Boxha Coffee House

I wanted something to represent me and my roots." 

Boxha Coffee House is located on the corner of 2430 North Mesa perfectly located near the University of Texas at El Paso. Boxha Coffee House is literally a little house that been remodeled in what it is now. Upon entering one can see the a small Mayan-inspired mural on the left and a nice sitting area on the right and the ordering station at the center. The rest of the "house" is split into three other rooms that have each been uniquely decorated. It includes books, a neon sign and paintings. It truly is the perfect place to have a coffee, brunch or even a glass a wine with some friends or while studying! It is also the "Instagram perfect" coffee joint. This place already has specialties like their brunch items, their chocolate tamale dessert and their cold brew!

Centered on community, Boxha has been open for about a month now and it's now starting to grow to a point where small events can be hosted there. That includes occasional live music, beer and wine yoga classes, pop-ups and even art classes. I had the opportunity to have  a conversation with Pedro Pablo Valdez, owner of Boxha to talk about what the name is and why he decided to open a coffee shop. 

Pedro started off by saying, "we are local but I am brining in this idea where anyone can come in. We offer lots of things. What we are trying to do is bringing in people closer as a community. A place where EVERYBODY is welcomed and nobody is going to be judged. We are trying to do do all these classes (yoga, art, ect) because not only do we want for the community to come, but they can learn from us as well." It's his way of saying that he created this space so people would not be afraid to learn and feel comfortable at the same time. 

I then asked him why he decide to name the coffee house "Boxha" and his decision to make it the way it is. "I started two years ago with the idea, but I am going to start off with the name. Boxha, which is pronounced "Botch-ha" means coffee in Mayan and I wanted to open up a coffee shop with this concept. I wanted to do something modern like the decoration and the neon sign, but also something vintage and clean which is why I have the couches and why I chose white walls." Pedro also added that this building or house that Boxha is  was built in 1906 and it has been remodeled to be what it is now. He added that he wanted to bring European concepts as well which is why he has wine and tapas on the menu, but his main focus is the Mayan theme for the coffee house because he is Mexican. "I tried to do something that is meaningful. You know, I am fully Mexican and I wanted something with the Mexican culture, which explains the Mayan theme. The name came first and then the logo came next. We also created this image of the "God of Coffee", which is something we invented for Boxha." 

After a quick conversation on other topics, Pedro then went on to talking about the food menu at Boxha. "We have an everyday menu that we have available Monday through Friday and then we have a brunch menu for Sunday, which is from 8am to 1pm." He mentioned that the menu has a variety of boards that have either ham, fruit or cheese or all. Their are also several items on the that are for vegetarians and vegans like their açaí bowls, salads and more!

"One of our most popular items is the chocolate tamale, but we also have other dessert options like our muffins." He then touched on all the coffee and caffeine options available including their specialty: cold brew. Pedro also mentioned what makes their brunch menu so special which is their pancake selection that includes regular pancakes, almond-flour pancakes and cajeta pancakes. Not only that, but the chilaquiles options as well! Yum! 

Go follow Boxha Coffee house on Instagram @boxhacoffeehouse to keep up with what they have going on! Thank you!