Amalie Coffee Co. feels the love four months since Albuquerque opening

Amalie Coffee Co., one of Central Avenue’s newest coffee shops, was a packed house over Valentine’s Day weekend.

“I never expected this to be here, but I’m happy it is,” said customer Vy Vu as she admired the shop’s “fancy but comfortable” atmosphere and prepared to drink a red velvet latte from its seasonal menu.

Amalie Coffee Co. opened at 2132 Central SE, near the University of New Mexico, roughly four months ago. The shop, which seats about 80 people, sells a variety of coffees, teas and baked goods — many of which are inspired by Middle Eastern culture and recipes made in-house by the Awad family.

The Awads, originally from Palestine, have lived in Albuquerque for more than 20 years. Inspired by a Yemeni coffee shop they visited in California a little more than a year ago, the family decided to put their own twist on the coffee shop concept — offering homemade baklavas and knafeh desserts, complemented by classic brews and seasonal specialities.

“New taste every time you come in — nothing boring,” Manager Wafika Awad said.

Amalie isn’t Albuquerque’s only Middle Eastern-inspired coffee shop. It’s joined by Drop Café, which recently opened on the West Side and is owned by another branch of the Awad family.

The two family branches are “very close,” Awad said, but what she described as “fate” ultimately pulled the family ventures into different parts of the city.

“We’re glad to bring this to Albuquerque — something for the West Side and something down here,” Awad said.

Amalie Coffee’s first few months in business have been a whirlwind, the shop manager said, adding the family is approaching each day by monitoring and adjusting to customer feedback — the good and the bad.

“We take it seriously; we read reviews almost every night,” Awad said. “We like to see what people have to say, and we just want to get better.”

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.