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Mystic Coffee: A Downtown Hollywood Gathering Place
“I have traveled the whole world, and everywhere I went, there were coffee houses,” said Ivan Lopez, a native of Chile and owner, with his wife, Argentinian-born Agustina Avila, of Mystic Coffee at 2000 Harrison Street #8. “And always, I have had in the back of my head to open a coffee house, and I have been collecting ideas.”
When other business brought them to Florida, they decided to stay. Soon an opportunity to open a coffee house arose, and the couple jumped on it.
“There was no coffee house in Downtown Hollywood where you could sit, talk and work,” Lopez continued. “Plus, we follow a healthy lifestyle, and I also realized that there was no bakery in the area where we could find the no-sugar, organic, gluten-free things we wanted.”
And so was born Mystic Coffee, which recently relocated a few steps down from their original location to a space nearly triple the size. Lopez and Avila designed it to be more than just a coffee house, and it’s evident upon entering the large, beautiful, and welcoming space.
“We took our design ideas from all over the world,” Lopez explained. “We wanted a place where everyone could come to sit and talk, with different areas, a community table, a library, and all different types of styles in one place.”
Beyond the design, and more important, is the food and drink, with the menu designed by Avila, “the genius behind the menu,” said her proud husband. How does she do it?
“A lot of training, a lot of courses, and just practicing, and trying and trying and trying,” she laughed. “It’s super fun in the kitchen, like a lab. It takes a lot of research to achieve the right recipes.”
Everything at Mystic Coffee is sugar-free, using other natural sources to add sweetness and flavors. Everything is organic, all baked goods (“treats”) use almond flour and are non-gluten, and there are options for all diets: keto, vegan, gluten-free, and other food sensitivities.
Mystic Coffee carries a full range of sandwiches on different breads, salads, soups, empanadas and more; always healthy, always organic, and free of any processed ingredients. Among the most popular items on the menu are the lemon and banana breads ($3.95 – $22.00), the Mystic Toast (creamy avocado, tomato, eggs, mozzarella cheese, greens, and seasoning ($15.95), and the chocolate-covered marzipan with almond flour, rose petals and crunchy almond topping. ($3.00). The clear winner from the coffee menu, they said, is the Mysticcino ($6.50), “the perfect blend of 10 super mushrooms, cacao, vanilla, cinnamon, and monk fruit with an espresso shot and the milk of your choice.” (The mushrooms don’t affect the taste but “are all good for you,” promised Avila.)
Mystic Coffee often hosts a line-up of meetings with full menus, yoga classes, and talks on a variety of psychological and “mystic” topics. (Both Lopez and Avila are trained in psychotherapy, among their other varied skills.) Event space and catering are also available.
“From a business point of view,” said Lopez, “Downtown Hollywood has a lot of potential — just look at all the building, all the new projects. You can see what’s going to be happening in the next few years; there’s going to be a lot of opportunity.”
Indeed, with its redevelopment, new investment, increased foot traffic, and streetscape improvements, which continue to attract new businesses and more people to Downtown Hollywood, the couple believed the time was right for a place that is clean and healthy, a place where you can work, talk, and feel comfortable — and drink coffee.
“We want to be part of the growth of the city,” he continued. “To build something that makes people want to come to Downtown Hollywood. A place that makes people say ‘We need to go to Hollywood and go to Mystic Coffee.'”
Mystic Coffee is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm; they are closed on Sunday. For more information or to place an order for pick up or delivery, contact 954-516-9770, orders@themysticcoffee.com, or visit www.themysticcoffee.com.
