What started as a passion is now brewing into reality as two longtime friends and young entrepreneurs plan to open a café in downtown Bethlehem.
“We kind of just joked about it for a little bit,” co-owner Wajahat Siddique told What Now Philadelphia. “Then we started looking at properties and we saw this one and fell in love.”
Siddique, 21, and his friend Mohamed Abdelaziz, 22, are opening Paradise Kafe at 552 N. New St.
“I moved to Pennsylvania when I was 14 and I met Mohamed. I didn’t know anyone. It was my first day at Parkland High School and he walked up to me and said, ‘Hi.’ He’s been my best friend ever since,” Siddique said. “I get to do something with someone I call a brother.”
The cafe will reflect the duo’s cultural roots. Siddique said he is Pakistani and Abdelaziz is Egyptian, and both are Muslim. The space will feature a nature-inspired ambiance, with lush plants and trailing vines throughout the shop.
Siddique said they want Paradise Kafe’s menu to stand out from other cafés in the area.
“We wanted to be completely different,” he said. “We wanted to have items that aren’t really in the Lehigh Valley yet.”
One of their specialty drinks will be Turkish coffee, prepared by cooking and boiling it on sand. The cafe will also offer a strawberry matcha drink and Hojicha, a Japanese green tea known for its woody, nutty flavor.
The food menu will feature Dubai-inspired chocolate treats, including a croissant, a strawberry cup and the viral chocolate bar. Guests can also enjoy a variety of croissants and crepes with flavors like Kinder Bueno and Biscoff. A standout crepe, called the Big Boy, will be topped with a scoop of ice cream, drizzled with white chocolate and finished with fresh strawberries and bananas.
“It is one of the biggest risks we’ve ever taken,” Siddique said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of 21 and 22-year-olds who are opening cafes, so that’s what I’m excited about. I’m excited to open.”
The duo is still finalizing a grand opening date but plans to host a community-focused soft opening in the coming weeks.
“We are going to do a soft launch. If you’re an artist, painter or musician, we’d love for you guys to come out and showcase your work. It’s completely free to come in, showcase your talents and that’s what our soft opening is going to be,” Siddique said. “Bethlehem did a lot for us, so we want to do a lot for Bethlehem.”
For the latest updates on both openings, follow Paradise Kafe on Instagram.
