Italian-inspired cafe opens in Old Town with goal of being an ‘all-five senses experience’

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Italian-inspired coffee shop has opened its doors in Albuquerque’s Old Town, and to some people, they may see a familiar face behind the counter.

Vincenzo Brigante, the sous chef at Crème de la Crème inside Sawmill Market, is the co-owner and leader of Caffè Enzo, located at 2044 S Plaza St. NW in Old Town. There, Brigante and his wife, Evelyn, are serving seasonal artisan drinks, bites, and pastries.

“We offer different, unique Italian-style pastries. You see a lot of the influence, though, still that pours over from the pastry work that we did with Crème de la Crème, where we actually want to do artisan biscotti. We’re doing Kouign-Amann. We’re also offering panini for a savory pairing,” Brigante said.

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A large portion of the menu includes coffee, espresso, and tea. Brigante said some of the most popular drinks so far are Cafe Arancha, an orange blossom latte, and Latte Azzurro made with blue butterfly pea powder. “We wanted to really deliver on bringing a full, all-five senses experience. Whether it’s the visuals that you get that we offer, the presentation, the smells, the way we describe things to you, the tastes, of course, the textures,” Brigante explained.

Caffè Enzo opened on Oct. 6 and was met with large crowds in Old Town because of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. “I felt that having an old-world coffee shop experience fit right in. And I think that Old Town really serves as a gateway to all of the charm of the old world,” Brigante noted.

He also said customers have been curious to see what Caffè Enzo offers because of his connection to Crème de la Crème, which is owned and operated by his brother Pastry Chef Armani Brigante.

Vincenzo, Armani, and their team all worked together to open Caffè Enzo. “I’m very, very grateful for all of the outpouring of the support that we got through that first week,” said Brigante, adding, “I really look forward to having a beautiful rest of the year and then also being able to launch some of our beautiful holiday creations.”

Brigante said that he will still be working with his family at Creme de la Creme in the evenings.

Caffè Enzo is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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