👋 Shafaq here! I recently went to the new cafe Ema in the Heights for brunch and was wowed by the pastries.
Dig in: Before opening her brick-and-mortar cafe Ema in March, pastry chef Stephanie Velasquez was already a semifinalist for the James Beard Award in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category.
Ema serves Mexican and Mexican-inspired drinks, pastries, and food, making everything from pan dulce to dishes with heirloom corn.
What to order: Definitely indulge in the pastries. I ordered the horchata berlinesa ($4.65), which was scrumptious. And after trying a bite of my friend's pan dulce and guava pastry, I knew I'd have to order that next.
The hoja santa French toast ($12) was soft, fresh, and not too dense or sweet. The iced horchata matcha ($6) was refreshing, though I wished for a stronger horchata flavor in the matcha.
