ORINDA, CALIFORNIA – When Starbucks closed in downtown Orinda, California at Theatre Square, it left only one coffee spot in the city’s downtown core.
Now, that gap is filling back up again–and this time with a unique, delicious, local option that also happens to offer extremely tasty pastries and sweets!
Shemroon Cafe is officially open in Theatre Square. The store has been operating for about five weeks now.
I stopped in to try it out, and grabbed a Turkish coffee and a rosewater cream puff. More on those below, but first some basics.
Shemroon Cafe sits in the courtyard at 2 Theatre Square, part of the cluster of cafes, galleries, and shops just across the bridge from Orinda BART.
The cafe is named for Shemroon (also spelled Shemiran), an upscale district in northern Tehran — a nod to owner Aydin Ameli and his wife Shabnam’s Persian background.
The cafe has Persian roots, but it’s intended for everyone. Lots of items on the menu have a strong Turkish and general Middle Eastern influence, I found.
Here are some of the items Shemroon is known for (albeit after only a few weeks of operation):
- Turkish coffee with cardamom — a very thick, strong coffee softened with fragrant cardamom. Again, this is what I got.
- Persian tea — a black tea lightly scented with rose water, served in traditional glass cups. Didn’t try it but will definitely be back when I have time to sit instead of taking my food to go.
- Baklava and other Middle Eastern sweets — layers of flaky pastry, nuts, and honey alongside more familiar cafe desserts. They were sold out but the owners told me this is indeed one of their most popular items.
The cafe is small but has a tasteful and very pleasant interior. I met both owners, who were very hospitable. We had a whole conversation about photography and how it changes the way a person sees the world, while they brewed up my Turkish coffee.
The coffee was delicious–served in a little paper to-go cup in my case, and extremely strong. I liked the cardamom flavor, which was very pronounced (some places add too little) and mellowed out the strength of the beans.
The rosewater puff pastry was delicious–kind of like a circular eclair, with a ton of flavorful (though subtle) rosewater cream inside.
I ate it on BART (yes, I know this is against the rules but I was careful) and it was a great snack to have on the way into the city.
The menu at Shemroon is quite extensive, so I’ll definitely be back–probably to try the tea next time. I’m a sucker for anything with rosewater in it, so this place seems perfect!
They’re open early for a local cafe, too–6am is listed as a start time on their Theatre Square page.
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