Meryenda Cafe is planned inside Sari-Sari Store at 10312 120th St. E., Suite 4, in Puyallup, according to The News Tribune. Owner Marifel Osera hopes to have the cafe open before Christmas.
Osera has owned Sari-Sari Store with her mother since 2020. The Filipino grocery store moved to its current location in 2023, and the family has discussed adding a cafe for the past few years.
In Tagalog, “meryenda” refers to a snack eaten between lunch and dinner. The menu is expected to include halo-halo, other Filipino desserts, and bread baked in-house. Osera is also considering breakfast dishes such as longanisa with rice and eggs, rice porridge, and soups.
The plan was to build a second kitchen next to the store’s meat market kitchen. Plumbing and venting requirements made that option too expensive, so Osera now plans to convert the existing kitchen into a deli kitchen.
She hopes to begin the work this month after submitting the project to the county health department. The conversion will also require approval from the building department.
Sari-Sari Store launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for permits, construction labor, equipment, and changes to the existing space.
“This dream means so much to us because our store has always been about more than groceries. It’s about culture, comfort, and creating a welcoming place where people can find familiar flavors and feel at home,” Osera said at the funding announcement.
Follow Meryenda at Sari-Sari Store on Instagram for updates on the cafe.
