What’s Brewing at The Rex?

The idea for the café stemmed from a long-time desire of Generation Church Lead Pastor, Roger Hirth, who wanted to share his love of coffee with the church community by providing them with a welcoming place to gather and visit throughout the week outside of regular church services. Hirth’s vision was finally brought to life this year with the opening of Generation Church’s nonprofit coffee shop, which was aptly named The Rex Café.

The Rex Café’s Store Manager, Lois Renaud, and Assistant Manager, Annie Gray, have been working tirelessly to execute Hirth’s vision for the café. Renaud, originally from France, sought to foster the culture found in European cafés through the interior design elements and authentic menu offerings. Renaud explained that European café culture focuses on highquality espresso and a relaxed atmosphere, whereas American cafés usually focus on large and sugary drinks that can be taken on the go.

By Nicole Willis • photos by Guy Stevens

If you’ve ever taken a stroll through Downtown Pensacola, you’ve likely noticed the bright red and yellow hues adorning the marquee outside the historic Rex Theatre on North Palafox Street. Tucked away inside the Art Deco-style building, which is also home to Generation Church, is downtown’s newest coffee shop—The Rex Café.

“I was shocked when I was served a 20 or 24-ounce drink at a café. In America, people want big portions and drinks on the go, it’s just not like that in Europe,” Renaud said.

Renaud and Gray want to deliver authentic European-style beverages and provide customers with a more relaxing experience instead of just rushing in and out of the door.

The Rex Café’s menu is reminiscent of what you would find when walking into a French or Italian café, prioritizing small drinks that invite customers to sit, relax, enjoy the space and sip on their coffee.

“About 80 percent of our menu consists of espressobased drinks,” Renaud said. “We put a lot of emphasis on people experiencing high-quality coffee.” also be serving up two of their signature lattes—a sweet and floral honey lavender latte and a buttery popcorn latte, which was specifically designed with the idea of the drink being served in a theatre. Apart from espresso-based drinks, The Rex Café also offers cold brew, nitro cold brew, assorted teas and regular drip coffee.

The menu also features a small assortment of pastries, such as butter or almond croissants from Craft Bakery and doughnuts by Le Dough. The café management team even worked with Le Dough to have them craft a custom doughnut for the café using their coffee to create a special vegan coffee doughnut.

When it came to selecting which local bakeries to collaborate with, Gray explained that it all came down to quality. ”We wanted to find local businesses that match our goals and aesthetics that can also provide

Barista Faith Brown prepares an iced latte for a customer during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Rex Cafe coffee shop located in the lobby of the historic Rex Theatre.

the quality and the level of excellence that we’re trying to deliver.” down and stay for a while inside the café.

“Our little motto is from sip to soul–allowing your soul to rest by coming here, taking that first sip and experiencing a calming moment,” Gray said.

The cafe’s chic interior features design elements specifically selected to provide the look and feel of a relaxed European-style cafe. The design features a well-balanced mix of natural materials and modern decorative elements, giving the space a bright, open and airy feel, with plenty of natural wood, white marble countertops, clusters of seating arrangements and bright pops of color. The café had its soft opening on April 14 and its grand opening on June 11. The grand opening was a few months later because Gray and Renaud wanted to make sure things were perfect. “We wanted to perfect the aesthetics, interior design, and the drinks. We also spent time training our staff and now have a great staff who are doing fabulous,” Gray explained.

Some of the original architectural elements from the old theatre were also preserved and incorporated into the overall design. Adorning the exposed brick walls are decorative art pieces and vintage film posters that pay homage to the theatre, while also providing a contemporary feel.

Gray and Renaud hope that the café’s welcoming design will promote the European concept of having customers sit One of Pensacola’s most iconic landmarks that once housed a furniture store, concert venue, and movie theater is now the proud home to The Rex Café. The Rex Café is located in the front lobby of The Rex Theatre at 18 N Palafox St. in downtown Pensacola and is open Tuesday–Thursday from 8 am to 12 pm and Friday–Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm. Follow @therexcafe on Instagram and Facebook to check out the menu and photos of the new space.