Pastimes Food Truck Owner to Open Brick-and-Mortar Café in Lakewood

Evan Laisure launched his breakfast-food concept from a tent that he’d set up at farmers’ markets. In 2021, he graduated to a well-equipped trailer, which made regular visits to the Lakewood Truck Park and other destinations. And now, Laisure is advancing once again, this time with a brick-and-mortar operation in Lakewood.

This past April, Laisure got the keys to El Tango Latin Grill (14224 Madison Ave.), which closed after 24 years. If all goes according to plan, he will open Café Pastimes sometime in February, which he describes as an extension of his popular food truck concept.

“The goal was always to get into a brick and mortar,” he explains.

The former El Tango space was stripped to the studs and rebuilt with custom woodwork, new lighting and original murals.

“I’m also a muralist and artist and I wanted to find a way to marry the two,” says Laisure. “The physical space is a way to accomplish that. The approach is a neighborhood café that focuses on the environment. That’s my passion and what I’m about.”

The new interior is billed as a natural escape, where neighbors can pop in for a quick coffee and breakfast sandwich and be on their way in a jiffy.

“We’re trying to establish it as a grab-and-go spot,” he says, noting a 7 a.m. start time.

The food truck will continue to make appearances around town after the café opens, Laisure states.