North End Coffee Roasters, Dhaka

About 2 weeks ago, a nice, young American couple opened a new coffee cafe uptown near the Embassy. Today, a friend and I stopped for a cup of Joe and cinnamon roll (plus a few to take home). It was refreshing to walk into a clean, air conditioned coffee shop, a bit of a glimpse back home in this crazy not-at-all-like-back-home city.

There are few coffee shops in Dhaka, and honestly, I haven't walked into any with a desire for a drink. We don't fancy ourselves coffee drinkers (iced tea drinkers!), but did used to enjoy the occasional walk to Starbucks for an iced coffee or snack. Here, we went more out of curiosity and having previously met the owners at a local luncheon.  Actually, we didn't even enjoy any caffeine between my pregnant decaf and L's hot chocolate, but it was definitely an enjoyable experience! I also purchased a small bag of coffee for the occasional weekend treat or to have on hand for company. Of course, I went for the Guatemalan, a reminder of the beautiful coffee we brought back with our first bambina.

They are still working up to a full menu, for example, they don't offer cold drinks yet. When you think of the logistics not only to get items, liquids, coffee into the country as imports, but also just the complexity to have dependable electricity and drinkable water, one has to give the proprietors a huge Kudos just for the energy get a business off the ground here. They also opened their doors for a pre-opening reception for the US Embassy staff. So far, they are doing a great job and are a very welcomed addition to the community! 

 above (l to r): my friend L enjoying a hot chocolate, coffee gadget, kid play corner (great idea!)

 below: their contact info