Sacramento coffee shop serves gluten-free breakfast tacos, pupusas, pastries
Bagels and croissants are not the only grab-and-go morning options on the way to work.
After solely catering for six years, Zoe Coffee and Tacos owner Josue Acosta opened a permanent brick-and-mortar location at 1829 22nd St. in 2024.
“To most people, it seems unusual, but for Jose and I who grew up in Latin households, that’s standard,” manager Angelika Basurto said. “You have a tortilla or something with masa with every meal. And you always have a cup of coffee, even late at night, and it feels like home.”
Basurto has worked in the coffee industry — from coffee shop management, mobile coffee carts and catering — since her first barista job at 17 years old. Acosta and his wife, Heidi, were regulars of Basurto and eventually asked her to cater coffee for their wedding.
“I haven’t stopped working for them since,” Basurto said.
The shop in midtown’s Newton Booth neighborhood offers two breakfast taco ($6) options: bacon, potato, egg and cheese or the vegetarian soyrizo egg, cheese and potato. As a frequent meat-eater, I don’t typically turn towards vegetarian options but the soyrizo taco was a flavorful, filling grab-and-go option perfect for the morning commute to the office.
Because Acosta has celiac disease, all food items from tacos to pastries, like carrot cake and Salvadoran quesadilla, are house-made and gluten-free. “Masa is naturally gluten-free. You don’t really think about it as a gluten-free option,” Basurto said.
Zoe Coffee and Tacos also has four in-house salsas with varying spice levels. The best salsa for those sensitive to spice is the Better than Guac mild avocado salsa. Turning up the heat, Smoke Show, a medium, smoky red salsa made with charred guajillo chiles, and the Talk Verde to Me, a hot, serrano and lime salsa, are viable options for those looking for a kick. I made the sorry mistake of trying the Hurts So Good, extra hot habanero salsa first, instantly clearing my sinuses.
In addition to breakfast tacos, pupusas ($6.25) with various fillings such as jalapeño, chicken, pork and vegan cheese. The pupusas are served with curtido, Salvadoran cabbage slaw, which was a bright and acidic counterpoint to the rich, pork, cheese and beans pupusa I ordered.
“There’s only one person who can make them for us, and that’s Josue’s step mom,” Basurto said. “When she gets sick, we’re screwed.”
Zoe Coffee and Tacos also serves a large variety of the usual coffee shop offerings from drip coffee ($3.60) to mochas ($6.60), sourcing beans from Camellia Coffee Roasters a few blocks west.
Along with teas, chai and matcha, the shop also sells refreshing agua frescas ($5.10) in watermelon mint, cantaloupe basil and pineapple lime. If you can’t decide, you can order a flight of all three for $10.
Overall, the shop is an inviting, to-go spot for a morning pick-me-up with jewel-toned decor and warm leather seating. However, if you decide to stick around to read a book or get some work done, there is no public restroom.
Zoe Coffee and Tacos is open from 6 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday through Friday; and 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
This story was originally published June 29, 2025 at 10:30 AM.