"While Dilworth is one of Charlotte’s oldest neighborhoods, Backyard Brew is a new kid on the block. On a quaint front porch off of East Boulevard, the beans are roasted fresh, and Tariqu Khalil (TK for short), the owner bringing Backyard Brew from Palo Alto, California, to Charlotte, guides visitors through their preferences, suggesting drinks that can satiate any combination of craving, like the baklava latte with rosewater and bits of pistachio (best iced) or the matcha cold foam peach tea. He works with visitors to customize flavor, saying they are the “master artists,” and he does so without making the visitor feel like a line-slowing burden. With witty phrases like “We don’t play the pump game” (a nod to its innumerable housemade flavored sweeteners, as opposed to cloying syrups), Backyard Brew is lighthearted, taking the elitism, but not the creativity, out of coffee culture. Also, the limited but lovely front patio seating is reminiscent of a grandmother’s porch. Although there may not be a microfoam latte design on the drinks here, this coffee joint’s selling points are the spunky specialty concoctions and the proximity to a neighborhood fit for a morning walk." - Kayleigh Ruller
