Con Azucar Café, the San Jose-born spot famous for its oversized conchas and candy-flavored lattes, quietly slid into South County this spring. After a two-year renovation that turned a former panadería into a color-splashed café, the owners opened a new downtown Gilroy location in March, and it has already become a regular stop for shoppers and families along Monterey Road.
"Our vision is to build a brand that positively impacts every community we enter," manager Maria Fernanda Gonzalez told San José Spotlight. She said the team focused on honoring longtime memories of the space while updating the interior for a fresh feel. According to reporting from San José Spotlight, Gilroy, a city of roughly 60,000 residents with a large Latino community, has been welcoming new eateries as downtown chases more foot traffic, and the café’s owners say community ties and local hiring rank right alongside growth on their priority list.
From San José To South County
What began as a single café in downtown San Jose has grown into a regional brand with both corporate and franchise locations. The company’s own locations page lists three San Jose shops, including the original East Santa Clara Street store, a Silver Creek site and the new Gilroy outpost, along with additional corporate and franchised locations across California and other states. As shown on Con Azucar Café, the brand is rolling out new sites while keeping pan dulce at the heart of its menu.
Growing Beyond The Valley
The expansion is already stretching well beyond the South Bay. A Peninsula location staged a lively grand opening in downtown Redwood City last year, according to The Almanac. In Texas, a Fort Worth franchise drew long lines from customers eager to try giant conchas and Mexican-style coffee drinks, Fort Worth Magazine reported. Together, those openings reflect a mix of corporate-led and franchise-driven growth that the owners say they are moving forward carefully, rather than racing to expand at any cost.
What You'll Find Inside
Inside the Gilroy café, the menu leans into comfort: café de olla, horchata and mazapán lattes share space with pan dulce, tortas and a small lineup of sandwiches, the sort of options that work for quick takeout runs or slow morning hangouts. Gonzalez told San José Spotlight that the Gilroy team has already started sponsoring school events and backing local athletic teams as part of its neighborhood-first approach. The interior nods to Mexican traditions while doubling as an Instagram-friendly, family-oriented gathering spot.
Owners say they intend to keep the expansion measured. The brand’s locations page lists corporate and franchise addresses across California, Nebraska and Texas, and highlights numerous "coming soon" sites in other markets. For Gilroy, a downtown that has worked to replace empty storefronts with new businesses, Con Azucar’s arrival is a visible sign that some national buzz can turn into local jobs, weekly regulars and baked goods made fresh on site, according to the owners. The company’s site shows more openings in the pipeline as the concept continues to scale.
