Coffee connoisseurs in the Ahwatukee Foothills have a new place to get their java jolt: Hadas Cafe Lounge.

It offers drinks made with medium roast Ethiopian beans and serves traditional, thick Ethiopian coffee brewed in a special pot on Sundays.

The shop opened on Dec. 27 in the Ahwatukee Plaza on East Elliot Road near S. 48th Street and had a grand opening on Feb. 22.

Owner Binyam Tekae, who is Eritrean by heritage but born and raised in Sudan, said he was inspired by his mother, Hadas Bituo, after whom he named the cafe.

She and Tekae’s father, Gezae Gebrazgi, and Tekae’s siblings flew from Columbus, Ohio, for the grand opening, and she made small cups of rich coffee in a pottery flask called a jebena for the dozens of guests.

Tekae said coffee was integral to his Eritrean family’s culture, and he’s trying to share that here. 

“Every day, back home, they have this type of ceremony,” he said. “They sit down with the whole family in the morning, and they drink coffee and have a little talk, a little nice family time.”

He added, “I’m trying to continue our culture and our traditional ways.”

However, Hadas Cafe Lounge mostly sells coffee drinks that Americans are familiar with: americano, cappuccino, latte, macchiato and mocha. Most drinks cost about $4 to $6; customers can add one of 13 syrup flavors.

Tekae said friends in other cities with coffee shops advised him on opening his own business, and he hired an attorney to help with the paperwork. He gets his beans from a wholesaler in Denver who roasts them to his specifications.

Gabe Villa of Tempe stopped by the Hadas Cafe Lounge’s grand opening in February. He was excited because Ethiopian beans are his “go-to,” and he was impressed with the drinks.

“The coffee itself is amazing,” Villa commented. “Well-balanced with hints of citrus and floral notes. Classic Ethiopian coffee.” 

Tekae also makes smoothies and carries several types of tea, pastries from Tempe’s Sesame Donuts, bags of crunchy snacks called dabo kolo, and deep-fried triangular Sudanese savory pastries called sambusas, which are similar to Indian samosas.

Takae said he would also offer a few types of panini, bagels and soups by early March. However, the space doesn’t have a full kitchen. It used to house a hydration spa owned by a friend of his who’s also from Sudan, and he took over the lease when she moved out.

Hadas Cafe Lounge has a capacity of about 50, and Tekae said it’s available to rent for private parties, business meetings, community events and the like. 

It’s furnished with green velvet and caramel vinyl sofas, round tables with black bucket chairs, small gold accent lamps, two TVs, and Eritrean woven baskets and other decor. 

Tekae said most customers live nearby. Some work from home and bring in their laptop for a change of scenery (he offers free wifi); others meet friends and talk or play board games.

Although Tekae was raised in Sudan, his family instilled his heritage through extended annual visits to see his grandparents and cousins in Eritrea. 

“That’s how I learned to speak the language,” said Tekae, who grew up speaking Arabic and learned English after moving to the United States at age 15.

Tekae’s family moved to the U.S. in 2015 via a United Nations program and settled in Columbus. A soccer standout, Tekae earned scholarships to a community college and then Northwestern University, where he studied business administration. 

Though he briefly went to Germany to play soccer professionally, Tekae became homesick and soon returned to Columbus in 2023. There, he got a Commercial Driver’s License and landed a contract to drive a truck from Denver to California.

While there, Tekae met a friend from Phoenix who urged him to visit. 

“I fell in love with it,” he said.

Customer Deborah Ruggiero found Hadas Cafe Lounge via an online search for coffee shops near her Ahwatukee home and has been in two or three times a week ever since.

“It’s great coffee, and [Takae] is a great person,” she said. In terms of coffee quality, she added, “I’d say this is about a nine or a 10.”

She added, “I hope he does well; I really do. He’s a good person.”