Águila Coffee Opens Mexican-Inspired Café in Orlando’s Ivanhoe Village

Águila Coffee has opened a brick-and-mortar café at 1215 N. Orange Avenue in Ivanhoe Village, occupying an 800-square-foot spot in Swanson’s Ivanhoe Row that overlooks Lake Ivanhoe and welcomes guests through a brick patio entrance. The shop is co-owned by Antonio Rodriguez, 29, and Artie Burer, 36, and follows an extended Market on South pop-up that the pair ran while developing the concept.

The café centers on a single Chiapas-grown coffee served several ways - drip, espresso and a 22-hour cold brew - with beans roasted by Maitland-based Kos Coffee, a partner from the owners’ pop-up days. Rodriguez said, "We really wanted to take a crack at some of our recipes and get a feel for using our machine and everything, so we just joined them." The beverage program also highlights house-made horchata, piloncillo-based drinks, a Topo Espresso poured over Topo Chico with fresh lemon, matcha blended with fresh guava puree, and a Mexican hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, guajillo and cayenne pepper. The shop will accommodate oat milk on request while positioning many offerings as indulgent and richly flavored.

Rodriguez and Burer trace the idea back to the pandemic and decided in late 2023 to build a permanent location. Rodriguez framed the space as personal and familial, saying, "Feels like my home," and filling the interior with items from his house and his mother’s collection. Visitors will find Florida postcards, license plates and citrus-themed wall art alongside chimayo rugs, Mexican feather art, decorative tiles and a terracotta breeze block island centerpiece. A stained glass installation by Rodriguez’s uncle and large letters spelling his mother’s name, Margarita, underscore the shop’s homage to family roots. The logo draws on the Order of the Aztec Eagle as a visual touchpoint.

Burer described the motivation behind the project: "[We] just couldn’t stop talking about what we wanted to do to better Orlando and the scene and how we wanted to contribute," reflecting the owners’ aim to add a distinct neighborhood third place. Early response from locals has been positive; a readers’ poll placed Águila at the top among newcomers, with a well-known local roaster close behind, signaling quick traction in Orlando’s competitive coffee scene.

For Orlando coffee fans, Águila brings Mexican-sourced ingredients, recipe-forward drinks and a warm, family-driven interior to Ivanhoe Village. The shop’s early run will show how deeply its single-origin focus and decadent flavor profile resonate with regulars; expect menu updates and community events as the owners settle into the new space.