A storefront on Morse Boulevard that sat dark for more than three years is finally serving food again. Mecatos Bakery & Cafe has opened at 610 W. Morse Boulevard in Winter Park, taking over the space long occupied by The Coop, and bringing Colombian pastries, arepas and specialty coffee to a corner that locals had watched sit empty since 2023.
The opening was first reported by Bungalower, which noted that Mecatos soft-opened on October 6 and that the former Coop location is serving food again after sitting empty for more than three years. The Coop, John Rivers’ Southern comfort food restaurant, closed in July 2023 after nearly a decade in business, according to the same report. Orlando Weekly confirms the new cafe has opened in the former Coop space at that Morse Boulevard address.
Mecatos is known for Colombian favorites including empanadas, buñuelos, pan de bono and specialty coffee, per Bungalower, and the menu posted on mecatoscafe.com lists pan de bono, buñuelos, empanadas and stuffed arepas alongside Colombian specialty coffee. Orlando Weekly describes a broader spread of Colombian pastries, cakes, breads, sandwiches and hot savory fare like empanadas and arepas. The cafe also lists vegan options including avocado toast and a tropical salad, and it offers delivery through its own online and mobile-app ordering system.
A Flagship Years in the Making
The Winter Park location has carried outsized expectations since it was first announced. Orlando Business Journal reported that Mecatos’ CEO had plans to create a coffee experience unlike any of the chain’s other locations. What Now Orlando reported that the goal was to transform the site into the flagship of the Mecatos chain and incorporate new features such as a weekend brunch, and that the restaurant was planned to be the company’s 10th location after nine others across Central Florida.
Winter Park Magazine reported that the location was planned to be the first Mecatos restaurant to roast its own coffee beans on site and the first to feature a full liquor bar built around coffee cocktails such as a signature espresso martini. Mecatos was founded in 2015 by Edwin Lurduy to share the food and culture of his Colombian roots with Orlando, according to What Now Orlando.
Space, Hours and a Disputed Corner
The restaurant itself is sizable: What Now Orlando put the space at about 4,900 square feet, with an additional 1,200 square feet of patio seating, parking for 55 cars and a pick-up window. Mecatos also offers indoor seating and outdoor seating under a covered patio, per the cafe’s own site. Per Bungalower, the cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sources differ on how to describe the exact corner. Orlando Weekly places the site on the southwest corner of Morse Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue, while Winter Park Magazine describes The Coop’s old corner as being at Morse Boulevard and New England Avenue. Either way, the address is the same: 610 W. Morse Boulevard.
A Florida food-grade inspection listing site shows Mecatos Bakery and Cafe registered as a permanent food service establishment under license number 5816720, with a September 17 inspection entry recording zero high-priority, intermediate or basic violations and no follow-up needed; that listing is not an official state rating page. Bungalower’s report also notes, per Tasty Chomps, that the cafe is operated by Ana Rosabal, her parents Juan and Linda Rosabal, and partner Barbara Moreno, and that the location has plans for an on-site coffee roaster and coffee cocktails.
