A new café with a focus on Latin American flavors is making its way to Cambridge.
Saints Coffee is currently under construction in the former Smoke Shop Cambridge space at 1726 Massachusetts Avenue near Porter Square, according to a recent report from the Cambridge Somerville Independent. The project comes from local entrepreneur and restaurateur Luis Morales Jr. and his wife, Sara, who are also behind Chivo Taqueria, a popular Mexican restaurant located next door at 1728 Massachusetts Avenue.
While Saints is a new venture for the couple, it builds on the experience they’ve gained since opening Chivo in the spring of 2023. At the upcoming café, the Moraleses plan to serve their family’s award-winning coffee beans from El Salvador, with a menu centered around pour-overs, lattes, and matcha.
“My wife and I want to really show what our Latino roots are about,” Luis told the Independent. He pointed to the wealth of coffee coming from Central America—including Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama—and said he hopes to bring more attention to El Salvador’s coffee in Cambridge.
The food menu, too, will be distinctive. The café will make its own pastries in-house, starting with Cuban-style rolls filled with cheese, cheese and guava, and cinnamon. The couple is also experimenting with ube, the vibrant purple Asian root known for its sweet, earthy flavor, as another way to set the café apart from surrounding coffee shops.
The duo is already familiar with the Massachusetts Avenue community through Chivo Taqueria, which serves vibrant Mexican and Salvadoran fare including tacos, burritos, and pupusas. In August, the restaurant expanded beyond its brick-and-mortar location with a food truck.
Luis said the local community has played a major role in Chivo’s success, with families and other customers continuing to show up and support the restaurant. As Saints takes shape next door, he hopes to build that same sense of community around the new café.
Saints Coffee is currently targeting an opening before the end of 2026, although an exact date has not yet been announced. While Luis briefly confirmed the upcoming café with What Now Boston, he has not yet shared additional details about the project.
