Mezza 9 Cafe and Bakery to bring a taste of Europe to downtown Rochester
Feb. 28—ROCHESTER — A taste of Europe with a side of cake is brewing in downtown Rochester.
Rochester restaurateur Sammi Loo is gearing up to open
Mezza 9 Cafe and Bakery
at 20 Historic Third St. SW., the
former Bar Buffalo spot
.
In the wake of a ribbon cutting, she hopes to open the cafe in the 2,000-square-foot space by the end of this week.
"We're going for a European feel with also a little bit of Asian influence" is how Loo described the cafe in December. She also owns
Ootori Sushi
in Rochester.
That vision includes emphasizing tea lattes and artisan coffees as well as Vietnamese coffee.
The dessert menu includes macarons, blueberry cobbler white chocolate cheesecake, lemon curd cake, banana toffee bourbon cake, a gluten-free flourless chocolate torte and more.
Sandwiches, salads and soups will also be available.
"I want to create something more relaxing... a little bit different. I just want it to be a beautiful, cozy spot to enjoy a coffee and a dessert," said Loo in Decemeber.
She signed the lease to open Mezza 9 Cafe earlier this year. Barb Phelps and Leigh Ann Peltoma of Titan360 Commercial Real Estate lined up the space for Loo.
Bar Buffalo served gin drinks and vegan food in that spot from 2018 until it closed in early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Jeff Kiger tracks business action in Rochester and southeastern Minnesota every day in "Heard on the Street." Send tips to
or via Twitter to
@whereskiger
. You can call him at 507-285-7798.
