On the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Junipero Avenue, a Long Beach pop-up stand known for its THC-infused matcha lattes and Mexican hot chocolate attracts customers from throughout O.C. and L.A., stoners and sobers alike.
Yzabella Nardo established Café Rosita last July, first vending at underground after-hours parties that often ended in police raids.
“I went to Amsterdam, and I saw the combination of the coffee shops and the smoke shops, and I was like, ‘We need something like that here in Cali,’” Nardo tells L.A. TACO. “But I wanted it to be more than that. I wanted to be really community-oriented.”
Despite having frequent regulars and viral social media advertisements, only two workers run Café Rosita—Nardo and her boyfriend, Brian “Smitty” Smith. The San Pedro couple sticks out on the field of grass where they vend, cocooned by the stand’s pink decor.
“We partner with a lot of community organizations, like Break ICE L.A., and it's intended to be that way, because I wanted this to be a cafe for the people,” Nardo says.