand opening, scheduled for the first weekend of August. The menu will be limited at first--salads, sandwiches and wraps to catch the Ronald Reagan Federal Building crowd from going to Starbucks or the Gypsy Den for healthy fast food. But given the Córdovas are proud Mexis (Jackie's actually a gabacha, but more Mexican than three-quarters of Santa Ana), expect to see flourishes enter the entrées--some Zacatecas-style cheese on your cheese melt, for instance, or hot chocolate made from sustainable chocolate from Chiapas.

And since they're Mexis, you know Cafe Calacas' aguas frescas will be top-notch. Today's offerings are horchata and limonada. "The horchata is extra-cinnamon-y," raves Rudy, adding that there's a light dusting of chocolate. The limonada, meanwhile, is "like traditional Mexican limonada--with the lime slices in it and the pulp, which create that great citrus aftertaste."

Current hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Good luck, Cafe Calacas, and see ustedes soon!

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