Hdmona Cafe

Description: Family-owned Ethiopian/Eritrean coffee shop bringing authentic East African coffee culture to Matthews. Known for homemade tiramisu, traditional coffee, a lineup of pastries, unique croissant sandwiches, and warm hospitality!

Comments: New as of 2025. Some nice artwork on the walls, including Ethiopian and Eritrean-inspired pieces. The owners are very kind and welcoming. They even have a note on the window inviting remote workers to hang out for a while. Croissant sandwiches, excellent coffee (Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, so they know their stuff), tea, pastries (including cinnamon rolls 💯🙌), ice cream🍦, and snack items. They've got it all!

It is a smaller space, but it's well laid out. Good outlet access, and most seating runs along a wall, so you have something solid behind you. Sitting in the middle of foot traffic feels unsettling to me, so I appreciate that layout. There's even a little outdoor seating.

I volunteer with a nonprofit called the Carolina Youth Coalition (great organization, worth checking out if you're looking for volunteer opportunities), and many of the students are Ethiopian or Eritrean. If this spot were closer to them, I could see it becoming a popular after-school hangout. It's a true third place!