Abogados Café: Where Lattes Meet Law

Ofelia Ponce image by Phonlawut Galasi

Born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Ofelia Ponce opened her first business in third grade. She sold charamuscas and paletas — Latin American ice pops — that she made with her grandmother. “I still remember my customers. I still remember my regulars,” she says. I met with Ponce, now 38, at Abogados Café, the Saint Paul coffee shop she co-owns with her husband, Inti Martínez-Alemán.

As we spoke, a man waved at Ponce. We paused the interview so she could catch up with a regular customer.

Despite her passion for entrepreneurship, Ponce originally became a lawyer. In Honduras, “you’re either a doctor or a lawyer,” she says. She obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in Pennsylvania before returning to Honduras for law school. After practicing law there for eight years, she moved to Minnesota with Martínez-Alemán to earn a Master of Law degree at Mitchell-Hamline School of Law.

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ponce reevaluated an office space she and Martínez-Alemán owned and had been renting out. Ponce went door-to-door, asking neighboring residents what they’d like the building to become. The resounding answer: a coffee shop.

That building now houses the couple’s two major passions. On street level sits Abogados Café — its name is Spanish for “lawyers.” Upstairs, Martínez-Alemán practices law at Ceiba Fôrte Law Firm, focusing on the Hispanic community. Ponce said she does 90 percent coffee and 10 percent law, and Martínez-Alemán does the reverse.

She describes their companies as “lifestyle businesses” that are extensions of themselves. They designed everything at Abogados Café, from the menu to the space.

photo by Phonlawut Galasi

Abogados Café transports customers to small-town Latin America. “I’ve had people say, ‘My abuela has this tile in Mexico’ or ‘This reminds me of my favorite cafe in Puerto Rico,” Ponce says.

A mural of a colorful Latin American street welcomes guests at the entrance. Talavera — tile specially ordered from Mexico — decorates the floor in flowers and geometric shapes. The scent of freshly ground coffee beans beckons. Blue-and-white-checkered bistro sets sit under windows with classic Latin American arches.

Every drink celebrates Latin American culture with its ingredients, while acknowledging law in its name. “None of the drinks on the menu are drinks I wouldn’t drink,” Ponce says. Cold Call mixes Honduran cold brew with mint. Cayenne pepper, one of Honduras’s major exports, heats up the Fearless Lawtte. Banana, another top export of Honduras, sweetens the ReSipsa Lawquitur.

The ReSipsa Lawquitur. became associated with the local fire department after they continually came in asking for the banana latte. “The firefighters taught me how powerful word of mouth is,” Ponce says. Abogados Café recognizes the firefighters on their menu.

When asked what community means to her, Ponce spoke of “radical Latin American hospitality.” She treats people in her cafe like guests in her home. Staff bring orders directly to tables and take away empty dishes. Gold plaques sit atop every table, thanking guests for visiting in both English and Spanish.

The Honduras Roast comes from Luha and Issel Medina, two sisters who run a coffee farm in Santiago de Puringla, Honduras. They collaborate: the sisters teach Ponce about coffee beans, and Ponce is helping them start their own cafe. The México Roast and Columbia Roast also come from women-owned farms with sustainable practices.

The cafe’s El Mercadito sells a variety of treats from women and Latin American-owned companies. As co-owner of the Twin Cities’ first Latina-owned coffeeshop, Ponce also mentors new Latina-owned coffeeshop owners.

The community Ponce and Martínez-Alemán built became a light during the darkest days of Metro Surge, when more than 3,000 federal agents were in Minnesota looking for immigrants to arrest. “We were trying to be invisible but at the same time be helpful,” Ponce says. They handed out whistles with informational flyers and were a hub for donations.

Despite their fear, the couple kept Abogados Café open as a safe space. They held vigils for Renée Good and Alex Pretti after the Minnesota residents were fatally shot by ICE agents. They welcomed people to simply sit together, no purchase necessary.

“I was surprised how a little place can do so much,” Ponce says with tears in her eyes. “When you hurt together, you heal together.”

Ofelia Ponce photo by Phonlawut Galasi

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