FRESH ROAST
Talisman Coffee brews up new East Austin bar at La Holly
Talisman Coffee Co. is previewing its new La Holly coffee bar with pop-ups starting September 30.
Family-run Talisman Coffee Co. is opening a new container-turned-coffee bar at neighborhood cocktail bar La Holly on East Sixth Street.
The new coffee bar will be located at 2500 E. 6th St., near Pedernales Street. Talisman is previewing the setup with pop-up dates on September 30, October 8, October 13, and October 23, before an official launch on November 1.
The pop-ups will run from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Johanna Alvarado Baker, who co-runs the family business with her brother, Fernando Alvarado, says the dates will serve as a test run before Talisman begins operating at La Holly seven days a week.
The move will help La Holly launch morning hours. Taco Flats, which already has a base on the property, will start serving breakfast tacos, and Talisman will offer coffee drinks alongside pastries from Sour Duck Market. The menu includes espresso drinks, cold brew, chai lattes, matcha lattes, and housemade syrups such as caramelized banana, guava, warm spice, vanilla, lavender, mocha, simple syrup, and seasonal flavors.
“We noticed where guests wanted to meet us — earlier in the day, and not always over a drink,” said Taco Flats owner Simon Madera in a press release. “Talisman approaches coffee the same way we do our food: with integrity and quality at the forefront. It made perfect sense for us to strike up a meaningful partnership versus buying a bag of beans. La Holly has become a beloved staple of the Austin bar scene, and we hope that this partnership invites Austinites and visitors to stop by at any time of day.”

The East Austin setup expands a coffee business that already has several locations. Talisman operates inside Mum Foods at 5811 Manor Rd., runs a mobile coffee trailer called the Sloth Mobile at the Far Out Lounge parking lot at 8504 S. Congress Ave., and appears at weekend farmers markets. Its market schedule includes Saturdays at The Bell from 9 am to 1 pm and Sundays at the Mueller Farmers Market from 10 am to 2 pm.
Talisman was a 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nominee for Coffee Shop of the Year. It earned its nomination in part because of its unusually direct family coffee pipeline: the product is family-grown, family-owned, and family-roasted.
The coffee has a long history behind it. Talisman has shared on social media that the Alvarados come from five generations of coffee farmers in Nicaragua. After the family lost their original farm outside Matagalpa during the country’s civil war, Yuri and Johanna Alvarado came to the United States as political refugees, where their children were born.
About a decade ago, the parents returned to Nicaragua and invested in El Talisman, a 35-acre farm outside Matagalpa, where the beans are grown, pruned, and picked. After each harvest, the dried green beans are shipped to Houston, driven to Austin, and roasted weekly by Fernando Alvarado.
Talisman Coffee’s social media keeps that farm connection visible, with frequent updates from Nicaragua showing the coffee plants, harvest process, and occasional cameos from the family dogs. The farm also inspired the company’s sloth mascot, after the family spotted sloths in the trees around the property.
Talisman says its beans are shade-grown, hand-picked, naturally processed, and slow dried. It also sells 12-ounce coffee bags, including natural processed light roast, natural processed medium roast, natural processed dark roast, and La Finca Blend, a medium-and-dark roast blend.
“We’re thrilled at the opportunity to partner with Simon and the Taco Flats team at La Holly,” said Talisman co-founder Johanna Barker in the release. “There are so many natural synergies between our families and our businesses, from our Texas roots and family-run operations to our shared commitment to serving good-quality products and creating a place where people feel cared for. It feels like one of those partnerships that just makes sense, and we’re excited to bring our family’s coffee to the La Holly community.”

Co-owners Ceci McBride (l) and Henry Johnson pose with wine club coordinator Estella Winton.Photo courtesy of Formando Vineyards