sometimes you’ll go to a coffee shop and the coffee is fantastic but there’s nothing to eat, or the selection is sad. or you’ll go to a cool little bakery and they have amazing options but the coffee is meh. forte, is the opposite of that, they have great coffee and delicious baked goods. so which came first, the coffee shop or the bakery?
rafa, part-owner, says he used to work as a barista back in the day. it must run in the family because his brother, owner of polvora, supplies them with their coffee. but sometimes they have “guest” beans, like when I was there, they were serving la colombe pour overs. back to rafa. after working as a barista for a few years he decided to switch over to the culinary side. working in a restaurant, cooking and baking, putting in longgggg hours, he decided he wanted to work for himself and make whatever he wanted, and that’s how it started. at forte, he can work the bar making coffees, or switch it up and make the pastries. either way, he’s good at both. that day I enjoyed a raspberry croissant with my coffee, it was scrumptious. on the weekends, they expand their menu to include pizza. i haven’t tried one yet but if you follow them on ig be careful that you don’t drool on your phone. actually, he tells me that his future goals is to open up a pizza shop. I fully support this.
forte is located in the quiet part of roma, just behind busy alvaro obregon. nestled between graffitied buildings, if you have trouble seeing it, just follow the smell work your nose, that’s how I found it! inside is really cool, they tore down the ugly drywall and plaster to expose the beautiful brick foundation, it almost makes you feel like you’re entering a cave. its also nice and quiet so if you want to take your laptop and get some work done you can. Or you can just chill and watch the barista and bakers do their thing. really, I’m telling you, it’s the best of both worlds.
The Coffee Guy 