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Café Calacas

Julie Wyand

On the corner of a quaint street in Santa Ana lies a small shoppe known as Café Calacas. The bistro was once a theater from the 1800s (http://www.santaanahistory.com/articles/richardson.html), but has been renovated into a contemporary Hispanic eatery. Café Calacas has great food and an ambiance that will keep you coming back.

When I walked through the antique doors of Cafe Calacas for the first time, I was so enthused by the décor that I forgot about food for a minute. I began gawking over the ceramic tile flooring before I even made it to the counter (which was made of a smooth white quartzite). Flooring isn’t something one usually notices, but in this case it was impossible to miss. Beautiful 4”x4” Hispanic tiles were dispersed alongside contrasting taupe colored ones, creating a pattern that maintained formality. The taupe tile can be found at Lowes, (http://www.lowes.com/pd_204577-74035-015944HCSP_0__?productId=1163445), while the accent tiling was made by JD Custom Tile & Stone. Each of the accent tiles were unique to on another giving the space more interest. Thick black grouting between the tiles complimented the glossy black tile baseboards and other black accents throughout the café.

When it became time to order, a black wall behind the register caught my eye. It was lined near the top with tiles of sugar skulls while the rest of the wall was painted matte black, creating emphasis. I found this wall very fitting as the café was named Café Calacas; calacas meaning skeleton in Spanish. I would have personally liked to see the café use this simple black wall with sugar skull lining throughout the entire building. Instead, the bistro chose a distressed, wide-planked wood veneer like that found at Armstrong, (http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/hardwood/chesapeake-maple-5-in-engineered-hardwood-wide-plank-EMA61LG/floor-106519.asp), on three walls, and a rustic brick veneer on the other. Wood and brick veneer are extremely trendy right now but the combination of the two with the accent tiling was a bit overwhelming. If they would have used the black accented wall everywhere, the design would have been simplified, and further emphasis would be placed on the custom made tile. 

Although I wasn’t a fan of the wall finishes, I did admire the lighting.  In fact, the star-shaped lanterns were the second thing I noticed after the tile flooring. Like the tile, they were successful in both form and function as they provided light and went perfectly with the cultural theme of the cafe. The lanterns were custom made by a local artist and friend of the owner but similar ones can be found at Lightingdirect.com (http://www.lightingdirect.com/meyda-tiffany-15154-single-light-down-lighting-pendant-from-the-moravian-collection/p877190 intcmp=recs~item_page.rr1~ClickCP~Meyda%20Tiffany~meydatiffany15154). There was also a custom made chandelier located the dining area that I found intriguing. It contained exposed bulbs, metal framing, and a thick rope that appeared to be holding the fixture in place. The rustic chandelier went nicely above the wood-planked table that complimented the walls. The table was enclosed on three sides by windows covered in black drapes that again, went well with other black accenting. The 4” recessed can lighting used above the register also proved to be successful as it cast a subtle, yet inviting glow onto the glass bakery display below.

 I would have liked to have seen another row the same lighting behind the register, illuminating a chalkboard menu. Instead, the café used electronic menus that had false chalkboard displays.

With the exception of the false chalkboard menu, I found the company’s use of technology phenomenal. They substituted their outdated cash register for and iPad; a trend you’ll see more frequently in the future according to this article: http://mashable.com/2014/11/11/revel-systems-raises-100-million/.   Café Calacas also has an iPad station where customers can roam the internet while they wait on their food. They have free wifi and accessible outlets where guests can charge their computers when they come there to work.  This quaint little café on the corner of 4^th and Birch Street is a contradictory of its outward appearance. I find it amazing how such an outdated building can host such a modern interior. Although the café had its quirks, I really admire its design as a whole. The modern Hispanic theme of Café Calacas’ is very original and perfectly captures the essence of Downtown Santa Ana.