Opera, jazz and instrumental music is often playing at Opera Café and Coffeehouse.
Some diners think the local business is so named because the owners love opera, but the namesake is actually its signature dessert—Opera Cake—a French coffee-flavored cake layered with French buttercream and chocolate ganache, co-owner Aliya Amanzholova said.
“We wanted for the [shop] to be classy and relaxing. … The name kind of helped to create this atmosphere in the coffee shop,” she said.
Amanzholova and her husband, co-owner Anas Jawish, greet diners and whip up coffee drinks and food behind the counter.
“We know people by their orders,” Jawish said, adding the couple met in Houston and bonded over shared interest in the hospitality field.
“In this industry I can help people [and] make a difference,” Jawish said.
Co-owners Aliya Amanzholova (left) and Anas Jawish operate the cafe.[/caption]
They got married, moved to Austin and set out to open a business with a focus on customer service: a coffee shop. They loved the community feel of the Onion Creek area and opened near I-35 in the space of a coffee shop that closed, Amanzholova said.
Diners can work, relax, have lunch or get together with family at Opera, she said, noting the business has Wi-Fi as well as books and board games. Opera will celebrate its one-year anniversary in August.
Food options include breakfast tacos, cinnamon rolls, sandwiches and salads. In June the shop added a roast beef sandwich, salmon panini and a roast beef garden salad as well as hot entrees to the menu.
Opera plans to open a second Austin-area location, Amanzholova said.
Opera Cafe and Coffeehouse
11215 S. I-35, Ste. 127
512-296-2755
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
