Not your ordinary drink and pastry. Photo: Shafaq Patel/Axios
👋 Shafaq here! I checked out Houston's famed cafe that rewards early birds with a wide selection of creatively indulgent baked concoctions.
Dig in: Koffeteria — a James Beard finalist and featured on the NYT's best bakeries list last year — delivers a mix of classics, seasonal specials and playful pastries with Cambodian and Houston influences.
The East Downtown cafe recently expanded in May with a second location, Lil' Koffeteria, near Spring Branch.
What to order: Try the Salty Cambodian ($7) — a rich, salted-sweet coffee made with condensed milk and clarified butter. If you're craving something unique and dairy-free, the Make Ya Halo ($7.50) has coconut and ube. It's a vibrant, new refresher worthy of ordering on a return trip.
As for the pastries, show up early for a larger selection. The calamansi meringue tart ($8) offers an indulgent sweet and citrusy punch, while the blueberry muffin ($5) is an unapologetically decadent upgrade on a classic.
If you go: 1110 Hutchins St., suite 102, and 1410 Brittmoore Road
