Gourmet coffee bar & mercadito
in the Como Park area of St. Paul.
1053 Dale St. N, #102, Saint Paul, MN 55117
Mon-Fri 7AM-2PM / Sat 8AM-3PM / Closed Sun
We are the first Latina-owned coffee shop in the Twin Cities and the first law-themed one in the US.
In the News
Abogados Café is in Como Park, but the inside takes you to Honduras. It's the brainchild of Ofelia Ponce and her husband, Inti Martínez-Alemán, who runs Ceiba Fôrte Law Firm upstairs.
Abogados Café owners talk about unique coffee shop
Abogados Café is in Como Park, but the inside takes you to Honduras. It's the brainchild of Ofelia Ponce and her husband, Inti Martínez-Alemán. They talked to Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield about their journey together and their lovely coffee shop.
KARE 11: Ofelia Ponce and Inti Martínez-Alemán opened Abogados Café and Mercadito in June 2022, an establishment honoring their Latin American heritage and legal careers.
WCCO: Minnesota’s first Latina-owned coffee shop opens in St. Paul Meet the couple behind it.
Our Story
Wife and husband team Ofelia & Inti are proud to bring you Abogados Café. As both abogados (lawyers) and native Hondurans with a passion for coffee and law, they warmly invite you to the Latin American coffee experience. On June 14, 2022, this duo opened Abogados Café in the beloved Como Park area because it’s been a coffee desert for over two decades. Neighbors had been longing for a coffee shop for ages.
One door after another opened up, making Ofelia & Inti realize this wouldn’t be muy loco. Ofelia dreamed of opening a coffee shop when she lived in Honduras. Perhaps it was now a sign from God. But they didn’t want to open just another mainstream or hipster coffee shop. It needed to be an extension of themselves—like a lifestyle business. So why not a law-themed, Latin American coffee shop?!
After seventeen months of plans, applications, designs, construction, and inspections… ¡cha cha cha! Here is Abogados Café for you. As inclusive and thoughtful as we try to be, we understand Abogados Café is not for everyone—and that’s okay. We started with a to-go espresso bar & mercadito. Then, because there was huge customer demand, we expanded a very small dining area. Come check us out and tell us what you think!
The name
Abogados = Lawyers. Ofelia and Inti grew up in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. After graduating college in Pennsylvania (2010) and New York (2007), they moved back to Honduras to study and practice law. Years later, Inti got a Juris Doctor (2016) and Ofelia a Master’s of Law (2019), both from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ofelia and Inti work together at Ceiba Fôrte Law Firm where they serve Hispanics in business, civil, and employment litigation matters.
Ofelia has always loved coffee. Inti only drank it when his abuela Rosa brewed it using the über famous colador. After tying the knot in 2018, Ofelia introduced Inti to the world of coffee and he hasn’t looked back since.
Abogados Café specialty coffee drinks also follow the law theme. Fearless Lawtte, Motion Granted, Ex Parte, ReSipsa Lawquitur, the NDA, Cold Call, and a dozen other are all our creative concoctions you will find nowhere else. If you have trouble pronouncing or understanding these names, ask a lawyer or an Abogados Café barista for an explanation!
Abogados Café invites you to enjoy a fine combination of coffee and law.
Latin America matters
Africa birthed coffee, Yemen matured it, Java raised it, Italy refined it, but Latin America made it famous.
When was the last time you visited a Latina-owned coffee shop in the US? Pretty rare. Ofelia & Inti want to reclaim coffee’s Latin American heritage and bring you a sui generis coffee vibe.
Filosofía
Abogados Café lives out three hallmarks:
It is organically delicious. Ofelia & Inti want you to drink good coffee—really good coffee! They will not sell you something they wouldn’t drink themselves. That is why all our coffee is USDA-certified organic. (And Ofelia is a tough cookie. She won’t let flashy salespersons slip in products with junk ingredients. They better be stellar.) Even our Los Especiales (specialty) drinks are coffee-forward, with less sugar than most other spots. Except for Café Bombón, Colada, and Cortadito, we do not offer liquid desserts.
It is ecologically sound. Abogados Café cares about the environment, which is why we partner with Roastery 7, a local Twin Cities coffee roaster with deep and meaningful ties with Latin America. Our roaster is actively engaged in reducing the carbon footprint of the coffee supply chain. You can read more about their ecological commitment here. At our shop, we compost more than 90% our coffee grounds and disposable supplies as local facilities allow it.
It is passionately sustainable. Abogados Café founders cannot in good conscience see their beloved Latin American people getting cheated on their wages. Abogados Café is committed to responsible sources in which everyone gets paid a living wage. We all do well when we all do well. That is why all Abogados Café coffee is Fair Trade Certified or Direct Buy.
Our coffee is more than just a drink—it's an experience crafted with care. We believe in transparency, so let's talk about our prices.
You might notice our coffee drink prices are a bit higher than some other spots. Why? Well, first off, we're committed to quality. We use top-notch ingredients because we want your coffee experience to be nothing short of amazing. We're not in a price war. We can only deliver the best of the best if we don’t cut corners.
Sure, you could find cheaper options elsewhere, but here's the scoop: we believe in fair pricing. Our expenses are always increasing, and we're mindful of the hardworking people who grow and produce the coffee we love. By and large, coffee is cultivated and produced by the poorest people in the world. By choosing Abogados Café, you're supporting not just us for the long haul, but the coffee farmers around the world who deserve fair wages. Our baristas are also paid a living wage!
Think about it this way: a glass of wine can cost $10-25 for a quick sip of enjoyment. You might have 3-4 of those without a second thought. Now, our handcrafted coffee drinks, made fresh just for you, deserve a similar appreciation. After all, you're not likely to down 3-4 cups of gourmet coffee in one go.
So, when you savor a cup of Abogados Café coffee, know that each sip contributes to a sustainable cycle—for people, the environment, and yourself. It's more than just a coffee; it's a conscious choice. Why settle for anything less?
Flavor & roast
Roast level is not the ultimate definer of our coffees. In the coffee world, some dark roasts can taste quite bright, while some light roasts can be heavy on the palate. It’s very subjective and personal. We care more about aroma, flavor notes, and body because—like with good wine—they are more accurate descriptors of what you will get from us. Did you know coffee beans are a sweet fruit when ripe on the tree?
Most coffees at Abogados Café are medium or light roasts, which strike a fair balance between acidity, sweetness, and bitterness. We don’t sell too many dark roasts because they inject unnatural harshness, masking a bean’s unique natural profile (which is rarely bitter). Ofelia & Inti love jammy, fruity, and floral coffees typically found in lighter roasts (but not always).
What notes do you like?!
Check out our grind guide when buying our coffees!