Korean cafe specializing in tea, coffee, desserts and art opens in Clifton. Take a peek
Upon opening the doors of Kiwa, you’ll be greeted with a white wall and a message in small, black font. Underneath the cafe’s name, the words read: “Live, Dine, Love. All Under One Roof.”
This is the tone owner Soo Young Cho hopes to set at Kiwa, her Korean coffee and tea shop that recently opened in the Clifton neighborhood.
Beyond that entry point, you’ll find a sizable space with tall ceilings, more white walls, and minimalist-style seating, all reminiscent of an art gallery. That’s because Cho wants to bring in artwork from around the world to decorate her space. She also hopes to host cultural classes and workshops.
The 2,000-square-foot Kiwa opened in mid-December and has been a longtime goal for Cho, who grew up in Seoul, Korea, and has lived in Louisville for about two years.
“Since I’m Korean, I want to show who I am,” Cho told the Courier Journal. “(Kiwa) is not totally Korean and it’s not 100% American. It’s kind of mixed together.”
Specialty coffees include one called “Kiwa Signature,” a latte made with black sesame cream as well as a pear vanilla latte and a biscoff cookie latte. You’ll find those alongside familiar coffee shop choices, such as an americano and caramel macchiato.
On the food side, scones and small desserts are available, plus light breakfast options and paninis. Kiwa also offers Korean brunch items on the weekends.
“It’s a Korean cafe, but it’s more like Soo Young’s cafe,” Cho said, adding that it's a blend of modern and traditional.
Cho said she was drawn to the location at 2235 Frankfort Ave. because of Frankfort Avenue’s foot traffic. Kiwa is located between The Hub and Asian Wok and just across the street from Miki's Korean Restaurant and Karaoke Bar, which opened in October. These join other new-to-Louisville Korean restaurants, including Nami and the soon-to-open all-you-can-eat Korean barbeque spot Top 1 and CM Chicken, a Korean-style fried chicken restaurant.
We recently featured Kiwa in our Instagram series, “Best Thing I Ate This Week.” You can keep up with the series by visiting instagram.com/courierjournal.
The cafe is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9:30 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Reach food reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kiwa Korean cafe opens in Louisville's Clifton neighborhood
