Moa Coffee continues its Queens expansion with a new location, serving up staples like their dreamy lavender matcha and strawberry foam taro lattes for customers to boost their mornings.
The cafe, located at 31-86 37th St. in Astoria, marks the shop’s fourth expansion for the Queens couple, Jena Ko and Daniel Kim, who opened their first one in 2018. The newest addition offers a warm and cozy space to meet for coffee, work remotely, and unwind while indulging in a range of seasonal and year-round drinks and bites.
“We quickly realized we had something special after we opened the first cafe,” said Kim. “From the reaction of the customers and the reaction from the staff-from there, we were like, okay, let’s try to go all in and make something long-term.”
The cafe’s name, “Moa,” which means “to gather,” in Korean, and is also the name of the flightless bird from New Zealand, which is part of their logo, was Ko’s mother’s idea, offering the couple the perfect name for the space where friends and locals meet, whether they’re sitting on their own amongst others or catching up with loved ones while enjoying a hot cup of coffee.
While the couple hadn’t initially dreamed of owning a business together, after working together to support their mother’s small business, it inspired them to bring some of their own visions to life to share with the community. After opening the first location on 30th Ave. in Astoria, they expanded to a store in Woodside and another in Sunnyside before setting down more roots in Astoria with their latest cafe.
While Moa’s menu initially focused on coffee and tea, after receiving requests for breakfast as the locations spread, they added a small breakfast menu, including staples like sausage egg and cheese, bacon egg and cheese sandwiches, avocado toast, and light bites like hash browns and quiche.
“We put a lot of love in here, and we want to make sure everyone’s comfortable and not worrying about anything, just enjoying what they’re drinking or eating, that’s the vibe that we want,” said Ko.
When it comes to the drink menu, the cafe’s offerings are quite extensive, including classic drinks like house drip coffee, espresso, and lattes, as well as chai lattes and hot and iced matcha. Their menu also includes items like the golden milk latte, inspired by a visit to San Diego, where they discovered the drink, made with turmeric and other warming spices like ginger and cinnamon. They also gained a lot of inspiration from visiting Portland, Oregon, and exploring their renowned coffee scene and flavors to bring back to Queens.
“We got a lot of inspiration there,” said Ko. “Everything was so delicious, and the drinks were so good. There was a lot of flavor in the drinks, so we just try to give people as much flavor in one cup.”
In addition to drinks like the strawberry creme latte and iced berry hibiscus tea, they have signature specials, including lavender matcha with macadamia milk, caramel creme latte, and cold brew with cookies n’ cream cold foam to name a few. Their cold foam menu features a wide range of flavors like taro, strawberry, rose, and salted caramel.
They also offer recommendations for customers who might be overwhelmed by so many choices. Their taro latte, which is quite popular has a range of delicious suggestions, including macadamia milk and brown sugar stripes, to coconut milk with strawberry cold foam. The drinks are delicious and sweet, and give customers something new to try.
Right now, the cafe has a seasonal winter menu including peppermint mocha.
“Our signature specials are all derivative of the drinks that we have,” said Kim. “Our menu is really customizable. A lot of customers are very specific on exactly what they want, once they find their favorite drink, they get it every day.”
The cafe is open 7 days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., whether customers want to start their day with their favorite coffee drink or get an afternoon energy boost with a matcha or taro latte. To learn more about the cafe or find a location, follow them at @moacoffeenyc.
