Long-awaited Brown Bee Coffee opened its doors Thursday and is set to hold its grand opening on Benefit Street this Saturday, the business announced.
On Thursday opening, the eclectic cafe and bakery hosted a three-hour soft opening, welcoming an eager crowd of friends, Instagram followers and lucky passersby who became the first to pollinate the two-story shop at 404 Benefit Street. Owner Waleed Ghazi shared that the cafe may have another soft opening tomorrow.
Since the brand first launched in April 2023, College Hill and Fox Point residents have been buzzing with excitement. The shop originally intended to open last November, but construction delays pushed its estimated grand opening date back to May 2024, The Herald previously reported.
Brown Bee did not publicize a reason for the opening’s additional delay to September, but wrote in an Instagram caption that construction took time because they “didn’t want to cut any corners”.
The shop will open its doors for a grand opening at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, according to the Instagram post. The cafe urged community members to line up early, as bakery goods are expected to sell out quickly.
Today’s soft opening featured a limited menu highlighting Brown Bee’s honeycomb flaky croissants and espresso-based coffee nectar. Over the summer, the cafe offered chances for community members to get a taste of their pastries, posting occasional announcements of “Croissant Drops” on their Instagram stories and inviting interested foodies to visit for a taste test. The croissants were sold out before noon today.
“The chocolate croissant was one of the best I’ve had,” Javier Niño-Sears ’25 told The Herald. Like many of the opening’s attendees, Niño-Sears heard about the soft opening from a friend. He had been following Brown Bee’s Instagram for a considerable amount of time.
“Everything’s going pretty smoothly,” Niño-Sears said as he looked around the open-floor plan filled with coffee drinkers.
Ghazi, the owner, thinks of the shop as not just a coffee-bakery but “an inclusive lifestyle as well,” he wrote in an Instagram post. The space features a collection of customized clothing hanging just behind one of the wooden tables, filling the newly renovated, 200-year-old building.
“The vibe is great, especially for studying,” Sofia Cruz ’25 told The Herald. She highlighted the mixed tables and seating.
“The coffee is delicious,” Cruz said. “I can’t wait to see a bit more of the menu to know what their options are.”
Maya Kelly is a Metro senior staff writer who covers health and environment. When she's not at The Herald, you can find her hanging from an aerial silk, bullet journaling, or stress-baking.
