A new North Salinas cafe serves up seasonal sips.

Colorful murals of a portrait of Frida Kahlo, Mexican sweet bread and walls filled with green plants and red roses, while the smell of cinnamon and coffee fills the atmosphere inside the new Fryda’s Cafe in North Salinas.

Since opening on Saturday, Oct. 17, Fryda’s Cafe has been building a menu around espresso drinks, Mexican-inspired flavors and quick bites in the former Con Azucar Cafe (a popular Bay Area coffee spot) located at 1746 N. Main St.

The cafe’s offerings include lattes, frappes, aguas frescas and matchas, alongside seasonal pumpkin drinks.

Anais Bustamante, who is one of six employees and also worked at Con Azucar Cafe, says the flan latte, horchata latte, and the pumpkin chai are the most popular drinks, while the Mexican mocha is “on the sweeter side for some.”

Drinks come in 16- and 24-ounce sizes. The 24-ounce iced flan latte includes condensed milk, flan cold foam, and three shots of espresso, while the 16-oz has two shots of espresso. The flan flavor is subtle, but the drink’s warm spice makes it feel suited to the season.

The food menu includes avocado toast, hand and cheese croissants, torta de jamón and BLT sandwiches. For dessert, customers can find chocolate cake, fruit tarts, pan dulce and cake pops and currently seasonal pumpkin conchas.

According to the manager Alissa Martinez, the Fryda’s cafe was inspired by siblings and owners Hailey Chanel and Jayden Rojas, and “the name comes from Hailey’s interest growing up for Frida Kahlo's paintings that helped her discover her own creativity and talent with paintings.” 

Chanel and Rojas did not respond for comment in time of publication for Salinas Valley Now.

Morning is the busiest time, with traffic picking up at 9-11 am and about 100 people come in on a daily basis, according to Bustamante.

Ahead to the holiday season, Bustamante says upcoming new drinks are expected to feature more cookie butter and more pumpkin filling.

Fryda’s Cafe is open daily from 7am-6pm and has a morning special from 9am-12pm which is announced on their Instagram.