A Coconut Grove bakery known for its pastries and coffee has rolled into downtown Fort Lauderdale. Ophelia, the husband-and-wife operation founded by chefs Ana De Sa Martins and Juan Vieira, is now serving from a second trailer in Huizenga Park, along the New River.
The opening marks the bakery’s first Broward County location. In a report published Nov. 3, The Adventurist’s Eric Barton described the new spot as an extension of the mobile café the couple launched in Coconut Grove in 2025. At Huizenga Park, the trailer serves scratch-made pastries, locally roasted coffee, house-made syrups and cold foams.
The trailer is at 32 E. Las Olas Blvd. and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The original Coconut Grove location remains open, according to The Adventurist.
A breakfast stop with a pastry-chef point of view
Ophelia’s menu brings together morning staples and bakery case treats, with much of the appeal in the details: a bacon, egg and cheese on a house-made English muffin; coffee-glazed cinnamon rolls; and a brown sugar cinnamon latte finished with vanilla cold foam.
For a sweeter stop, the menu includes guava kouign-amann, peach cobbler rolls, olive oil cake and banana-walnut bread topped with cream cheese frosting. A seasonal maple pumpkin latte with salted caramel cold foam adds a fall option. The café also offers matcha and light lunch fare, according to the park and The Adventurist.
The draw is not simply a list of pastries. De Sa Martins and Vieira bring fine-dining experience to a compact, walk-up format: one that suits a quick coffee before work, a Riverwalk stroll or a downtown break.
De Sa Martins was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, to a Portuguese family. After working at Patisserie Chanson, she built the pastry program at Miami’s Stubborn Seed. Vieira began cooking in professional kitchens at 16, starting at Barton G. He later worked at The Surf Club and Stubborn Seed, then ran the kitchen at Beauty and The Butcher. The two chefs met at Stubborn Seed before opening Ophelia together.
The bakery’s name has a family story behind it. De Sa Martins’ father greeted her in Portuguese with “Oi, filha”: “Hey, daughter.” Vieira misheard the phrase as “Ophelia,” and the name stuck.
A new stop in a reimagined park
Ophelia’s arrival adds another food option to Huizenga Park, the downtown waterfront space that reopened this year after a $15 million transformation. The redesigned park has drawn new activity to the New River and is building a mix of places to grab a quick coffee, meet up or linger over a meal.
The park’s official site welcomed Ophelia as a new partner this fall, noting its house-made pastries, syrups and cold foams, along with its daily hours. A separate sit-down restaurant, Sweetwaters, also opened at the park in October. The two concepts offer different ways to use the waterfront: Ophelia is a bakery trailer built for coffee, pastries and grab-and-go fare, while Sweetwaters provides a full-service dining option.
The setting gives Ophelia a distinctive Fort Lauderdale address. Rather than a traditional storefront, the café is part of a public space where a bakery run can turn into a walk by the water. For downtown workers and residents, it creates an easy morning stop; for visitors, it offers another reason to explore the park and Riverwalk.
What’s next on Fort Lauderdale’s dining map
The fall restaurant wave continues elsewhere in the city. Caviar Club opened on Las Olas on Oct. 27, while Motek By The Sea is slated to arrive at the W Fort Lauderdale in November, according to the restaurant group’s announcement. Those openings add to a busy stretch for local dining, but Ophelia brings a different scale and rhythm: a compact bakery trailer shaped around daily coffee and fresh pastry.
For a first visit, the most direct order is a coffee-glazed cinnamon roll or the bacon, egg and cheese on an English muffin, paired with the brown sugar cinnamon latte. If the seasonal special is available, the maple pumpkin latte with salted caramel cold foam offers a fall-flavored alternative. The menu can change, so check Ophelia’s Instagram for current updates before heading over.
South Florida’s food scene is only one part of the regional story. From the New River to the Everglades, South Florida Digest’s local coverage follows the places and developments shaping the area. For more arts and dining updates, visit our Arts & Entertainment section.
At a glance: Ophelia, Huizenga Park, 32 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Open daily, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Find the latest menu and updates on Instagram. The opening was reported by Eric Barton for The Adventurist; park details are available from Huizenga Park.
