🔒Friday Food Insider: New Portland coffee shop brews up exotic flavors

With exotic offerings from Spanish lattes to Turkish coffee, Portland's newest cafe is drawing curious crowds and carving out a niche in the city’s competitive coffee scene. Y%F Coffee opened last Friday at 602 Congress St. Throughout the morning, it was busy with customers lining up to place their orders and wait for a table. A Spanish latte costs $6.50 plus tax, while a Turkish coffee will set you back $5.99 and change.

The cafe, owned by Yousif Albadri, leased 3,000 square feet of retail space from 602 Congress LLC last October. Joe Atwood and Frank O’Connor from the Dunham Group brokered the lease. On opening day, a worker at the counter told Mainebiz that the pistachio latte, mocha latte and Turkish coffee were big hits. Among the sweet treats, the Dubai chocolate cake was an instant favorite. Teas, breakfast sandwiches and bagels are also on the menu.

About the space

Built in 1920 by David Schwartz as a four-story office building, the Schwartz Building was once a lively downtown hub. Before Y%F moved in, the building had been vacant for more than 15 years. With a loyal following after just one week, Y%F is next to a new magazine shop and across from the Portland Museum of Art, which is planning a $100 million expansion. The Schwartz Building is located across from Congress Square Park, at the busy intersection of Congress and High streets that also includes the State Theatre, News Center Maine headquarters and Flatiron Coffee Bar in another historic building.

Y%F is open Monday to Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Reader feedback

Which new spots statewide are worth keeping an eye on? The Mainebiz Food Insider wants to hear from you! Contact Alexis Wells at awells@mainebiz.biz.