This local couple is spreading joy one breakfast poblano at a time

For Tucson residents looking for a welcoming place to start the day, Buendía Breakfast and Lunch Café offers more than a meal. At 2530 N. 1st Ave., families gather over café de olla, chilaquiles, pancakes and other Mexican breakfast favorites while children move between the tables and a play area. The café’s colorful setting, familiar flavors and emphasis on connection have helped make it a destination for people who want breakfast to feel like a shared family occasion.

That atmosphere reflects the memories of owners Jael and Julio Garcia, who grew up with mornings centered on relatives, coffee and homemade food. In their childhood kitchens, family members would arrive as the sun came up, filling the room with conversation while plates of chilaquiles, empanadas and scrambled eggs were passed around. Children played nearby, and the adults lingered over their meals. For the Garcias, those gatherings represented alegria, a Spanish word for joy, and they wanted to recreate that feeling for Tucson diners.

The couple’s story began in middle school in Nogales, Sonora, where they attended the same school but did not initially know each other well. A mutual friend eventually introduced them. Years later, French fries helped bring them together again. Julio operated a French fry food truck that parked in front of his family’s restaurant, and Jael became a regular customer. Their relationship grew, and they eventually married, had children and moved to Tucson.

By 2021, as the pandemic continued and many people were experiencing isolation, the Garcias believed Tucson needed more opportunities for happiness and togetherness. They turned to the kind of food and gathering they knew from home, especially the traditional family breakfast that brought people around one table in Sonora. The couple opened Buendía with the goal of offering that same sense of comfort through a plate of food, a friendly room and time spent with other people.

Jael took responsibility for the kitchen, while Julio focused on the front of the restaurant and the details involved in welcoming customers. Together, they transformed the North First Avenue building into a café designed to feel like a relative’s home. Papel picado hangs overhead, striped table runners add color to the booths, and walls display Milagros and sombreros. Mexican music plays in the background, adding to the lively sound of conversations among diners.

One of the café’s most distinctive traditions involves the bottles of alegria placed on each table. Filled with bright pom-poms, the bottles are used to sprinkle a little symbolic joy over the food. Julio compares the tradition to seasoning a meal, saying salt and pepper provide flavor while alegria represents joy and happiness. The gesture is meant to remind customers that everyone deserves a moment of happiness, even during an ordinary morning.

The menu includes familiar Mexican brunch dishes such as chilaquiles, huevos rancheros and tacos dorados, but the breakfast poblano has become Buendía’s signature item. The dish features a poblano pepper stuffed with a corn tamale, covered in a smooth green sauce and served with rice and beans. A breakfast poblano with a side of beans costs $18. Its popularity has led customers to wait for hours for a weekend table, and Julio describes the dish as the café’s central attraction.

The restaurant’s appeal extends beyond its food. Families have filled the expanded dining area, while children use the play space and pretend to prepare meals in a play kitchen. The demand prompted the Garcias to add seating and create more room for young customers. Diners often ask whether the couple plans to open another location or grow the Buendía brand, but the owners say their focus remains on the community created inside the existing café.

For Jael and Julio, Buendía is intended to be a place where people can share parts of their lives, remember home and make new memories. Jael says the restaurant’s name reflects the wish that each customer’s morning will begin well. Her view of the café centers on people talking, listening and connecting with one another. Five years after opening, that mission is visible in the families gathered around tables, the children darting toward the play area and the diners returning for the poblano that has become a symbol of the restaurant’s joyful approach to breakfast.