The Cavite café that went viral last year for bringing new life to the ancestral house it was attached to is closing shop. Kasa Antigua’s Facebook page announced the news Friday. One of its owners, Darlon Castor, said it was a difficult decision that he made with business partner Ivan Reyes whose family owns the house that sheltered the business for nearly 10 months.
Darlon and Ivan, childhood friends, lost their jobs during the pandemic. Darlon is a former barista while Ivan was a crewman of a passenger ship. The former was looking for a place to open a little coffee shop and one day, over iced banana slices, he and his buddy got to talking—with Ivan ending up offering their 19th century house, which was near the 300-year-old San Roque Parish Church, to be the location for the business.
The two helped each other transform the former ground floor sari-sari store into what would become Kasa Antigua, a nod to the Reyeses’ beloved antique residence. They offered hot and cold drinks (e.g. iced coffee, flavored coffee, latte, cappuccino, flat white, Americano) and light snacks (grilled sandwiches, French toast, salads). They also kept their prices friendly, which is likely why at one point in the beginning they were already selling a hundred coffee cups a day.
The news of the café’s closing is a sad one, considering the improvements that have been done to the business, says a customer who’s dropped by Kasa Antigua a few times last year. “Tapos the dad of the owner—well, he actually he owned the house—was always there regaling the customers with stories.”
ANCX reached out to the owners but have yet to hear from the two. Meanwhile, as per their announcement, it’s not the end of the road yet for the coffee shop. “We have an even better plan,” the Facebook announcement said. A new idea seems to be percolating in Darlon and Ivan’s minds. (Sorry, we can’t help it.) Is it another café? Smells like something good is brewing. (Promise, that’s the last one.)