Urbana Café Cultivates Community with New East Walnut Hills Shop

When you think of a café, you’ll inevitably remember a time you shared a warm beverage with a person in your life. Ordering the coffee, flashing a fleeting smile at the barista behind the counter, grabbing the cup when your name is called, and feeling the heat radiate into your palms as you sit and chat with a friend; that memory is made by being fully present in the moment.

That’s the vision of Urbana Café’s new location in East Walnut Hills. When talking with owner Daniel Noguera about the purpose of the new shop, you learn a lot about community and the idea of sharing a moment with someone.

During his travels abroad, Noguera noticed there was less fascination with working and being absorbed in the digital world. Attention seemed focused on being with others instead of laptops and phones. That notion inspired him to open a space in Cincinnati that encouraged the same ideals from those other shops—the ones fixated on community and (unplugged) connection.

“When you’re talking with someone and are truly present in what you’re doing, you’ll remember more of what you were talking about, and you’ll be able to focus more on how good the coffee is,” Noguera explains.

When you walk into the new location on Woodburn Avenue, you’ll instantly notice the beautiful decor—minimal, warm, and inviting with flowers on the register. Then you’ll recognize the familiar smell of coffee beans and warm espresso in the air.

After that, you’ll notice the lack of laptops and screens in the room. As well as the lack of WiFi, which is by design. That’s Noguera’s way of promoting being in the moment instead of in a laptop or phone.

Noguera elaborates, likening it to being in a restaurant with friends for a celebration.

“You’re immersed in the moment, the conversation, and the reason you’re there. You could have amazing fish for dinner that night, and then you’ll relay that to others when you talk about the evening. But if you’re distracted by your phone, or buried in work, you wouldn’t even remember what you had for dinner. It’s the same with meeting people for coffee.”

And meet people you should. Next time you go out for coffee, leave your work at home and make new memories in East Walnut Hills over a cup of joe.

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Urbana Café is located at 2714 Woodburn Ave (45206)