esencia is a café owned and operated by us, the castro family, since 2013.

we opened with a few recipes, a tight-knit team, and a clear idea of what a neighborhood café should feel like: great food and coffee, served with intention. a place where the regulars don’t need to look at the menu. where you might stay a little longer than you meant to. where everybody knows your name—or learns it by next week.

our space is small, but the stories that have been told and lived here could fill stadiums. over the years, we’ve watched first dates turn into families, weekend coffee runs turn into traditions, and strangers become part of our rhythm.

that’s the essence we try to keep alive. and that’s what we mean by esencia.