Sara Rosenthal
Audio By Carbonatix
On the corner of Champa and 30th Streets, just steps from Mestizo-Curtis Park, a little slice of Miami has made its way to Denver with the recent opening of Café Tres.
“We need to check out this Cuban bakery…I need a pastelito and cafecito to the face stat,” read the text from my friend and resident Miami girl, Steph Paz. You know a new Cuban bakery is going to be good when the Miami girls are the ones texting you about it.
In Miami, grabbing cafecito is about more than just a pick-me-up; it’s about building community, sharing chisme (gossip) with friends, and saying hi to whoever happens to be passing by. That’s exactly what owner Michael Solis aims to recreate at his new cafe.
“I’m used to making cafecito in a moka pot, chatting with people, pouring coladas into little sharing cups,” says Solis. “It’s about conversation, showing people how we do things down south and how cafecito is meant to be shared.”
Sara Rosenthal
A Tiny Space With Big Demand
Café Tres, which got its start at farmers’ markets around Denver, now occupies the former Rivers and Roads space, a tiny footprint of roughly 500 square feet. There’s no indoor seating, just a slim counter along the window, encouraging guests to grab a cafecito, linger briefly, and move on. Plans are already in place to add outdoor benches in the spring.
Despite its small size, there’s been big demand. Café Tres is currently open Thursday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., but arriving early is strongly advised. By the time we stopped in at 10 a.m., the pastry case was nearly empty, and by 10:30 a.m., it was sold out.
Eventually, Solis hopes to open a larger space with room for seating and expanded offerings. For now, though, he’s content taking it slow.
“It’s a perfect next step for me to get into my first brick-and-mortar,” Solis says. “The way I’ve grown this bakery little by little, it just makes sense for how I’ve been managing the business.”
Sara Rosenthal
A Family Legacy of Pastelitos
Café Tres is deeply rooted in Solis’ family legacy. When his family immigrated to the United States from Cuba, they opened Three Little Bakers, which eventually evolved into Three Little Cakes and operated for more than forty years in south Miami. The number three stuck, and decades later resurfaced in the name Café Tres.
“My uncle Alfredo was the baker back in Cuba,” Solis explains. “It didn’t really become a full family business until we got to the States.”
While Cuban bakeries not dot nearly every corner in the 305, Three Little Bakers is often credited as one of the first. Solis’ uncle Alfredo saw it as both a livelihood and a gathering place, creating jobs for his family and a sense of community for fellow immigrants finding their footing in a new city.
Educating Denver, One Pastelito at a Time
After moving to Denver, Solis found himself missing not just the pastries, but the culture surrounding them. He started small, selling pastelitos at farmers markets, then wholesaling to spots like Nowhere Coffee, Migas and Little Owl, where his pastries are still sold today.
At the brick-and-mortar, patrons will find flaky Cuban laminated pastries made the traditional way with pork lard, not butter, filled with both sweet and savory fillings. The menu stays intentionally focused with offerings like classic guava, guava and cheese and carne plus Cuban coffee (including cortaditos, cafe con leche, and coming soon, coladas) and rotating specials like ropa vieja.
“I really tried to focus on what people are actually getting at a Miami bakery,” Solis notes. “Instead of offering 120 items, I wanted to hone in on the defining pastries. Pastelitos were also the most efficient place to start as a one-person operation.”
Croquetas (arguably one of the most beloved Cuban bakery staples) are now a mainstay on the menu, but will appear occasionally as limited specials. “We’ll announce it, bake a big run, and just burn through them,” Solis says. “It creates excitement and works for the space we have.”
Come summer, expect mango pastelitos made with mangoes from Solis’ mother’s tree in Miami — an offering so popular at the farmers markets that they sold out in under twenty minutes.
Beyond feeding homesick Miami transplants, Solis sees Café Tres as an opportunity to introduce Denver to Cuban bakery traditions. “Staying true to the Miami experience is important to me,” he concludes.
Café Tres is located at 2960 Champa Street and is open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. For more information, visit cafetresdnvr.com or follow it on Instagram @cafetresdnvr.
