A popular Anchorage cafe will close in November. From drag shows to mocktail lounges, Cafecito Bonito has hosted over 300 events since it opened in 2021.
Estrella Rodriguez-Northcut owns Cafecito, which serves a variety of beverages, ranging from traditional options to horchata lattes. Her events are all ages, and they’re centered around BIPOC, queer, and sober culture, she said.
Rodriguez-Northcutt recently married and said she’s closing to begin a new chapter of her life. She announced the closure on Facebook in August. She said it’s sad when businesses close without notice, and she wants to give the community a chance to say goodbye.
“I mainly did it because I feel like the community in Anchorage is just so small. And then everyone was like ‘Cafecito is closing!’ So I was like, ‘okay, I should probably tell my customers personally, rather than them hearing it through the grapevine,’” she said.
Cafecito Bonito was the target of a protest last year, but she said it’s also brought the community together. She said the cafe has been a game changer for people who are sober because there aren’t many alcohol-free community event spaces in town.
Rodriguez-Northcutt is originally from Yuma, Arizona and said the community is much different in Alaska, but it wasn’t hard fitting in. She said the cafe has been a safe space for her, and many others.
“Back in my hometown, we didn’t have no queer culture. It was cool just to be just to see people open about it. That’s how I fell in love with this community, just because it was everything that I never had,” she said.
Rodriguez-Northcutt doesn’t have a hard closing date, but expects it’ll be mid-November.
Ava White reports on economics and hosts the statewide morning news at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at awhite@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8445. Read more about Ava here.
