By Keyla Lopez
Located on the corner of Alameda Street and Bruno Street, who knew Homegirl Café is little gem right in the backyard helping our community. If you can look past the few cons that it comes with, it is definitely a place you should check out and eat in at least once.
Homegirl Café provides a homey atmosphere to grab a bite. Homegirl café is branch of Homeboy Industries, which helps take former gang men and women redirect their life away from gangs. Like Homeboy Industries, Homegirl Café has made it their mission to help take at-risk youth, those who were previously involved with gangs.
They offer a program that trains and prepares them for the restaurant service in the culinary arts industry. Upon arriving, you’re instantly greeted by a hostess, who makes you feel right at home and are ready to get you seated at one of their tables inside.
The Cafe has a hip trendy vibe to it, mixed with a little Starbucks feel, when makes a fun little place to grab a quick bite to eat, and do some homework. While sitting outside on a nice day might seem ideal, the café is located on the corner of an busy street, while having the Metro Goldline stop right above you, making lots of noise.
If you have no issues with the constant noise from the active traffic and train, then opt to sit outside, it is still fairly nice. Once you’ve been seated, the waiteress is quick on getting to you and taking your order when you’re ready. Though on this particular day we decided to sit outside, and as we were the only ones outside and it was moderately full inside, they forgot about us and our order for a moment.
Once they figured out their mistake, our food arrived not long after. The service was still good with servers coming up to us every once in a while to make sure everything was as it should be and to refill drinks. Though it sometimes semi-busy, the noise level inside isn’t so bad at all. You’re able to carry on a conversation without any issues.
They offer a variety of meal options that are incredibly tasty. Like Yuyu’s sandwich consisted of turkey dulce de mango & chipotle salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mayonnaise served on a Homeboy bakery baguette was amazing with the sweet and tangy taste of the salsa.
If you choose to order a salad, their fruit salad is trendy. The hibiscus cayenne seasalt that was sprinkled over the fresh pieces of mango, orange, jicama and avocado was a good combination of both sweet and a little spicy. Quite an interesting dressing alternative to the usual lime and chili powder sprinkled over fruit salads and definitely worth to try.
Now, if you’re looking for something more on the vegetarian side, try the Jorja’s tacos. These vegan tacos consist of hibiscus flower, caramelized onions, avocado, cucumber, serrano peppers and cilantro. On top of the already healthier option, you can also choose to substitute the tortilla for a grilled nopal (cactus leaf).
The chewy texture of the hibiscus was sweet upon reaching our taste buds. Homegirl Café is different from other places because theyproviding you with fresh, organic veggies, giving you an easy way to stay healthy. They have their very own garden located directly behind the café where they grow up to 20 percent of their produce that is used in their dishes.
