Cafe Buunni at 213 Pinehurst Ave, just below 187th St, in the Hudson Heights part of Washington Heights

Café Buunni has been open for 2 ½ months.  The  only experience we can relate this to, is how we felt in the first few weeks after our daughter was born. The sleep-deprivation of the first few weeks, the wonder and overwhelm, the moments of wondering oh-my-god-what-have-we done, followed by utter pride and joy.

We are learning as we go, and are humbled by all the compliments on our space, the quality of our coffee, the artistry of our baristas.  There are still some rough edges and maybe there will always be. But we are working on many ideas to keep Café Buunni an interesting and inspiring tiny space and we count on the continuing support of this tremendous neighborhood.

In addition to the sweet and savory offerings at the moment (assortment of sweet and savory croissants, mini-cookies in unique flavors like the latest Earl Grey and Grapefruit Zest, mini-cheesecakes, salted caramel and chocolate almond macaroons, vegan mini-cupcakes, handmade pies, mini-quiches, cheddar or ham and gruyere buttermilk biscuits), hand-made, “to-go” Ethiopian foods, we are working on more vegan and gluten-free options.  All of our syrups are kosher certified, as are the Umpqua oats, Almondina cookies, Fairytale brownies and the amazing Dear Coco Chocolate Truffles.  We are working on adding unique and delicious kosher certified products.

We also have a selection of personally selected items in the Café like Dr. Superhelga’s one-of-a-kind handmade toys, our own whole bean Buunni Coffee and all natural and handmade soaps by Manor House Soaps.  We will continue to find and offer unique gifts and personal treats to delight you.

There have been glitches.  The water pressure was too low causing problems with our equipment, we ran out of what we thought was a week’s supply of espresso beans during our opening weekend, we had to change milk suppliers (which turned out to be great news!), some of our wonderful staff have had to leave to pursue their dreams, we are still not fluent in the language of our POS system and sometimes you have to tell us your drink again…and again!

But for the most part, approaching our three month mark – the time has flown, we love getting to know you and introducing you to our favorite drinks and goodies, and we have been blessed with a spirit of tremendous camaraderie and good will among us and between us.

Thank you.