Gabriella Café-owned Gabrielita Tamaleria, newcomer Crepe Cones open inside two downtown Santa Cruz kiosks

Santa Cruz landmark restaurant Gabriella Café has a new little sister. On Tuesday, Gabrielita Tamaleria opened inside the Pacific Avenue kiosk in front of Pipeline and Café Delmarette – formerly the home of Zen Musubi, which relocated from downtown to the Sash Mill, and, before that, Café Campesino – with a short menu of tamales, burritos and drinks. 

Owner Paul Cocking and chef Gema Cruz eventually plan to add street tacos and possibly rice bowls, all featuring homemade proteins like pork in salsa verde, chicken mole and beans. A plate with a single tamal is $8 and a double plate is $14. Tamales are also sold wrapped to go for $6 each; a bulk price for four or more is $5 each. 

The Mexican cuisine is a deviation from the seasonal Californian fare that Gabriella Café, located on Cedar Street between Church Street and Locust Street, has become known for since it opened in 1992. Chef Cruz is from Oaxaca, Mexico, and the kiosk is an opportunity for her to focus on some traditional recipes. 

Both the chicken mole and pork chile verde tamales are hearty and stuffed with flavorful fillings, and come topped with cabbage slaw, salsa and sour cream. The pork chile verde tamal was wrapped in a corn husk, and was fresh-tasting with gentle heat. The chicken mole tamal, wrapped in a banana leaf, was richly spiced and roasty with a hint of chocolate. 

The “little Gabriella” also currently offers two drinks: an agua fresca ($5) made from cucumber, orange juice, spinach and lemon juice, and champurrado ($5), a traditional hot Oaxacan beverage made with masa harina and chocolate, with a thick, creamy texture.  

They’re aiming to be open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but hours are variable for the next couple of weeks while they figure out staffing, said Cocking. All of the tamales and other items are made by Cruz at Gabriella Café, and, like the main restaurant, use ingredients purchased from the downtown farmers market. But the tamales and other items aren’t served at the restaurant; they’re available only at the kiosk, Cocking said. 

Three days in, they’re already getting good feedback from the community and sold “a lot of tamales” without much advertising, said Cocking. “There’s a lot of visibility. It’s nice to see another kiosk. The more we can get going on Pacific Avenue, the better,” he said. 

Downtown Santa Cruz has four kiosks on Pacific Avenue, all managed by the city. The tiny, standalone brick-and-mortar spots have held a variety of small businesses over the years, from ice cream parlors to Indian food. The kiosk in front of the former New Leaf Community Market houses the downtown Santa Cruz information booth; a third kiosk, in front of Pacific Wave, is inhabited by NahNa, a restaurant that makes Eritrean food. 

A fourth kiosk, in front of Bookshop Santa Cruz, is also welcoming a new tenant. Crepe Cones, a shop with made-to-order crepes, held a soft opening last week and will fully open this week, said Sarah Domondon, a business liaison for the city’s economic development department. Owned by Santa Cruz County resident Matt McCabe, Crepe Cones will have sweet and savory crepes, some for as low as $5, with gluten-free substitutes. 

With the addition of Crepe Cones and Gabrielita Tamaleria, all four kiosks are occupied for the first time in five months. The 60-square-foot kiosks are unusual spaces, but the city tries to fill them with tenants that will “add to the diversity we already have downtown,” said Domondon. 

She advised that interested businesses sign up for the city’s mailing list for the kiosks on the economic development department’s website, since it goes out to all recipients as soon as a space is available. “We encourage them to get on the list because they get an automated list before we even market it,” said Domondon. 

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