Amelia L.
Yelp
Astoria's newest coffee shop, Moka & Co, just opened last week. They are a Yemeni coffee shop offering traditional specialty coffees, teas, and desserts. The café is huge, feels very roomy with modern décor. I would imagine it be a great place to hang out and work on your laptop. They just opened last week and are still in their soft opening phase.
I'm actually not a huge coffee person so I came mainly to check out their dessert. The display case showcased some very impressive looking pastries. They had some traditional pastries (croissants, muffins, breads) and some Yemeni/Middle Eastern desserts (Basbousa, Sabaya, etc.). Some of the pastries had labels, some did not. And none had prices listed next to them nor on the overhead menu. Just beware because you might get sticker shock as the pastries are a bit pricey. I ended up getting a chocolate dessert that had a Ferrero Rocher candy on top of it and a slice of banana bread. My total with tax and tip was around $25.
The chocolate dessert (I don't know the name of it) was so delicious and worth every penny! While it had a Ferrero Rocher candy garnish, it did not taste like one. It was a creamy dark chocolate mousse on top of a vanilla cake sliver, with a chopped hazelnut center, and dipped in dark chocolate. It was rich but not sickeningly sweet, if that makes sense. It's the type of dessert you eat slowly and savor each bite.
The banana bread was also very good but clearly overshadowed by the chocolate dessert. It was fresh, moist and had a nice banana flavor.
I'm very curious about their other pastries, especially the Yemeni ones. Maybe next time, I'll try their coffee as well.