A community-minded specialty coffee shop brand is expanding to downtown Boston.
MOTW Coffee & Pastries is preparing to open a new location at 45 Broad Street in Boston’s Financial District, just a short stroll from Quincy Market. The new café will be operated by husband-and-wife franchisees Kader Kapadia and Salwa Zakaria, who already own and operate the brand’s Shrewsbury location.
For the couple, opening in the Financial District is especially meaningful. “The Financial District is deeply personal to my wife and me,” Kapadia told What Now Boston. “Over the years, we’ve spent countless hours strolling through these streets on date nights or out with our kids, so the area holds a special place in our hearts.”
There’s also been plenty of encouragement from their existing customers. Kapadia said many Shrewsbury guests commute from Boston and have repeatedly asked the couple to bring MOTW closer to the city. “When the opportunity arose, it felt like the perfect alignment of personal connection and community demand,” he said. “We couldn’t be more excited to officially launch here.”
While coffee was certainly part of the draw, the brand’s larger mission was what really caught the couple’s attention. MOTW—short for Muslims of the World—began in 2014 as an Instagram page founded by Sajjad Shah at a time when anti-Muslim sentiment was particularly heightened in the United States. Rather than focusing on division, Shah used the platform to share personal stories, highlight individual experiences, and showcase the shared humanity in connecting with people around the world.
The account quickly gained traction, growing into a community that today includes more than 700,000 people worldwide. The platform later evolved into a nonprofit organization that has raised millions of dollars for humanitarian efforts around the world, funding cataract surgeries, providing medical care, delivering clean drinking water, and supporting disaster relief in countries including Yemen and Ethiopia.
In 2021, Shah and his wife, Fatimah, opened the first MOTW café, creating a physical gathering place where people could connect over a cup of coffee and a pastry. Today, MOTW Coffee & Pastries serves as the brand’s retail arm with 24 locations and counting, including its existing Greater Boston cafés in Shrewsbury and Quincy. Meanwhile, the larger MOTW organization continues its humanitarian work around the world.
“The company’s focus on humanitarian efforts and meaningful community impact is profound,” Kapadia said. “Being able to make that kind of difference through something as welcoming as serving quality coffee and delicious pastries felt special to us. My wife and I have had a deep passion for coffee for as long as we can remember, so when the opportunity to open an MOTW franchise presented itself, it was simply the perfect fit.”
When it opens, the new Financial District café will offer many of the same favorites that have made the Shrewsbury location a hit. Guests can expect MOTW’s signature Yemeni chai, specialty lattes, matcha, a variety of empanadas, tres leches, tiramisu, and other café staples.
The couple is also developing a few new menu items for the Financial District location. While they’re not ready to share those details just yet, Kapadia said the new additions will give downtown customers something extra to look forward to.
The upcoming location will have seating for about 25 guests, along with murals and other thoughtful design touches that Kapadia and Zakaria are excited to show off. The duo said they hope to make the café a true “third space” for the community—a place where people can grab a coffee, get some work done, meet up with friends, or simply unwind. High-speed WiFi will be available for those who want to stay awhile.
Construction is now nearing completion, with MOTW Coffee & Pastries on track to open at 45 Broad Street in mid-October 2026.
“Overall, we are just thrilled to start welcoming and serving the best of the downtown Boston community and nearby suburbs,” Kapadia said. “Beyond the food and coffee, we’re deeply excited to give back by creating new local job opportunities and building a warm, welcoming community hub where people can genuinely come together, connect, and hang out.”
