Atlanta’s coffee scene: 6 cafes with strong international influences

Atlanta’s rich coffee scene owes its vibrance to its strong local focus, with cafes and roasters reflecting and shaping neighborhood identity. But this is a global city, and a big part of keeping things ATL means looking beyond our borders. Some of the city’s most compelling cafes draw inspiration from countries with strong coffee cultures that are distinct from the standard American brews.

In cafes from Decatur to Duluth and Midtown to Kennesaw, global coffee traditions are becoming more prevalent. While often built upon espresso preparations coming out of Italy, these various global drinks — whether Yemeni brews, Vietnamese coffee or Cuban espresso — reflect an Atlanta that’s only becoming more international.

The following cafes provide a caffeine-fueled world tour right here in the metro.

Haraz is one of Atlanta’s most recognizable examples of the growing Yemeni coffee movement. (Henri Hollis/AJC)

Haraz Coffee House

The first Georgia outpost of a fast-growing Michigan-based chain, Haraz has become one of Atlanta’s most recognizable examples of the growing Yemeni coffee movement in the US. More than simply a source of beans — the Yergacheffe variety is popular — Yemen is often considered one of coffee’s historic birthplaces.

The menu features Harazi coffee from the northwestern region of the country, spiced coffee drinks like the ginger-cinnamon-infused jubani coffee, or the cardamom-laced mufawar — alongside Middle Eastern desserts. The décor blends modern cafe design with visual references to Yemeni architecture and hospitality.

930 Spring St. NW, Atlanta. 404-500-2833, harazcoffeehouse.com

A latte at in Golden Drops Cafe, which draws on Central and South American culture. (Henri Hollis/AJC)

Golden Drops Café

Golden Drops draws on Latin American coffee culture by emphasizing direct relationships with growers, showcasing coffees sourced from Central and South America, primarily in El Salvador. The coffee shop highlights origin-specific roasts and the stories of the communities behind them, rather than simply serving espresso beverages. Drawing on Dominican, Salvadoran, Mexican and Brazilian recipes for bites to accompany the drinks, Golden Drops also offers a boozy correto, combining Kahlua, Baileys and Disaronno with coffee.

The cafe recently opened a second location on the Emory University campus inside the Carlos Museum, and this new space features a large mural inspired by Taíno mythology, adding a strong visual dimension to the experience.

1788 Clairmont Road, Decatur. 404-600-6485. goldendropscafe.com

White Windmill, a Korean bakery on Buford Highway and other locations, serves a wide variety of American and Asian baked goods, as well as coffee, tea and sandwiches. (Henri Hollis/AJC)

White Windmill Bakery & Cafe

This local chain got its start in Duluth, expanding to five locations around the metro area and helping introduce Korean cafe culture to Atlanta over the past two decades. The baked goods are a big focus — a combination of East Asian baking traditions and French pastry techniques shows up in Korean milk bread, cream-filled pastries, castella-style cakes and European-inspired desserts.

But the coffee is a highlight too, and reflective of contemporary Korean food culture: heavy on the espresso as a foundation, but building out drinks in sweet, sometimes whimsical directions. White Windmill also sells its own house-roasted beans, offering both single-origin and custom blends.

Multiple locations, whitewbakerycafe.com

Quynh Cafe

You’ll find excellent, strong coffee sweetened with condensed milk — a trademark — on the menu at most Vietnamese restaurants around town, but fewer Atlanta spots highlight the diverse coffee drinks popular right now in Ho Chi Minh City’s thriving cafe scene. This Duluth-based coffee shop specializes in modern Vietnamese coffee: Egg foam coffee is a standout, as is coffee brewed using a Vietnamese phin filter, a system that works slow and results in a robust coffee concentrate. This delivers an intense cup, and Quynh makes theirs strong. Pandan waffles, matcha flan and durian smoothies, among other Southeast Asian treats, round out the menu.

3665 Club Drive, Duluth. 470-299-3125, instagram.com/thequynhcafe

Stacie Antich is the owner of Buena Gente Cuban Bakery, which serves authentic Cuban coffee, pastries and sandwiches. (Courtesy of Stacie Antich 2023)

Buena Gente Cuban Bakery

Most cafes in Atlanta can make a Cuban-style espresso (aka café Cubano), where sugar is whipped into espresso foam. But fewer focus expressly on overall Cuban coffee identity like Buena Gente, the charming Decatur shop whose casual walk-up counter brings to mind the quick-window-service ventanitas of Miami and Havana. Café Cubano and milky café con leche, as well as sizable espresso coladas, pair well with pastelitos, croquetas, Cuban sandwiches, flan and other traditional foods.

1365 Clairmont Road, Decatur. 678-744-5638, buenagenteatl.com

Baladi Coffee

Found in Kennesaw, Baladi Coffee offers one of the exurb’s most distinctive Middle Eastern coffee experiences, drawing heavily from Egyptian and Palestinian cultural traditions. The name “Baladi” translates roughly to “my homeland,” and the cafe was founded to celebrate the flavors, hospitality and cafe culture of the Arab world. Cardamom-spiced espresso drinks are served hot or iced, while Middle Eastern pastries such as baklava, Arabic-style teas and date-infused beverages round out the menu. It’s one of the few places in town to find a Turkish coffee, where finely ground coffee beans are boiled in water and served unfiltered.

Baladi also looks beyond the Arab diaspora with its “wanderlust” offerings, iced drinks inspired by other global locations — think ginger-espresso drinks for Nepal, or strawberry and cinnamon for Mexico. The modern interior combines contemporary coffee-shop design with Arabian flourishes, and Baladi recently opened a second location in Athens.

3061 George Busbee Pkwy. NW, Kennesaw. 678-384-2152, baladi.coffee

You can buy Masala chai concentrate from The Chai Box. (Courtesy of The Chai Box)

Coffee News & Events

Cafe opening

The Chai Box Cafe has opened near the corner of Howell Mill and Collier Roads, specializing in Indian tea and kaapi (Indian filter coffee). Currently open until 3 p.m. every day.

1963 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta, 844-242-4269, thechaibox.com

Learn to make latte art

Doraville coffeehouse Postern hosts a two-hour hands-on latte art workshop where attendees will learn milk steaming and pouring techniques to create artistic cups of coffee.

$65; Sunday, June 28, 5-7 p.m. 2421 Van Fleet Circle, Doraville. 470-391-2840, posterncoffee.com

In-depth coffee course

A comprehensive one-day course suited for amateur enthusiasts and coffee professionals alike, the Introduction to Coffee course at Decatur’s Opo Coffee covers cultivation, quality, sensory analysis, roasting, freshness, brewing, water quality, and equipment care. The hands-on course includes a live roasting demonstration, coffee cupping, lunch, and a Specialty Coffee Association certification exam.