A new cafe on Buffalo's Grant Street is serving up buttermilk pancakes, Dominican hot chocolate and the occasional bowl of ramen, all under a name borrowed from its youngest namesake. Luna's Cafe has opened in the former Sweetness 7 Cafe space, a spot long known around the West Side for its homeyness, and it has already pulled in a crowd of regulars who used to frequent the old coffee shop.
The cafe takes its name from Luna Zayas, described in a feature by Buffalo News as a young inspiration for the business. Chiara Moslow and Matthew Zayas are the owners. The trio also owns Vintage Coffee Ramen, a cafe and ramen restaurant in downtown Buffalo, and the Buffalo News reports that Moslow and Zayas temporarily closed that spot to pour their energy into getting Luna's off the ground. They plan to reopen Vintage Coffee Ramen this month, according to the same report.
Matthew Zayas told the Buffalo News that Luna's is already a landmark on Grant Street, on Buffalo's West Side.
A Menu Built Around Comfort Food and Dominican Flavors
The food at Luna's leans heavily on comfort: fluffy buttermilk pancakes served with local maple syrup from a farm in Holland, sourdough toast topped with jam, butter and an egg, and avocado toast alongside breakfast bowls loaded with sausage, eggs, potatoes and avocado. The cafe also serves harina de maiz, a cornmeal porridge spiced with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, per the Buffalo News. Rotating offerings include pasta, a daily special soup or stew, a bacon-and-egg-topped smashburger, and a changing plate of the day — fried plantains showed up on that plate recently.
Step Out Buffalo, in its own writeup of the cafe, describes the menu as one that rotates regularly, with some plates sized for the table and meant to be passed around while others are meant to be ordered individually, according to Step Out Buffalo. That same listing notes the cafe and Indigo Chapel are scheduled to host a West Side Fall Market on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Coffee Roasted In Buffalo, Sourced From the Dominican Republic
Coffee is central to the concept. Luna's pours Dominican coffee as drip coffee, espresso, cortados, lattes and mochas, the Buffalo News reports, and Step Out Buffalo's listing states that the beans are sourced directly from the Dominican Republic and roasted in Buffalo. Isaac Vazquez Jr. makes the latte syrups at the cafe and, per the article, plans to eventually move downtown to manage a space called Konbini, where he intends to offer unusual coffee drinks.
Dominican hot chocolate is another signature, and it carries personal weight for the cafe's young namesake. Luna Zayas told the Buffalo News that her first taste of the drink changed her life. The cafe also serves morir soñando, made with fresh-squeezed orange juice and evaporated milk — a Dominican drink whose name translates to “to die dreaming.”
A Kid's-Eye View of Running a Cafe
Luna Zayas spoke with Buffalo News reporter Francesca Bond at the cafe on October 29, describing her own routine there: she spends two hours a day at Luna's drinking hot chocolate and reading manga, and she said she wants to learn to steam milk herself.
Luna's keeps regular weekday hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and shorter weekend hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Buffalo News. The cafe's address is 220 Grant Street.
Sister Spot Downtown Prepares to Reopen
While Luna's has occupied most of the owners' attention this fall, their other venture, Vintage Coffee Ramen, is set to come back online this month. That shop operates out of Lane on Main, an indoor mall that opens onto Main Street across from the Hyatt Regency downtown, according to the Buffalo News. The downtown business serves onigiri, a dish still rare in Buffalo.
Vintage Coffee Ramen had previously expanded its menu to include coffee drinks, beer and a place to hang out, according to a report from Buffalo Business First. The shop's own website lists its location at 500 Washington Street and 523 Main Street in the Electric District, with pickup ordering available Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., per the Vintage Coffee Ramen website. With that spot preparing to reopen, Buffalo's West Side and downtown food scenes both stand to gain from the same pair of owners juggling two very different menus.
