Java’s Brewing Bakery and Cafe has sat at the corner of Providence Road and New Town Road in Waxhaw for the past 10 years. It’s seen the area grow from a quiet country cove into a bustling bedroom community of Charlotte. Through the years things outside the cafe may have changed a lot, but many things inside have remained the same.
Java’s was open by Zev and Joyce Zrihan in 2006. It has been, and is still, chiefly operated solely by the husband-wife team.
It’s this personal investment in their business that has made Java’s a place where many of the patrons are regulars; brought back by the routinely high-quality drinks and eats. One customer called it the Cheers of Waxhaw coffee shops, touting it’s comfortable, familiar atmosphere, where “everybody knows your name”.
Java’s is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. You can always find one or both of the Zrihans hard at work behind the counter or in the kitchen handcrafting pastries from scratch.
The cafe boasts the usual suspects of cafe offerings, from coffee to breakfast items, to cakes and sweet treats. All of the delicious goodies are made in-house by hand by the Zrihan’s themselves. They have become locally famous for their Napolean pastry – a layered pastry that combines delicious berry sauce and a sweet cream filling. Napoleon is made fresh every Thursday in the Java kitchen and has its own following.
Joyce, who attended culinary school in New York City, has remarkable pastry making skills. Besides the well-loved Napolean, other best selling menu items, according to Zev, are “anything with caramel, the cakes, and the assortment of fresh baked muffins”.
Java’s cakes are layers of temptation, of which the red velvet is a popular choice. The cakes are available by the slice in the case daily, but they can also be made to order upon request for any event. Java’s cakes are a hot item request for both birthdays and weddings and can be made to suit any theme a customer desires.
While Joyce is go-to cakemaker at Java’s, Zev has recently made the decision to bring Gelato to the cafe.
Starting this weekend, the homemade product lineup will expand to include four lip-smacking flavors of the frozen treat.
A European favorite, Gelato is not easily found in many places in the United States. Waxhaw will now boast chocolate, vanilla bean, pistachio and lemon flavors of the highly sought after treat as a local product. With a rich, smooth texture, and an intense flavor profile, Java’s Gelato is sure to become a fan favorite.
In order to introduce their new product line, the Zrihan’s have agreed to work seven days a week, opting to open on Sundays as well for the remainder of September.
Stop in and sample all the goodies at Java.
