Veil Cafe Uncovers a Diversity of Flavors In Kansas City

At the new Veil Cafe in Kansas City’s Garment District. All images courtesy of Veil Cafe.

The curtain has been drawn on a multicultural, multiroaster coffee experience in Kansas City with the opening of Veil Cafe in the Garment District.

Blending modern touches with the vintage character of the historic brick space, the cafe pairs timeworn wood and black accents with a mix of antique and mid-century furniture. The effect is timeless and casual, with a nod to contemporary cafes in Mexico where old buildings and new ideas coexist.

“We chose a space with history and unique features to mirror that of cafes in Mexico,” Veil Cafe Owner Benicio Baeza told Daily Coffee News. “Often, you’ll find the coolest shops in spaces that ask a lot from the designer. We wanted to challenge ourselves and work with the historic nature of this space.”

Warm, round Scandinavian-style pendants and sconces light an assortment of early 20th-century chairs and mid-century pieces throughout the roughly 800-square-foot cafe. A mezzanine sits up a short flight of stairs.

Customers order at a counter built from solid African sapele hardwood. An Anfim grinder breaks beans for a black La Marzocco GB5S espresso machine.

“We felt it was only right to have this classic design in the historic Garment District,” Baeza said of the rounded, fleur-de-lys-emblazoned centerpiece of the espresso bar.

High on a white wall, Studio Ghibli films and other movies are projected throughout the day. Along with tastings and classes, Veil plans to host more formal film screenings as the cafe settles into regular operations.

“We wanted to have a mural painted there, and maybe sometime in the future we could do that, but people really love the projector,” said Baeza. “We’re trying to curate a vibe in here that’s cozy and feels a little bit like home, so having cool films projected up on the wall kind of sets the tone.”

For now, the multiroaster coffee program pulls from multiple Missouri roasters, including Hammerhand Coffee and Marcell Roasting Club. Batch coffee is brewed on a Wilbur Curtis G4, while extended-immersion cold brew is made in-house using Toddy equipment, alongside a range of espresso options.

The shop makes its own syrups using fresh ingredients, including vanilla and chocolate sourced from Mexico, according to Baeza. Half Mexican and half Filipino, Baeza said ube syrup has quickly become a de facto signature after taking off during the soft opening.

“A lot of people come in here and ask for the purple drink,” said Baeza. “In the soft opening, we’re rotating in and out of syrups just to test things with people, and once we get into our normal hours of operation we’re gonna have a workshop day and just go through and test out some more unique coffee drinks, incorporate some like tonics and stuff like that.”

With a background in social media marketing and entrepreneurship, including a streetwear project called Veil Vestments, Baeza said the idea for the cafe sharpened while traveling in Puebla with his father, Oswaldo, who was born there.

Oswaldo’s father, Erasmo Ricaño Sandoval, was a farmer who started with tobacco before expanding into citrus, cattle pasture and coffee. As climate conditions shifted at relatively low elevation, coffee became harder to sustain. After the 1989 coffee crisis, when the International Coffee Agreement collapsed and prices fell, Sandoval eventually moved fully into citrus production, according to Baeza.

While the farm remains focused entirely on citrus, the new shop strives to keep a focus on farmers. 

“Our philosophy is, ‘ethically sourced, locally roasted,'” said Baeza. “We like to work with roasters that have real relationships with the farmers and producers. Our selection of coffee varies. We keep things comfortable for the community and plan to incorporate more fun and experimental options in the future.”

While the current menu leans heavily into coffees from Latin America, Baeza said the focus will narrow more intentionally toward Mexico through an upcoming release sourced by Baeza himself. He said his father helped export the green coffee, which is slated to be roasted through Marcell.

“The plan for next time is to actually visit the farms,” said Baeza. “When we go this year, the plan is to visit and meet the farmers, shake hands and create a more intimate relationship with these people.”

Veil Cafe is located at 800 Broadway Blvd in Kansas City.

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