Philadelphia is home to a growing number of immigrant-owned coffee shops that are bringing unique stories and brewing methods to the city, write Jenna Miller, Charmaine Runes, and Jasen Lo for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Hayat Ali is the owner of Alif Brew & Mini Mart in University City. Growing up in Ethiopia, she hated making coffee and assisting with hours-long coffee ceremonies. However, when the pandemic hit, she wanted to look for a way to bring connection back to her community with food and coffee.

Since opening Alif Brew in 2020, she has created a community at the cafe through traditional Ethiopian coffee.

When asked what she puts in her coffee, Ali said, “So much love.”

Ray’s Cafe & Tea House in Chinatown brings siphon coffee to the Philly cafe scene.

Owner Grace Chen came to Philadelphia from Taiwan, and thought the coffee style would be a great addition to the community.

She highlights that siphon brewing is “the only one that you can absolve all the aroma and flavor and coffee character.”

Balakrishnan Duraisamy, co-owner of Amma’s South Indian Cuisine in Center City, uses a chicory root with the ground coffee beans to make Madras filter coffee, which has a froth.

Read more about local immigrant-owned coffee shops and their unique coffee drinks in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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