Juice and Coffee Shop Brings Bogota to Easton

Columbian hot dogs have come to downtown Easton.

Elisabeth Perilla operated a restaurant in Bogota for a dozen years. That was before she met Luis Maguino. Originally, he came from Peru. In the past, he was a financial analyst at several large corporations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Earlier this year, they were married. They have three boys from their previous lives, and now they are expecting another child.

The decided to bring a little bit of Bogota to Easton--offering those Colombian hot dogs, and more. So they opened The Juice and Coffee Shop just off Center Square, at 7 North Third Street. The grand opening was six weeks ago, on April 1.

"It happened quickly," said Maguino "The licenses took about two weeks, and the people (at the city offices) were very helpful." He is still working to get the permanent sign finished and mounted outside.

He contrasted the approval process in Easton and Bogota. Here, most approvals must be obtained ahead of opening. There, you get a permit to open and city inspectors show up months later to check out everything.

It was very helpful that the place had been serving fast food. Previously, it was called Mel's Place. It had closed, but the set-up was in place. Perilla and Maguino bought a closed operation, cleaned it up, put their stamp on it, and applied for the licenses.

A big part of putting their stamp on the place was that Colombian hot dog.

"It's a beef hot dog with mozzarella, smashed potato chips, a little pineapple and a pink dressing--mayonnaise and ketchup." Maguino explained. He says it is very popular in Colombia.

There are other types of sandwiches and hot dogs here. The Italian meatball hot dog has beef, spaghetti sauce, parmesan and onions.

Popular morning fare is a breakfast sandwich. Choose bacon and egg, ham and egg, or sausage and egg. People stop in on their way to the office, taking the food with them or relaxing before beginning their day at one of the three tables here. There's a fourth table on the sidewalk out front.

"Kids come from across the square when they are visiting the Crayola Factory," he said. "Grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are popular with them." There is also Circus Man ice cream for kids of any age.

Lots of natural juices are offered--papaya, mango, pineapple, passion fruit, strawberry, guava, and freshly squeezed orange.

The coffee here is Colombian, of course. Get regular, decaf, French vanilla, or opt for hot chocolate.

Colombian empanadas are Perilla's specialties. Order chicken, beef or the Hawaiian--ham with cheese. These are popular with people who live and work in the neighborhood.

The Juice and Coffee Shop is open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days each week. Call 610 252-2412 or email thejuiceandcoffeeshop@yahoo.com. Both English and Spanish are spoken here. Maguino and Perilla plan to add delivery services soon.