This Tucson couple is spreading joy one breakfast poblano at a time

They enjoy waking up early and heading to the kitchen where family members trickle in as golden sun rays peek through the windows.

Mugs of hot coffee and plates of chilaquiles and empanadas are scattered around the table as the adults catch up, alternating between taking bites of scrambled eggs and sharing fond memories.

As you get up to serve yourself seconds, you have to dodge the nieces and nephews, who run around the kitchen playing some game they just made up seconds earlier.

It’s these moments that bring the couple alegria, or joy.

A similar joyful scene was playing out in the Buendía Breakfast and Lunch Café on Wednesday morning last week.

Families piled into booths, sipping on café de olla served in colorful Talavera mugs and chowing down on fluffy pancakes with a buttery, golden brown crust on top.

Kids ran from the tables to the play area, grabbing mouthfuls of potatoes before heading back to the play kitchen where they pretended to create some kind of extravagant dish.

The colorful atmosphere was filled with sounds of lively conversations and the melodic tunes of Mexican music that played overhead.

From the décor down to the ingredients, every detail inside Buendía is there to give everyone who steps foot inside that warm-fuzzy, joyful feeling.

That’s why the couple started the business in the first place.

For the past five years, the Garcias have run Buendía Breakfast and Lunch Café at 2530 N. First Ave.

The Garcias' story starts in middle school.

Jael and Julio went to middle school together in Nogales, Sonora. Though the two didn’t really speak, a mutual friend introduced the pair to one another.

Years later, the two were brought together again thanks to French fries. Julio owned a French fry food truck that set up in front of his family’s restaurant. Jael would stop by frequently.

Before they knew it, the two were married with kids and moving up to Tucson.

In 2021, things were bleak. The pandemic was in full stride, and many people in the community were isolated. Julio and Jael felt some alegria was desperately needed in Tucson.

What better way to do that than with a plate of home-cooked chilaquiles, just like the ones your grandmother would make?

Back in Sonora, breakfast was a huge deal for families. It’s the time of day everyone would come together, put on a pot of coffee and share a meal. That was the kind of experience the Garcias wanted to bring to Tucson.

With that in mind, the two decided to start their restaurant. Jael would be the mastermind in the kitchen while Julio dealt with the front-of-house details. They made the perfect team.

Soon, the two transformed the building on North First Avenue into a cozy, welcoming café, making you feel like you just stepped foot into a beloved family member’s house.

Vibrant banners of papel picado sway from the ceiling, complementing the colorful striped table runners that drape across the booths. You’ll see customers twisting and turning their heads, admiring the collection of dainty milagros and sombreros that hang on the walls.

Most importantly, each table has a jar of alegria on it. The jar, filled with fluffy neon pom-poms, gets pretend “sprinkled” onto your dishes by your server so that your meal is showered with happy wishes.

“You can put salt and pepper for flavor and you can put the alegria for joy and happiness,” Julio said. “When we sprinkle the joy and happiness, the customers can feel it. We all deserve a moment of joy.”

When it comes to Jael’s cooking, many customers rave about the authentic flavors, with many saying her meals remind them of their grandmother’s cooking.

At Buendía, you can order all the classic Mexican brunch dishes like chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, tacos dorados and much more. The main star of the show is the breakfast poblano, stuffed with a corn tamale, covered in a velvety green sauce and served with rice and beans.

It’s this meal that makes customers more than happy to wait for hours on the weekend for a table.

“Our breakfast poblano is the main character,” Julio said.

The colorful atmosphere, positive vibes and delicious food took Tucson by storm. To keep up with the demand, the couple expanded their dining area and added more seating as well as a play area for children.

As with anything people love, customers always ask the Garcias to start a new location or expand the Buendía brand, but for the couple, it’s more than just a restaurant.

Buendía is a place that reminds customers of family and home. It’s a place where connection is the No. 1 priority, transforming each customer into a morning person with every bite of a breakfast poblano.

“It's about people connecting with people,” Jael said. “We're human, so we are here to connect, to talk to each other and to listen to each other. That's why we're named Buendía, because we want your morning to be off to a great start.”

Buendía Breakfast and Lunch Café is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.