A coffee shop has opened in Richardson with serious coffee roots: Called Fanah Cafe and Pastry, it's in a center at 139 N. Plano Rd. and Belt Line Road, where it's serving authentic Ethiopian coffee, lattes, and pastry baked in-house.

Owner Esayas Zeweldi was born in Ethiopia and moved to Dallas in 2008. In his early years in the U.S., he worked as a barista at UT Southwestern, then at Jasmine Market and Café. He went on to build a career in medical transportation and tech manufacturing — but his love for coffee never faded, and he decided to open his own shop.

"Since I came to the United States, that was my dream," Zeweldi says. "Nobody showed me the way, but I had it in me."

They serve traditional beverages including espresso, cappuccinos, and brewed coffee, and will be adding a collection of specialty lattes as well. They've partnered with Dilla Coffee Roasters in Deep Ellum, which specializes in Ethiopian beans. Ethiopia boasts some of the highest quality coffee beans grown in the world. The country is known for its diverse array of bean varietals, some of which have been cultivated for centuries.

Fanah will also soon offer an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony, with boiled coffee served to participants on small cups that sit on a tray, meant to be shared.

“In my country coffee is all about conversation, we have a coffee ceremony, you call your neighbors, enjoy some time with them. With drive-thru concepts and quick coffee pick up, we lost the connection, I want people to have a good time," Zeweldi says.

The café also serves an assortment of pastries from international cuisines, as well as some Ethiopian dishes. The menu includes cream puffs, muffins, scones, croissants, tiramisu, and cakes in varieties such as Oreo, vanilla and millefeuille. Everything is baked in-house.

For breakfast, they serve traditional Ethiopian/Sudani fuul, a dish made with fava beans, tomatoes, onions, and chechebsa, fried pastry typically eaten with yogurt. They also serve pancakes and scrambled eggs.

Hours are 7 am-7 pm daily, and they're adding lunch which will feature a mix of Ethiopian and Italian items, based on recipes developed by Zewldi's wife, Yodit.

The food and beverages are important, but that's not all they're about.

"The café’s mission is simple: to bring joy through food and connection. using only the finest ingredients and creating an inviting space for everyone to feel at home," Zeweldi says.