A new café has quietly taken over the Roosevelt Avenue storefront in Redwood City once occupied by Chez Nous, the coffee shop that became a flashpoint for boycotts after its owner's attendance at the January 6 Capitol riot came to light. Passport Café & Bar soft-opened on October 2 at 2159 Roosevelt Ave., offering globally inspired breakfast and brunch plates, specialty coffee drinks and a menu the new owner hopes will make the space feel welcoming to everyone.
The café describes itself as “a neighborhood café with a global point of view in Redwood City,” according to Passport Café & Bar, and that global framing shows up across the menu, from açaí bowls to a Kyoto cold brew. As reported by Palo Alto Online, owner Noryn Aldana aims to make Passport an inclusive space serving global flavors with an emphasis on scratch cooking.
The site has a complicated recent history. Maria Rutenburg opened Chez Nous there in November 2021, but the café shuttered in June 2026 after facing years of criticism — some Redwood City residents boycotted the business, and neighboring shops and customers complained about loud parties, excessive drinking and smoking, according to the Redwood City Pulse's reporting. Passport Cafe and Restaurant LLC purchased the space from Rutenburg, who said she sold it to help fund President Trump's unverified third-term run, per the same outlet's account.
A Menu Built Around Scratch Cooking and Global Flavors
Passport's kitchen leans heavily on in-house preparation, making its own syrups, granola, sauces, spreads, sausages and pickles. Bowls — including chia, oat, granola and açaí options — run $9 to $14, while tartines are priced between $15 and $19, the station's report notes. The açaí bowl comes loaded with coconut chia, mango, fresh berries, goji berries, pistachios, toasted coconut and a calamansi–passion fruit nectar, according to the café's own menu.
Among the standout tartines is a Nordic salmon version built on grilled sourdough with house aioli, smoked salmon, jammy eggs, cucumber, pickled onions, capers and dill. Aldana personally recommends the vegan mushroom tartine, which pairs a tofu-tahini spread with sautéed oyster, shiitake and cremini mushrooms, per Palo Alto Online. The café's printed menu also includes other dishes.
Coffee, Tea and a Signature Cold Brew
On the drinks side, Passport pours espresso drinks, drip coffee, cold brew, matcha, chai, hojicha and other teas, all in-house syrups. The café's Kyoto cold brew arrives with black sugar, vanilla cream, cold foam, fresh nutmeg and orange zest, while a Mont Blanc coffee is made from slow-dripped cold brew topped with tiramisu cream, nutmeg and orange zest. Passport is currently open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch only.
Distancing From the Previous Owner
Aldana has been explicit that she wants no association with her predecessor, telling Palo Alto Online she is not affiliated with Rutenburg and that the prior owner's publicity hurt her business in its first week. As part of reshaping the space, Aldana is working to replace conservative literature that had been on the bookshelves with materials about various cultures, and plans to build out a children's section stocked with children's books and coloring books. She also hopes to eventually introduce live music.
Looking ahead, Aldana plans to introduce an Italian-Californian dinner menu once Passport receives a full-liquor license, which she estimates arriving by the end of 2026. Businesses pursuing that kind of license in California are tracked through the state's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, which maintains a public license lookup tool for applicants and licensed businesses, as well as a separate report of licenses issued on a given date.
A Veteran Café Operator Settles In
Aldana, who came to the Bay Area from Guam, brings nearly three decades of experience managing and opening cafes in the region. She has helped open more than a dozen cafés over the years, including Plucky's Cafe in Burlingame, according to Palo Alto Online's reporting. Aldana now lives in Woodside as she takes on her latest project in Redwood City's Roosevelt neighborhood.
