A cherished, woman-owned cafe has found a new home in East Austin. Cenote, which closed this April after its previous location was sold, is now at 1405 E. 7th Street. Service has already begun, but the official grand opening will be held on Saturday, September 13.
The new space, previously occupied by the now-defunct Revival Coffee, is located less than a mile away from Cenote’s former Cesar Chavez location. Now the business is in a more lively area of Seventh Street with neighboring bars and restaurants. Some changes include the addition of a cocktail menu and extended business hours.
The café’s food menu as it currently appears on its website features a mix of classic diner foods and Mexican comfort dishes, such as sandwiches, salads, chilaquiles, migas, and American breakfast plates with eggs, meat, and home fries.
Cenote was founded by Mary Jenkins and her late husband, Cody Symington, in 2012. The café became a hotspot for good coffee and local entertainment by regularly hosting comedy open mics and highlighting Austin musicians.
“It’s inspiring to see how Cenote has become such an important part of the East Austin community over the past 13 years,” said Jenkins in a press release. “I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to keep growing and continue to support our neighborhood.”
Cenote returns with an artsy, colorful environment.Photo courtesy of Cenote
Cenote’s support for East Austin goes beyond coffee. At the former location, the cafe was home to a N.I.C.E. Project Narcan machine for two years. N.I.C.E. stands for Naloxone In Case of Emergency; an initiative to help Austinites struggling with drug addiction by providing Naloxone free of charge. Naloxone, also called by the brand name Narcan, is a nasal spray that can help reverse an opioid overdose.
Losing the Cesar Chavez location jeopardized the vending machine that had already distributed over 4000 doses of Narcan, according to a social media post by Cenote. Since Symington passed away from an overdose in 2021, it was especially important to Jenkins to find a new host for the machine, and the neighbors from across the street answered the call.
The Narcan machine now resides at the Austin Public Library Terrazas Branch, making it the first library in Texas to adopt this initiative, according to the release. It does not say whether Cenote will host another Narcan machine at its new location.
Cenote’s grand opening event will take place Saturday, September 13, from 6 pm until midnight.
The cafe opens from 8 am to 10 pm on weekdays, and stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
