It’s 10:30 on a breezy Saturday morning in April and Ravenswood’s Side Practice Coffee is filling up with small groups of twentysomethings and solo customers with laptops. In the corner, a pop-up from a local baker has attracted a small line. Closer to the hour, the vibe starts to change with guys entering the indie coffee shop carefully maneuvering their child-filled strollers down the short flight of stairs. Outside, it’s a similar scene with kids and presumably their fathers gathering on the sidewalk.

Look closely and you’ll get a clue of what’s going on. On the heads of a few of the guys are baseball-style hats with “broskis” written on the front and “dads clubs” on the back. Started in February by friends Francis Almeda and R.J. Ricalde, Broskis is a casual monthly gathering for fathers and their children. Or, as their tagline puts it, “Where Dadskis become Broskis.”

The Broskis close out a recent Saturday gathering with a stop at Kanin restaurant.

Spend any time with Almeda, 42, and Ricalde, 38, and the word “broski” comes up a lot as it’s how the two have referred to each other since they met five years ago. So when it came time to choose a name for their no-membership-needed club, they didn’t have to look far.

As a creative entrepreneur, Almeda has his hands in a variety of endeavors. He’s founder of Side Practice Coffee and co-founder of Drip Collective, Novel Pizza Cafe and Kanin. He’s also an early investor and adviser of Del Sur, the popular Filipino-inspired pastry shop that opened a few months ago.

When Almeda, a father of two young children, saw an Instagram post for Brooklyn Stroll Club, a New York-based group aimed at connecting fathers with other fathers along with their children created last October, he was intrigued. He immediately texted the post to Ricalde, a father as well, who met Almeda when he worked at Side Practice Cafe.

Francis Almeda (left) with his children Francesca and Chase Almeda, and RJ Ricalde with his daughter Mayari at a Broskis meet-up held at Sunny Village Cafe in February.

Ricalde still fills in here and there at the coffee shop but now works full time as a ramp trainer for a major airline. He replied, “Bro, are you going to do this and who are you going to do it with?” Almeda replied, “You.”

Three weeks later, Broskis was officially launched.

“If there’s an idea and I believe in it, trust me, it will be born,” Almeda says. “Everything we build is based on community and helping the people around us.”

The first Broski event took place in February at Jefferson Park’s Sunny Village Café. The two rented a room for two hours at the indoor playground, charging $20 per dad to cover the cost. They posted a flyer on Instagram and then waited. Fifteen dads along with their kids showed up, surprising both Almeda and Ricalde.

“I always think it will be just me and R.J. hanging out together, which would be cool, but then all these dads show up,” Almeda says.

Since then, the two have hosted three more Broskis with two more already planned. On May 31, the group will meet at Pilsen’s Novel Pizza at 11 a.m. followed by a short walk around Harrison Park, ending at the playground. There’s talk of pizza from Novel making an appearance. On June 29, there will be a 2.5-mile dad-and-child run/walk event starting at the playground at Montrose Beach. Running strollers, strollers and wagons are encouraged.

On a recent April Satuday morning, the Chicago Broskis are off to Winnemac Park for some quality time with one another and their kids.

Back at that April event at around 11:30 a.m., the group — most of whom are meeting one another for the first time and heard about the event via Instagram — heads across the street to Winnemac Park. As the 20 or so stroller-wielding dads and their kids make their way to the playground, passersby do double takes, some offering a thumbs-up.

Conversations between the dads, ranging in age from 26 to 45 with kids from 3 months to 5 years old, turn to parenting — from how to calm a kid from throwing a tantrum to preferred snacks. “It’s nice to see other dads’ perspective of how they are handling being a dad, and how they are balancing life,” Ricalde says.

“Being a dad is amazing, but it can also feel isolating sometimes,” says Cory Morris, 43, director of community impact at Meals on Wheels Chicago. “Broskis offered a space where I could connect with other dads who get it — the chaos, the joy, the fatigue, all of it.”

Andrew Dagulnsin, 26, who works in music production, agrees. “I’m a young dad, and a lot of my friends don’t have kids. Since having my son, I’ve been a little lonely, to be honest.”

Tony Chan, 38, who works in tech, also feels it’s the fellowship that Broskis provides that’s so important, especially for first-time fathers like himself. “The more we can get together and talk about the problems we are going through, the better we can be as fathers for our kids.”

After an hour, the group heads back, ending a few doors down from SPC at Kanin, where those interested snack on the grab-and-go Filipino and Hawaiian food the new shop has become known for. While Almeda admits spotlighting his businesses is a perk, it’s also easier as he doesn’t have to ask ahead of time if a place can accommodate a large group of kids. He’s hoping eventually other places will offer to host Broskis gatherings.

The Broskis and their children gather for some merriment earlier this month a Little Rippers Skateboarding with organizers Francis Almeda and R.J. Alcade (front center, in white T-shirts and baseball caps).

So what does the duo want those attending Broskis events to take away?

“For me, it’s always to be present with your kids,” Ricalde says. “No matter what happens, just enjoy these moments because one day we will be gone and at least they can pass this along when they have their own families.”

“Embrace fatherhood and be a dad that cares,” Almeda adds. “For dads to be in our group and show up, it speaks volumes about what kind of dads they already are.”

The next Broskis event on May 31 starts at 11 a.m. at Pilsen’s Novel Pizza Cafe with coffee. From there, the group heads to the playground at Harrison Park, a short walk away. Afterward, pizza from Novel will be provided. Head to EventBrite.com to sign up and purchase tickets ($13.47 fees and taxes included).