The Reina family first tried crepes on their trip to Paris in 2013. At the time, they had no intention of making or selling crepes themselves. But life had a different plan: Shortly after returning from that trip, Berni and Yesica Reina lost their jobs. “We got home, and we were devastated,” says their son, Aaron. “But we had just tried these crepes and we still had that taste in our mouths, and that was our sign to bring Paris to Phoenix.”
Over the next few months, the Reinas purchased a crepe machine, learned how to make crepes and experimented with recipes. Six months after the trip, with the assistance of community members, the family opened up the first location of Colados Coffee & Crepes in Avondale.
“It was our first restaurant, so we didn’t know a whole lot,” Aaron says. “Especially on the coffee side — we had no experience with espresso. So, we went to different coffee shops and asked for help. We had, like, five different teachers or friends who taught us how to make coffee.”
As for the crepes, Aaron says most of the recipes are created within the family, using inspiration from their Mexican heritage. “We travel a lot, so we get to try different things, but our recipes are mostly Latin-inspired,” he says.
One of the recent menu additions draws inspiration from northern Mexico: The savory machaca crepe is filled with shredded beef flavored with signature Mexican spices. Another customer favorite is the chipotle crepe, which is filled with cheese, spinach and ham and drizzled with a chipotle cream sauce. “Our goal is for you to try something new,” Aaron says. “Our recipes are very unique.”
On the sweet side, the Nutella crepe, which is filled with strawberries and bananas, is very popular. Other crepes play on fruit flavors, including pineapple, peach and strawberry.
Colados sources its coffee from Mexico and brews it fresh when ordered. Most customers choose to pair their crepe with a hot cup or an indulgent blended iced coffee, but for those not so keen on java, there are smoothies and teas on the menu.
In addition to the original Avondale location, Colados now has shops in Phoenix and Goodyear. Aaron says the family business continues to grow steadily, and despite some hard moments, the family enjoys getting to work together. “Doing what we love and doing it with the people we love is the best thing,” he says. “We have our days, but we look forward to seeing each other and working together. It’s not something we take for granted.”
Colados Coffee & Crepes
2315 N. Seventh Street
Phoenix, AZ
United States