Photo courtesy of Lily's Chocolate & Coffee
Lily's Chocolate & Coffee plans to open in spring 2023 on King Street in Old Town Alexandria.
Brother and sister team Lily and Saif Alobaidi are opening a second location of their popular Lily's Chocolate & Coffee, which they opened in 2021 in Vienna.
Their new location will open sometime in the spring of 2023 (the goal is the first week of May) at 631 King St., a prominent corner spot in the heart of Old Town Alexandria at King and N. Washington streets. Housed in a historic 18th-century building, the space was formerly occupied by Francesca's, a clothing and jewelry boutique that closed two years ago.
"We're from Iraq and when we are there and when we were growing up there, everybody comes to our house," said Saif, whose background is in civil engineering. His sister Lily, he said, grew up planning many family events and gatherings.
They moved to the United States in 2009, first to Virginia Beach and in 2016, they moved to Northern Virginia.
"Then we decided back in 2020, 'Hey let’s bring our dream to reality and open a coffee shop, so we kind of thought about something different and innovative, so we offer Lokma, which is widely known in the Middle East," he noted. The bite-size fried dough is often served with syrup, honey or powdered sugar on top, and in some countries mixed with dates and sesame.
When the family opened the coffee shop in Vienna, "We thought, 'You know what? We can add our twist to it,'" Saif said. They found a machine that injects fillings (they offer vanilla cream, chocolate cream and Biscoff cookie butter) into each Lokma. The treat is then covered with chocolate (Lily's uses chocolates from Belgium and Italy) and sprinkled with a customer's choice of toppings such as pistachios.
Also on the menu will be other fresh pastries as well as sandwiches.
Their coffee is a mix from Colombia, Guatemala and Brazil and is roasted twice weekly at a local roaster the shop is partnering with in Georgetown. Lily's Tea is a black tea flavored with cardamom.
The two decided to expand and open a coffee shop in Alexandria because the area, especially Old Town, "brings back memories of back home," Saif said. "We like the small businesses, the history, the culture."
While visiting their new location in Alexandria, Saif said "people stop by and ask about what is coming to the space. They get so excited. I love that. Already, it feels very welcoming."
The new chocolate and coffee shop in Alexandria will be hiring six to seven employees, he said. "We're hiring!"
Follow Lily's on Instagram at: lilyschocolatecoffee.
