Not content to offer its happy customers three locations south of the bridge, Casablanca Coffee and Grill recently opened a store downtown at 412 NW 6th Street (corner of 6th and D). Along with the original location at 686 Union Avenue, there are also stores at 1883 Williams Highway (the Guild Building) and 6410 Williams Highway at the Murphy Store. Co-owners Andy Baida and Eric Losoya are excited to bring their concept to downtown Grants Pass.“When Eric’s father Chuck Losoya wanted to start a coffee shop 16 years ago on his Union Avenue property to help pay for the purchase of the property, he approached me about getting it started,” said Andy, who’s been working in restaurants in some capacity since he was 14. “I was working with him at the time doing construction. I told him I’d be interested if he would add food to the menu so we could be set apart from all the other coffee kiosks. Chuck was not interested at first, but with some convincing from Eric and me he agreed. My passion for cooking came from my family, namely my mother who taught me how to cook and what good food is at a young age. So I built a menu, and Casablanca Coffee and Grill was born.”
Meanwhile, Eric left his life as an actor and model in southern California in 2016 and moved back to the area to take over his father’s interest in Casablanca. He convinced Andy to open more locations at that time, and they opened Murphy first and Guild a year later, working on both stores at the same time.
“With the addition of our store in Murphy, we added beer and wine to the menu and fresh-caught Alaskan Cod fish & chips and fish tacos, along with an indoor dining experience,” Eric said. “We are now looking to add a full bar in Murphy as well. Now with the downtown store, we have expanded our menu there to include hand-tossed New York style pizzas, fresh-made upscale appetizers like gluten-free calamari fries, and a full-service bar with an extensive specialty cocktail menu. We also use an all-natural mozzarella blend and uncured natural pepperoni, and we have an amazing dairy and gluten-free cauliflower crust and a good dairy-free, plant-based cheese to make pizzas with.”
The downtown location is the first to not feature a drive-thru, but they do have an amazing patio and dine-in area that’s newly remodeled with a great atmosphere and comfortable feel. In addition, they offer online ordering, call-in ordering, and of course take-out at all their locations.
Both Andy and Eric were born and raised in Grants Pass, and they are totally committed to the community. “It takes an army of help to produce fresh healthy food, and it is even more difficult to accomplish in a drive-thru,” Andy said. “There are many logistics and obstacles to overcome daily to provide this type of service, especially in multiple locations. We are grateful to our amazing customer base for their support, our farmers and suppliers, and all of our incredible employees for their efforts to help us continue to serve our one-of-a kind community.”
For more info, the phone numbers are: Downtown 541-471-1922; Union 541-479-2831; Guild 541-956-4111; and Murphy 541-846-3131. You can also see them at mycasablancagrill.com and on Facebook.
