While Charlotte isn’t yet considered a “coffee” hub like, say, Miami or New York City, the city’s coffee culture continues to evolve. International cafes like Haraz, Qahwah House and Bayt Al Mocha — set to open later this year — have brought Yemen and Middle Eastern flavors to the city, diversifying Charlotte’s coffee scene one brew at a time.
Now, a new kind of coffee shop has emerged: Turkish cafes.
Recently, Charlotte has welcomed two new Turkish coffee shops: Anatolia Cafe & Cuisine and Vavela Cafe. What do these two cafes have in common? A rich culture, ancient tradition and decidedly strong coffee.
Building community through coffee
For husband-and-wife team Mehmet and Gehra Tarhan, opening Anatolia Cafe & Cuisine gave them the opportunity to share their culture with Charlotte. The duo recently moved to the Queen City from Wisconsin, but Gehra originally hails from Morocco and Mehmet is from the Anatolia region of Turkey — hence the cafe’s name…