Drop Café brings coffee with Middle Eastern flair to Albuquerque

A new coffee shop is stirring buzz on Albuquerque’s West Side.

Drop Café, a family owned business with a Middle Eastern influence, opened its doors at 9311 Coors NW on Dec. 12.

Self-proclaimed as Albuquerque’s first Yemeni coffee shop, the business’ Yemen-inspired lattes, matchas, mojitos, pastries and sweet treats have ignited a whirlwind response from the community, co-owner Besan Awad said. Quickly after announcing the opening on social media, lines started flowing out of the establishment, Awad said.

“We are so incredibly blessed,” said Renee Kahala, one of several family members helping out at the shop as the business gets settled.

The venture is led by Besan Awad, Wafeeka Awad and Munji Kahala, whose brother owns the exotic snack shop, Monaco Market, in Albuquerque.

The family signed a five-year lease for the space last year and extensively renovated the 1,200-square-foot interior, which features barrels of coffee beans, warm lights, a ceiling mapped with country shapes filled with coffee beans and hues of brown and gold throughout.

Some of the shop’s menu offerings include a Biscoff latte, pistachio latte, Nutella matcha and peach mojito. Customers have mostly favored the cafe’s pistachio milk cake, baklava latte and Dubai chocolate croissant, Besan Awad said.

“We cannot catch up; every day, we sell 100 to 120 of them,” she said of the croissants.

Most of the shop’s pastries are homemade, Besan Awad said.

“They love the culture; this is something new for them,” she said. “As an Arab, we wanted to do something to introduce the culture to everybody. It’s not just a scarf. We want to give them our food and drinks, and they are excited about it. We love it.”

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