Believing the city wanted a place where Laredo’s music, art, and unique culture could blend into a welcoming atmosphere, Chris and Val Contreras followed their philosophy of “listen to your surroundings” and opened Jardin Conteras in 2023.
It’s the same philosophy that guided the opening of Caffe Dolce and Cultura Beer Garden.
The couple moved to Austin in 2005 where Val studied at the Texas Culinary Academy, while Chris opted to work in the food industry since he “wasn’t going to be the next Trent Reznor.”
After returning to Laredo in 2010, Val opened the original Caffe Dolce on Victoria Street with her mother, Rosario, and her brother, Eric, on the ground floor of an old Victorian home which became for many Laredoans just the right place for tomato bisque with basil or a merienda of a homemade brownie and a great cup of coffee.
It also became a venue for music, art, and good times. Accepting original art to display was a happenstance moment when an artist asked to hang her art on the walls. One artist followed another as Chris and Val got the feeling they were being “reintroduced to the next generation” and were now on the learning curve for what Laredo wanted. In 2012 Caffe Dolce re-located to Del Mar Blvd.
Cultura, Laredo’s first beer garden, was the couple’s next business venture. It solidified their place on the Laredo scene. Remembering the bygone days of venues like Espumas, Café Ibiza, the Juice Stop, and Sal’s Pizza, Chris and Val opened a space for people to feel comfortable being themselves. Cultura blossomed into a local trendsetter, as the first venue to host food trucks alongside bands, movie screenings, and markets, and even hosting its own Oktoberfest, which eventually would draw a few thousand attendees.
After Cultura, the pair embarked on a “mission to give Downtown new life,” as Jardin Contreras became a reality in an old house converted into an indoor bar with art on the walls, locally sourced furnishings, and a back patio for djs and live music. “Jardin is a creation of Laredo,” Val said, because “it adapts to what the city wants.”
As a gathering place for local musicians, artists, and other creatives, Jardin Contreras reflects the changing tastes of Laredo by hosting national and local bands that play everything from ska and shoegaze to death metal and darkwave. Among the Laredo talents that play there are Santo Vicio, Cornerstone, Japanese Dream, New Dawn, Necrovision, and Honeyrot. The venue also hosts monthly markets, metal shows, and themed events either dreamed up by Chris and Val or by their dedicated staff.
The two have no shortage of ideas for how the community can support upstart creative-based new businesses downtown, whether it be by mentoring business owners, hosting and cohosting events, or simply by patronizing businesses that breathe fresh air into downtown Laredo.
Val said she and Chris opened Jardin Contreras to have a place where they wanted to hang out, but “also for people to remember their time there was wholesome.” She added that Jardin Contreras has presented opportunities and a place for musicians and artists to perform, create, and be themselves.
“Make all the mistakes sooner, rather than later,” Val responded when asked for words of wisdom for business upstarts. “Stay in school,” Chris added with a smile.
The two have one message for doubters: “Laredo’s boring? Not here.”
If you want to stop by Jardin Contreras, it’s the colorful house mid-block on Iturbide after turning right off Santa Ursula. It’s the place on your left bursting at the seams with the energy of Laredo’s future musicians and artists.
If you pass the hotdog stand, you went too far.
