Small Business Promotion Week: Coquí Café

Published on July 06, 2026

Arlington residents can get a taste of Puerto Rico, as well as a love for sharing food and culture, at the newly opened Coquí Café at 2442 S. Collins St.

Owner Iria Poventud and her husband, Luis Amaro, moved from Puerto Rico to Texas in 2002. When their family friend, Jeffrey Salcedo, successfully opened a Coquí Café in Killeen three years ago, they decided to bring a sister restaurant to Arlington.

“In Puerto Rico, we have a panaderia, like a bakery shop, on every corner. We miss the bread and the smell, and we wanted to bring it here and share it,” said Poventud.

The term “coquí” refers to a native Puerto Rican frog, whose distinctive sound reminds Poventud of home.

“When I first moved to Texas, I could hear the whistle of the coquís in the background when I would call my mom at home. It made me very sentimental. It’s a big thing for us, so that’s why it’s in the name,” she said.

Coquí Café offers an array of Puerto Rican pastries and breads, all baked fresh in-house by Poventud’s husband, Amaro. The menu also features sandwiches, breakfast items, coffee drinks and empanadas, to name a few. Poventud explained that the ground beef and sweet plantain empanada is a specialty offering unique to their restaurant.

“I want people to feel like this is a place they can gather with their family and feel comfortable, and we can serve and share with them these flavors that we love.”

Learn more about Coquí Café by visiting their Facebook or their website. You can also check them out in person at 2442 S. Collins St #100. You can visit the One Start Development Center, on the second floor at City Hall from July 6-10, 2026, during Small Business Promotion week. The City’s Planning and Development Service Department is also hosting Customer Appreciation Week during the same time and will be providing refreshments and bottled water for the customers visiting the Small Business Promotion table.

The City of Arlington is highlighting small local businesses throughout 2026. Canales Furniture, another Small Business of Arlington, who has grown substantially in the last few years, wants to give back to the community and is sponsoring this program with the Planning & Development Services Department for the year 2026. In their new headquarters at 102 E. I-20 Highway, they have dedicated a training room for their growing community, including free English-speaking classes, citizenship classes, and teaching small businesses on how to utilize social media as a marketing tool.