Dandelion Cafe & Bakery is now open in the historic El Presidio neighborhood

On Friday, February 24, the creative minds behind Ceres and Noodies officially opened their latest concept at 200 N. Court Ave., Dandelion Cafe & Bakery.

However, the new spot, which is within walking distance of Ceres and LaCo, isn’t serving up noodles. It’s a full-on bakery that’s now serving sweet treats and bread, sandwiches, salads, coffee, and espresso options. 

How the new concept came to fruition

Owner Carolyn O’Connor and Ben Schneider (Ben’s mother is Jo Schneider of LaCo and the former Bentley’s House of Coffee and Tea) are a dream team in the local culinary scene. Jo spent more than 10 years running LaCo day before turning control over to her son and O’Connor during the pandemic.

Over the years, Jo had set up connections with the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum through a Rio Nuevo grant to open up a new restaurant in the museum. After discussing multiple possibilities of what the space could be, O’Connor and her husband finally landed on turning it into a cafe and bakery.

Read our January 2023 article, “Ceres & Noodies owner has a new restaurant concept in the works.”

What’s on the menu?

As mentioned earlier, the menu is full of baked goods and sandwiches. For the rise and shiners, there’s a breakfast sandwich equipped with egg, bacon (or homemade sausage), and cheese that’s on a housemade English muffin.

Other handhelds include a housemade baguette with Parmigiano butter, prosciutto di parma, arugula, olive oil, balsamic reduction, dijon, sea salt, and cracked pepper.

There is both interior and patio seating, and the cafe will be open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Tuesday – Friday and 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday – Sunday.

Dandelion Cafe & Bakery is located at 200 N. Court Ave. For more information, follow Dandelion Cafe & Bakery on Instagram.