La Luna Cafe open, adds to downtown Sioux Falls growth

The apartments still under construction between downtown Sioux Falls and Falls Park have added another business on the first floor, this time a coffee shop and café aimed at advocating for local art.

La Luna Café is the latest to join the growing number of businesses coming to a stretch of North Phillips Avenue as it winds past the city’s new Levitt Shell toward the falls.

The family of owners who run La Luna hope their café will serve as a calm and serene place for people to gather and also as a place to feature the work of local artists.

“It’s a gathering place,” manager Tatiana Jaimes said. “That’s what we wanted to happen.”

Jaimes and her brother Salvador manage the café for their parents, Edith and Salvador, who are the owners.

La Luna opened Saturday in the Cascade, the new mixed-use development from Lloyd Cos. that is still under construction and adding retailers to the commercial spaces on the ground floor.

The shop has a warm feeling inside, with modern décor and furniture spread out across a spacious dining room.

La Luna guests can enjoy an assortment of drinks, including some specialized and seasonal warm beverages, including an horchata latte.

The menu also includes a special soup each day, with yogurt bowls, waffles and an assortment of toasts topped with fresh ingredients including the café’s house-made guacamole.

The Jaimes family is meeting with local artists, with plans to start featuring their work by the end of the month.

“We wanted the art scene to be part of everything we did,” Jaimes said. “I’ve always loved creating things.”