A new roastery and coffee bar in Midtown Houston called Un Caffè is giving guests a taste of Italian-style coffee with a distinct focus on craft and performance. Un Caffè Founder, Roaster and Barista Soonkack Kook also embraces the Italian cultural practice of greeting each guest at the bar. 

“They can watch every [drink-making] performance,” Kook recently told Daily Coffee News. “I give them surprise drinks. I ask them how their day is going.” Kook, who initially moved to the United States from Korea for college 20 years ago, spent the past 14 months renovating a 1,900-square-foot space inside Un Caffè’s 90-year-old building.