Our Story
Covacha distills more than 25 years of experience across a family of beloved restaurants—Café Frida, El Mitote, and Ella Social—into a neighborhood restaurant on the Upper West Side shaped by memory, resilience, and evolution.
The Roots (1998–2020)
For nearly a quarter century, Café Frida stood as a cornerstone of authentic Mexican cuisine on the Upper West Side. Its doors closed in March 2020, a moment shared by so many across the city.
But its story did not end there.
Like a phoenix rising, Café Frida transformed—reimagined into something new, carrying forward its spirit while deepening its purpose.
A New Vision (2021)
In the midst of uncertainty, founder Cristina Castañeda, together with Milena Gernandt, both deeply rooted Upper West Side working mothers, chose to move forward.
In Spring 2021, they introduced Covacha—a project shaped not only by experience, but by persistence, community, and a renewed perspective on hospitality.
A New Voice
On the Upper West Side, along Columbus Avenue and just steps from Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History, Covacha finds its place as a neighborhood restaurant—one that feels both grounded and quietly distinctive.
“Covacha” translates simply to a hole in the wall: unassuming, discreet, humble. Yet here, the meaning runs deeper—rooted in tradition, shaped by process, and expressed through a point of view that values both heritage and intention.
Covacha is a tribute to the food of the western Mexican “Ranchos”, particularly inspired in Jalisco, honoring the “Milpa” culture (a pre-colonial agricultural system configured around polycultures). Covacha brings authenticity to the table and attention to details all around, while at the same time represents the artisanal processes and high-quality ingredients, with a focus on independent, small batch producers and revised versions of word-of-mouth traditional recipes, as well as a carefully curated selection of boutique Mexican spirits and natural wines.
