Is the corner of Morse Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue still "the old Coop" to you? The building sat empty for more than three years, and since October 6 it has been Mecatos, a Colombian bakery.
Mecatos isn't the only example this fall. Almost every coffee and dining change in Winter Park right now is going into an address people still know by its last tenant: a Southern comfort-food spot, a seafood market, a fried-chicken counter, a Latin restaurant, a French bistro. None of these is going up on an empty lot, and most of them are away from Park Avenue. Here's where they are and what each building is now.
The Coop's corner sold pastries again starting in October
Mecatos Bakery & Cafe soft-opened October 6 at 610 W. Morse Blvd. Bungalower reported that the space had been empty for more than three years. The Coop, John Rivers' Southern comfort-food restaurant, closed there in July 2023 after nearly a decade in business.
The menu is Colombian: empanadas, buñuelos, pan de bono and specialty coffee. Mecatos started as a local chain, and this location is run by Ana Rosabal, her parents Juan and Linda Rosabal, and partner Barbara Moreno.
Hours as reported in October:
- Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The opening hour is the useful part. A 7 a.m. weekday start makes Mecatos a before-work stop, and the 6 p.m. close makes it an afternoon one. It's done before dinner. The owners also plan to roast coffee on-site and serve coffee cocktails, so the space may still change as those plans take shape. Orlando Weekly reported that the roasting would use coffee imported from Colombia.
At the old Lombardi's, the coffee stayed and the counter changed hands
Winter Park's other coffee change this fall happened inside a building that had already been reused once. The Harmon Collective at 1152 Harmon Avenue is in what used to be Lombardi's Seafood Market. Today it holds Kiwi & Fern's retail boutique and coffee bar plus All Inclusive CrossFit, Bodyworks by Los, Together Fit and Mindset Orlando.
Black Phin ran the coffee there until early fall. Bungalower reported Oct. 11 as its last full-service day at Harmon. The Vietnamese coffee bar moved to Bash & Brew at 2900 E. Colonial Drive near the Milk District. That space pairs a coffee shop with an indoor playground for kids. If Black Phin's drinks were part of your routine, they are now on the Orlando side of the line.
The Community Paper reported that Kiwi & Fern, the plant and retail shop already in the space, took over the coffee program starting Oct. 17. The Collective's website lists coffee, matcha and refreshers. The trip is similar to before: the same parking, the same building, a gym class next door. The drinks now come from a different business with its own menu.
Saikō is next, and the main draw is the building
The next opening on the way follows the same pattern, and its owner describes the building as part of the appeal. According to Orlando Weekly, Saikō plans a Winter Park cafe at 1251 Miller Ave., behind the Krispy Kreme and across the street from the McLaren dealership, with a target opening of spring 2027. The stand-alone space was being renovated, and in early October the work was expected to take about six months.
Saikō was founded by Josue Villacis, formerly head of mixology at Sorekara. Its first location is inside Orlando Racket Sports at 7059 S. Orange Blossom Trail, and it is known for matcha, hōjicha and coffee. The Winter Park plan, as Orlando Weekly described it:
- Matcha, hōjicha, coffee and craft mocktails poured from taps, using a custom-built system shipped from Australia
- Two rotating taps, one for mocktails and one for matcha and coffee, with guests paying and pouring for themselves
- House syrups bottled on-site and sold for use at home
- Modern pastries from Elizabeth Delgado's local bakery, Chøkolat
- A no-tipping policy, with staff paid steadily instead
Orlando Weekly reported that Villacis is particularly excited about the dedicated parking lot and large outdoor seating area, which Saikō will have to itself because it takes the main space in the building. He told the outlet he wants a room where guests talk to each other:
"I don't want guests sitting there, clueless about their surroundings because their heads are buried in their laptops. I want guests to interact with one another."
Saikō is being designed as a place where you sit and talk with the people around you. Villacis plans to run it with his business partner, Thao Nguyen. Spring 2027 is a target, so check @saiko.orl for the date.
Lunch and dinner along Orlando Avenue follow the same pattern
Lunch and dinner tell the same story, mostly along Orlando Avenue.
- Fresh Kitchen, 818 S. Orlando Ave. The Tampa-founded bowl chain is moving into the former Chicken Guy! space. WhatNow Orlando reported a scheduled opening date of Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, per the company's website. You build your own bowl from bases, proteins, vegetables and sauces, with options like grilled chicken, steak, salmon, rice and roasted vegetables.
- The Grove Bar + Kitchen, 480 N. Orlando Ave. in Winter Park Village. Chef Mario Pagan's Chayote Barrio Kitchen became The Grove after its final service in May. Orlando Weekly's review calls it a Florida-centric menu based on what Pagan cooked in South Florida in the '90s, with tropical flavors still in the mix. The reviewer recommends the honey biscuits ($12) with pimento cheese and a Winter Park Honey butter, plus a Kurobuta double pork chop ($39) and a Key lime Basque cheesecake ($14).
- The Reverie, 533 W. New England Ave. in Hannibal Square. Chef Brandon McGlamery, a two-time James Beard Award nominee, and The Foundry Group are opening an American brasserie with French and European influences in the longtime home of Chez Vincent, which closed after 28 years. The restaurant's own site gives an opening of early 2027.
Put these on the same list as the coffee spots and they cover almost the full range of prices. Fresh Kitchen is a quick lunch, The Grove is a sit-down Winter Park Village dinner, and The Reverie is set up as a chef-driven destination. Every one is reusing a building someone already ran a restaurant in.
Festival weekend is a good time to try the new spots
The Winter Park Autumn Art Festival runs Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Central Park along Park Avenue, and it's free. That puts the crowd downtown while the new coffee spots are elsewhere. Here's one way to fit them into the weekend:
- Saturday, 8 a.m. Pan de bono and coffee at Mecatos on W. Morse Blvd., which opens at 8 on weekends. That's an hour before the festival booths open.
- Late morning. Walk the festival in Central Park before the midday crowd builds.
- Sunday. Coffee or matcha from Kiwi & Fern at the Harmon Collective, 1152 Harmon Ave., then browse the plant shop in the same room.
- The following Tuesday, Nov. 17. Fresh Kitchen's scheduled opening day at 818 S. Orlando Ave., if you're looking for a weekday lunch.
Saikō is targeting spring 2027 to add another stop to that route, on Miller Avenue behind the Krispy Kreme, with its own parking lot and outdoor seating.
At Florida One Real Estate, we watch which Winter Park buildings get a second life, because an empty corner that reopens as a busy bakery changes the block around it. If you own nearby and want to know how a change like this could show up in your home's value, start with an instant home valuation and we'll go through the local comparables with you.
