Café Culture from Around the World, and at Home, on Benefit Street
Providence is a coffee-lover’s paradise, with quaint cafés on what seems like every corner in town. One of the newest additions, Brown Bee Coffee on historic Benefit Street, opened its doors in September 2024. When asked what makes Brown Bee stand out from the others, owner Waleed Ghazi didn’t hesitate: “Bringing the highest café culture from all over the world into one place— from curated furniture to the details within the space.”
It’s clear that the space inspired the café. He says the aesthetic “was born before I named the place—I knew I wanted it to be timeless, [with] neutral tones, wood elements … this was a big passion project for me.”
Brown Bee gives a nod to the history of its immediate neighborhood and to surrounding Providence. While it’s impossible to ignore the display of pastries and the smell of fresh croissants when you walk in the door, the counter design is also notable. It was crafted by carpenter Joseph Pacheco to look like the old card catalogue drawers used in libraries. The unique display case acknowledges the “mile of history,” also known as Benefit Street, where the historic Providence Athenaeum library also resides.
The name Brown Bee came about naturally, as did everything about this café—“none of it was forced,” says Ghazi, referring to the name, which alludes to Brown University as well as the deep, polished brown wood that graces the space.
At Brown Bee, the care in the details extends to the baked goods as well. “This is the first time I’ve been part of a bakery since day zero,” says Executive Pastry Chef Alisia Custodio. She spent three months recipe testing before she was ready to debut the menu that had customers lining up around the block in the opening months. “It was amazing—but challenging—starting with a concept menu of around 20 items and whittling it down. Those were some of the most enjoyable and challenging months I’ve had in my career,” says Custodio. “I couldn’t be prouder of the outcome.”
For Custodio, her pistachio croissant stands out above the rest. The “pistachio crunch” gets its name from the candied pistachios folded into the creamy pistachio filling. “Without the crunch, it just felt like any other pistachio croissant,” she says. For Ghazi, it’s one of their newest menu additions: the za’atar croissant. The blend of sumac, sesame seeds and herbs is popular in Middle Eastern cooking and both Ghazi and Custodio knew it was going to be a match made in heaven once baked into their buttery, flaky croissants.
Brown Bee is a popular addition to the Providence coffee shop scene and continues to impress with their fun and flavorful drinks and pastries, plus their recently added breakfast and lunch menu featuring sandwiches made on their very own breads and croissants.
“We take pride that 99% of our menu is made in house,” Ghazi says with a nod to his team and their dedication and passion to the craft—and to the community.
Brown Bee Coffee
404 Benefit St., Providence
BrownBeeCoffee.com
Mackenzie Benjamin is a high school culinary instructor with a yen for travel. She loves trying new places to eat and drink both locally and abroad and is looking forward to continuing with a career in the culinary world.
