Café La Lele is preparing to open its first brick-and-mortar location at 106 Michigan Ave. in San Antonio’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, bringing the specialty coffee concept from its mobile trailer into a permanent storefront.
Owners Ania Kruczynska and her husband are currently remodeling the approximately 800-square-foot space, which previously housed Folklores Coffee. The couple recently began construction and is targeting a potential mid-November opening, provided the renovation stays on schedule. Local reports have also confirmed the move to the former Folklores space.
Kruczynska spoke with What Now San Antonio about the upcoming location and the journey from a small coffee trailer to a permanent neighborhood coffee shop.
The concept began as a mobile coffee business shortly after Kruczynska’s daughter was born. The trailer quickly developed a following and became a community of customers who helped encourage the couple to pursue a permanent location.
The name Café La Lele has a personal connection to the family. Kruczynska said “Lele” is the nickname of her daughter, Leila.
“We started off as a small mobile business, actually a little trailer,” Kruczynska said. “It grew from love for coffee, community, and also lack of sleep because we actually opened up this coffee trailer shortly after I had my daughter.”
Neither Kruczynska nor her husband had previous experience in the restaurant or coffee industry before launching the trailer. Instead, the business grew out of their shared passion for coffee and their desire to build something connected to the community.
The new Café La Lele will continue the specialty coffee focus of the trailer, with the owners planning to use high-quality coffee beans and bring some of the trailer’s most popular drinks to the new storefront.
One of the most recognizable drinks is the Honeycomb Banana, which Kruczynska said became the business’s most popular drink and helped the concept go viral last summer.
“That drink is actually what made us go viral last year, last summer,” she said. “So that would be very personal to me because it actually allowed us to move to an actual brick and mortar.”
Customers can also expect a tea bar and a selection of specialty coffee drinks. Kruczynska said the new location will feature several items that are currently being kept under wraps, including a specialty creation she believes will be unlike anything currently offered in San Antonio.
While the menu will carry over some favorites from the trailer, the brick-and-mortar location will also introduce new offerings.
The design of the new cafe is intended to be just as distinctive as the menu. Located in Beacon Hill, a neighborhood known for its historic character, Café La Lele will embrace a vintage aesthetic rather than the modern look found at many newer coffee shops.
Kruczynska said the building dates to around 1930, and she wants the interior to complement its historic exterior.
“We want people to feel like they are stepping into a different era,” she said. “We’re shooting for something vintage.”
The goal is to create an experience where customers can stay and enjoy the atmosphere rather than simply grab a drink and leave.
“We don’t want to just be another coffee shop where you just walk in, grab a coffee and leave,” Kruczynska said. “We want to give people that feeling and that experience that they’re walking into a different era.”
Construction is still in its early stages. Kruczynska said work began recently, with the team already building the countertop and installing Spanish tile. As with any renovation, there have already been a few unexpected challenges, including a flat tire while the owners were transporting construction materials, but the project remains underway.
The approximately 800-square-foot space is expected to accommodate around 25 to 30 customers at a time. The larger space will also give the cafe’s current baristas more room to work compared with the mobile trailer.
Kruczynska anticipates hiring additional staff as the business grows.
Café La Lele is also expected to become a gathering place for local artists, musicians and other small businesses. Kruczynska said several local artists have already reached out about displaying their work at the cafe, while musicians have expressed interest in performing.
She hopes to incorporate community events and local programming into the cafe’s future.
“I’m all about doing things like that and supporting other small local businesses like myself because without people, I wouldn’t be where we are right now,” she said.
Before the official grand opening, Café La Lele plans to hold at least a one-week soft opening for family and friends. The period will allow the team to test its equipment, operations and menu before welcoming the wider public.
A grand-opening celebration could include discounts and special offers for early customers, as well as a possible local market featuring other small businesses and vendors.
Exact operating hours have not yet been finalized, although Kruczynska said the cafe is currently considering hours of approximately 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The schedule could be extended depending on customer demand.
For Kruczynska, the move into a permanent space represents more than simply opening a larger coffee shop. It marks the next chapter of a business that grew from a small family venture into a community-supported concept.
She said she is particularly excited to welcome customers who have supported the business since its trailer days and allow them to see how the original concept has evolved into a permanent space.
“It means everything because I put my whole heart into this,” Kruczynska said. “I really want to make this space welcoming for everyone and very unique.”
For now, the owners are focused on getting the Beacon Hill location completed rather than planning additional locations. If construction progresses as expected, Café La Lele could welcome customers to 106 Michigan Ave. around mid-November.
