For decades, Tito’s Bakery on Broadway was a Chelsea institution. Vicente “Tito” Avellaneda, a baker from Rosario, Argentina, opened it in 1980, and it was the first Latino business established on Broadway, his son Roy Avellaneda told the Chelsea Record when the bakery closed. When Tito and his wife Isabel closed its doors for good in August 2020, it left a gap in the neighborhood’s daily rhythm. Roy had already begun filling that gap: in December 2016, he opened Pan Y Cafe, a coffee shop and bakery on the corner of historic Cary Square at 173 Washington Ave.

Roy grew up literally above his father’s business and says he wanted Pan Y Cafe to be more than a coffee shop — a place, like Tito’s, where neighbors traded news, job leads, and apartment tips over a cup of coffee. The menu leans into Latin American baking traditions from across the region: Colombian pan de queso (cheese rolls), Brazilian yucca cake, Puerto Rican quesitos, and arepas from the Colombia-Venezuela-Panama region, alongside Tres Leches cake, Mil Hojas, and flan. For something heartier, there are empanadas and made-to-order sandwiches, including a popular Cubano, plus coffee, espresso drinks, horchata, and smoothies.

The space itself continues a local pattern — the storefront previously housed Sparta’s Spa, a longtime neighborhood ice cream shop. Pan Y Cafe keeps that gathering-place spirit alive with a bright, laptop-friendly atmosphere suited to work sessions or catching up with friends.

For current hours and daily specials, check the Pan Y Cafe Facebook page or order ahead through the Pan Y Cafe online-ordering site.