Koma Cafe, which offers Italian-inspired cuisine and much more in the Long Branch Neighborhood of Takoma Park, has been a hit since it opened last October. Known for its specialty coffee & tea, and Italian-inspired pastries and food, Eater DC recently wrote that the unique soft serve ice cream the cafe offers “steals the show.”
Eater notes that Koma manager, Pete Niederer, got soft serve started at the cafe. “Niederer had worked at Carmen’s Italian Ice in Rockville for more than 20 years, rising to the head manager of their main location and prime ice cream flavor developer.”
Unique rotating flavors like brown butter pecan, vegan blueberry lemon cake, churro, blueberry caramel with gochujang, cardamom coffee, brown sugar fig, Biscoff caramel, and more have been huge hits in the area. Eater writes, “All the soft serve ice creams Niederer creates are made with all natural dyes and flavors. He develops the flavors on his own by building a syrup, reducing it down in the kitchen, and adding it to the base. Every Tuesday new flavors are rotated in for the week.”
Koma Cafe is open daily from 7:30am-9pm. About Koma Cafe: Owner Jared Mack, originally from North Dakota, moved from DC to the Long Branch neighborhood in 2019 and quickly noticed the lack of a conveniently placed coffee shop on his side of Takoma Park. Within a year he brought the idea to two close friends, Marc Pickering, and Soko Chef Brad Feickert, who enthusiastically agreed to open their very own!
Chef Brad Feickert, known for his ownership and role at Soko Butcher of Takoma Park, is originally a classically trained chef who has numerous accolades. Previously working at places like Volt of Brian Voltagio and former restaurant Oz of Arlington.
Dylan Greer, general manager and head of beverages, is a local native of Takoma Park. Previously working at Frothy Monkey in Nashville, TN and then Takoma Beverage Company and Zinnia where he honed his enthusiasm and skills in all manner of beverages.
Photos by Mack Ordaya @pinkkixmedia