It’s colourful, cheery, bright and local, and it opened because Sudbury requested it, according to the three young owners of Coco Mango.
Anthony Jose, Benjamin Jose and Midhun Jose opened Coco Mango earlier this month. You can find it just off Lasalle Boulevard on St. Jerome Street, near the Notre Dame Avenue intersection.
The men worked the festival circuit from a counter all summer and received great feedback from locals.
“It didn’t matter if we were selling drinks or strawberry cups at Ribfest, Afrofest, the Indian Food Carnival or fun festivals in Sudbury or Garson, the feedback from customers was to open a storefront,” says Midhun Jose.
The three men, originally from Kerala in the southern part of India, decided to give it a whirl.
They took over a storefront that was formerly an escape room and tasked their friend and artist Angel Karien from Barrie to decorate the space.
“We wanted something with bright windows, great ambiance and free parking,” he added.
They’ve even added a dart board, pinball soccer and an air hockey table for friendly competition.
Anthony, Benjamin and Midhun never knew each other back home. They have all worked with or studied with one another as developmental service workers and have a love for sweet treats in common.
Midhun craves the Dubai Chocolate waffle, while Benjamin loves his Death by Chocolate crepe and Anthony loves a hot coffee with a pinwheel cookie treat.
Customers have options between waffles, crepes and the “croffle” for their order. A “croffle” is a cross between a croissant and waffle.
Midhun said popular menu items include the Dubai strawberry cups and the bananaberry melt crepes.
Of course, they also serve up a wide variety of hot and cold drinks, from special milkshake and smoothie blends to lemonades and hot and cold caffeinated drinks.
Some specialty drinks, like the Masala chai tea from India or Karak chai tea, are served as well. Karak chai is a combination of black tea, sugar, cardamom and milk with origins in the Middle East.
Those missing locally made Papaya Pops this winter can find them at Coco Mango. They also serve rolled ice cream made on a cold plate with what’s become known online as the viral peach and mango ice creams.
To check it all out, Coco Mango’s hours are from Sunday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. It’s also open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
You can find Coco Mango on Instagram.
Customers are urged to call ahead to book the birthday area for birthday celebrations.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.