Fort Worth’s Northside Gets a New Coffee Shop With True Latin Flavor — Your First Look at Casa Azul

A new coffee shop is creating buzz in Fort Worth’s Northside neighborhood. Casa Azul Coffee can be found in a bungalow tucked into a neighborhood at 300 W. Central Avenue. Owners Joseph and Annette Landeros have updated and reconfigured the former longtime landmark Sammy’s restaurant space and painted it Blue ― hence the coffee shop’s name.

It adds another homegrown (non-chain) coffee shop to the Northside, joining Railcar Coffee along Exchange, and Avoca Coffee, the newest shop, in Mule Alley. But Casa Azul is all about traditional Mexican and Latin American contributions to coffee culture.

“About 70 percent of coffee beans worldwide are grown in Latin America,” Joseph Landeros tells PaperCity Fort Worth during a visit to the new coffee haven. “We are capitalizing on that culture.”

The menu is unique, with Casa Azul’s specialty drinks taking a truly Latino spin. The house drink is the Cafe de Olla. It is a nostalgic blend of drip coffee with cinnamon, sweetened to taste with cane sugar syrup. The cane sugar syrup is made from Mexican brown sugar cones known as piloncillo for an unmistakable flavor.

You can also get favorites like the Americano, classic cappuccino or cortado with a Mexican pastry. Casa Azul’s front case is filled with treats sourced from nearby Esparanza’s Bakery. The sugar crusted and colorful concha is always a favorite sweet bread. There is also a collection of sweet and savory empanadas and crusty sugar cookies to dip and nibble with your coffee.

Landeros plans to add fresh breakfast tacos in the mornings soon.

Other Latin-inspired coffee drinks include a sweet, spiced rice water horchata latte, the tres leches latte made with the same three milks as the cake version, the Mazapan latte which incorporates Mexican peanut candies and the Mexican mocha ― a Latinized twist made with Mexican chocolate and extra cinnamon.

The shiplap interior is charming and the many rooms of the open and airy bungalow allow for different seating configurations. There is also a covered patio with ample room to spread out, set up a laptop and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee. Inside, you’ll find scattered tables and sofas. The ceiling is covered in warm woods with incandescent sconces, playful chandeliers and artwork.

Joseph Landeros still remembers his first experience with coffee culture. “Going to work with my dad (who was a blue collar worker) as his shop hand, and watching all the workers on their coffee breaks,” he recalls.

So far, this new Fort Worth coffeehouse has been welcomed by neighbors, with the news of it mostly spreading by word of mouth and social media. Landeros envisions Casa Azul as a space for community. The new Fort Worth coffee shop celebrated its official ribbon cutting last Friday.

“Nothing brings me more joy than watching people share coffee,” Landeros says.

On your way to The Stockyards as you head down North Main or Northside Drive, it may be worth a little detour to check out Casa Azul and taste coffee with a Latin twist.