Buunni Coffee - Inwood

While the menu lists standard lattes and cappuccinos, the daily rhythm here is built around Ethiopian coffee culture and beans roasted weekly in the Bronx. Founders Elias Gurmu and Sarina Prabasi expanded to this Inwood storefront in 2019, seven years after opening their first cafe in Washington Heights. The operation relies on the specific social weight coffee carries in Ethiopia – treating the drink as a tool for gathering rather than just a source of caffeine. The coffee itself comes from small-batch roasts, highlighting single-origin beans like Yirgacheffe and Harrar. While the selection has widened to include Central and South American varieties since the early days, the Ethiopian roots are still the primary draw. The space is designed to accommodate this, set up for conversation and neighborhood events rather than silent, solitary work. The food menu follows the same logic, stepping outside the usual cafe pastry case. Alongside standard wraps and sandwiches, the kitchen serves Ethiopian vegetarian staples that turn a coffee break into a meal. You can order spicy red lentils and chickpeas served with injera, the sour fermented flatbread acting as both plate and utensil. It is a place that functions as a distinct community node on Upper Broadway, balancing the utility of a morning espresso stop with the slower pace of a sit-down lunch.