In 2011, Oswaldo and Jose Estrella channelled their Mexican heritage and more than 20 years of hospitality experience into their first café, Sazón Espresso, in Mount Barker. In 2015, the cousins added a second venue in the Adelaide CBD to their portfolio.
“We felt there were a lot of places that really had similar concepts and that we could do something different,” Oswaldo says.
The Mount Barker café uses exposed brick walls, traditional crockery, and cactus plants to set the Mexico-influenced scene. Oswaldo says this and the Latin beats playing in the background contribute to a happy vibe.
The CBD Sazón tones down these elements but still keeps this influence alive through its menu, which combines traditional breakfast and brunch items with Mexican inspired dishes.
“We’re in the middle of rolling out an updated menu that pushes these Mexican flavours further and really represents the country,” Oswaldo says.
A stand-out remaining on the menu is the huevos rancheros, Mexican ranch style free-range scrambled eggs and San Jose chorizo, served with pico de gallo salsa on an oven-baked flour tortilla with melted cheese.
Oswaldo says despite the cafés’ emphasis on food, the coffee always comes first. That is why Sazón chooses to serve Veneziano Coffee Roasters’ Forza as its house blend, Bella for black coffee, and single origins on filter and cold drip.
“We’ve been working with Veneziano for eight years now and the quality of the coffee has been consistent since the beginning,” Oswaldo says.
“The coffee is really popular. Forza in particular combines well with milk and our customers respond really well to it.”
While the CBD café’s location results in a largely business demographic, the Mount Barker Sazón sees a variety of people visiting the venue. Oswaldo enjoys forming relationships with customers who become regulars of the café.
“It means a lot when we see people coming back to the café, to know that we’ve been able to build that loyalty,” he says.
“Sazón translates loosely to the flavour you add to a dish, or it can mean the passion you put into something. We always try to represent and give that to our customers.”
Sazón Espresso
3/19 Grenfell Street Adelaide, South Australia, 5000
Open Monday to Friday 7am to 4pm
(08) 8221 6966