As far as I’m concerned, biking and coffee go hand in hand. So when I’m riding my bike and I see (or smell) a small coffeehouse, I usually hop off my bike and check it out. Last week I ended up at El Cielito Café in South Gate, which was opened just nine months ago by Daniel Olivares.
Daniel has tasted hundreds of coffees from all over the world at the Coffee Academy in San Diego, and worked for several different coffee houses around Los Angeles. Last year, Daniel felt the time was right to open his own coffee house dedicated solely to coffee from the Central and South Americas. You can step by on May 15 for an authentically made café de Olla from Mexico or a Dulche de Leche based on a recipe from Argentina.
One of El Cielito’s objectives is to connect their coffee to the roots of Daniel and his customers, and they’re definitely succeeding. In fact, last week a customer shared that his coffee reminded him of his home village and his grandfather’s coffee plantation in El Salvador.
Eventually, Daniel hopes to have his own coffee plantation. For the time being, however, he won’t be leaving Los Angeles: he’s too busy running his coffee house and adding new flavors to his menu.
You can find El Cielito Café on the route of CicLAvia - Southeast Cities at 8015 Long Beach Blvd in South Gate.
