It’s been the year of the coffee shop here in Hoboken. In 2023 alone, Hey Coffee People and Kompany Kafe have opened their doors, and Jersey City’s famed ModCup announced plans to venture into the Mile Square. Though caffeine might be abundant, another new coffee shop is set to arrive in town at 1100 Adams Street. Called Cafe Cartel, this new cafe is serving up “curated Colombian coffee” and lite cafe bites (including empanadas). Cafe Cartel is looking at a November opening, hoping to be a “local caffeine dealer” for Hoboken residents. Read on for what to expect from Cafe Cartel, a new coffee shop + cafe coming to Hoboken this fall.
The Details
On August 10th, Cafe Cartel shared its first Instagram post, promoting a planned pop-up event the forthcoming coffee shop. The post encouraged locals to “indulge in delightful organic Colombian, coffee, and a wonderful atmosphere.” Locals, it seemed, took interest — the reel garnered 30 comments of Instagram users sharing their excitement (many by way of fire emoji and all-caps exclamations).
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In the subsequent Instagram posts that followed, Cafe Cartel divulged more details on the shop-to-be, each one more anticipatory than the next. One was captioned: “Slinging the best beans, from Medellin,” another “your local caffeine dealer,” and one of particular interest, “your Silent Partner in Caffeine Crimes.” It’s worth noting, too, the vibe of these posts — a skull wearing a bandana as the brand’s logo, red-and-black decor inside, and a spray paint rendition of the logo currently in progress.
The pop-up event took place on Saturday, August 26th, and a member of The Hoboken Girl team stopped by to check it out. At the event, the shop’s owners shared that Cafe Cartel is looking at a November opening for its 1100 Adams Street location, where it will serve up a variety of coffees using Medellin beans. In addition, Cafe Cartel will have food selections like, cookies, bakery items, empanadas, and more.
As for the inspiration behind the vibe and the name, Cafe Cartel shared with The Hoboken Girl: “The inspiration behind Cafe Cartel came from spending time in Colombia, where [the owner’s] wife is originally from (she came to NY when she was 16). He fell in love with the country, the culture, the people, and the coffee.” They went on to say, “unfortunately, Colombia has had a bad reputation due to its past cartels. The owner thought it would be a great idea to turn the negative into a positive by promoting and shedding light on one of its greatest exports: coffee!”
As of right now, Cafe Cartel’s only online presence is its social media, which you can keep up with here. The Hoboken Girl reached out to the team for more details, but hasn’t gotten a response. Of course, we’ll update this article as more details are shared.
Cafe Cartel joins a varsity list of Hoboken coffee shops — and while we wait for it to Hoboken, here’s a list of current cafes to satisfy your coffee needs.
See More: A Guide to Montclair’s Best Coffee Shops
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