Marimba Cafe

Marimba Cafe is a Latino- and veteran-owned coffee shop in downtown Hackensack built around specialty coffee, matcha and Colombian and Puerto Rican bites such as pastelillos and arepas, alongside a small curated selection of Latino-owned merchandise. The shop's own tagline sums up the intent: come for the coffee, stay for the vibes.

Atmosphere and Setting

By day it works as a warm, work-friendly neighborhood cafe. On event nights, the space converts into an intimate performance room for "The Vibe," a mixed open-mic showcase that welcomes musicians, poets and other performers alongside a DJ-driven soundtrack.

The Vibe Open Mic

The Vibe runs periodically on Saturday evenings, with doors at 6:00 PM and performances starting at 7:00 PM. It is produced by the Instagram-based promoter @blankstudios_thevibe (formerly tied to a physical Fairfield, NJ studio space that has since closed), with DJ Morae supplying music throughout the night between performer sets. General admission runs $20, with a discounted $10 rate for performing artists. Because it is not a fixed weekly series, sign-up and the next scheduled date are announced through the host's Instagram rather than a house sign-up sheet.

Other Events

Marimba Cafe's regular business is coffee, food and community space; The Vibe is its recurring music and performance program, run in partnership with an outside promoter rather than in-house booking.

Good to Know

Marimba Cafe is located at 10 Banta Place, Suite 124, Hackensack, NJ. Confirm the next Vibe date on Instagram before heading over, since it does not run every Saturday.