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How is the World-Famous Internet-Famous %Arabica's First U.S. Coffee Shop in New York?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, According to a Forbes report on June 20, 2021, Eastern Time, just on June 11th, % Arabica officially opened its first coffee store in the United States in the Dumbo community of Brooklyn, New York, and the store includes a roasting workshop. This %Arabica location in the Dumbo community of Brooklyn, New York, is the brand's 87th branch as of June 11th. According to

According to Forbes reporting on June 20, 2021 (Eastern Daylight Time), on June 11th, % Arabica officially opened its first coffee store in the United States in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, featuring an in-house roasting workshop.

This %Arabica store located in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, is the brand's 87th branch as of June 11th.

According to the official website's introduction to this store, when founder Kenneth Shoji opened the % Arabica flagship store in Kyoto, Japan in 2014, his ultimate wish was to open stores in Paris and New York. In 2019, two stores opened in Paris, fulfilling half of his dream. With the opening of %Arabica's first U.S. store in New York this June, Kenneth Shoji's wish has been realized.

This first American store covers approximately 1,500 square feet (≈140 square meters) and was designed by founder Kenneth Shoji in collaboration with French design studio Ciguë.

The roasting workshop occupies about one-third of the space in the Brooklyn Dumbo store. The workshop uses a 1920s UG 22 Probat roaster for batch production. For customers' special requests, the store uses a Japanese-made fully hot-air Tornado King roaster with a maximum roasting capacity of 1 kilogram.

The UG 22 Probat roaster becomes the focal point of the store. Complementing it is a brushed aluminum service counter, from which hangs a custom-made blown glass lamp over 20 feet long created by the Italian studio Viabizzuno. A brand-custom Slayer coffee machine in the store also attracts considerable consumer attention.

% Arabica founder Kenneth Shoji traveled to different countries with his father since childhood, which sparked his love for diverse cultures, design, and architecture. During his school years, he witnessed the expansion of Starbucks in the United States and was moved by Starbucks' atmosphere and coffee culture. After reflecting on life following graduation and work, he founded the % Arabica brand.

To create the best coffee, he purchased a coffee farm in Hawaii and started growing coffee, began trading green coffee beans worldwide, became the exclusive exporter of Japanese coffee roasters, and a distributor of one of the world's best coffee machine brands. In September 2014, he opened % Arabica's flagship store in Kyoto, Japan.

The % Arabica specialty coffee chain brand is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Interestingly, the brand's founder Kenneth Shoji opened the first %Arabica coffee shop in Hong Kong's Discovery Bay, near the international airport and Hong Kong Disneyland, in 2013. He later expanded to Kyoto, Japan. The store that made the brand go viral online was the one opened in 2015 by the Togetsukyo Bridge over the Katsura River in Arashiyama, Kyoto.

As can be seen from the pictures above, % Arabica's first U.S. store maintains its consistent style, predominantly featuring minimalist white design with floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a streamlined space.

What must be mentioned is the metal world map on the store wall, representing the brand and its founder Kenneth Shoji's philosophy: "See the world through coffee." This writer finds it quite romantic—if you can't afford to travel around the world, that's okay; just come drink a cup of coffee and experience the entire world.