Kaja & Jay Yazzie, Founders of Anaïs Coffee
Parents searching for a coffee shop where their children are genuinely welcome have a new option on South Tacoma Way.
Anaïs Coffee has opened inside historic Edison Square at 5415 South Tacoma Way, serving locally roasted coffee, house-made cookies and other treats in a spacious café intentionally designed for adults and children to enjoy together.
Married co-owners Kaja and Jay Yazzie, both Tacoma-area natives, began developing the business in 2025. They knew they wanted to open somewhere in Tacoma, but finding the right space took time.
Edison Square ultimately offered something most coffee shops cannot: enough room for comfortable couches, tables, children’s books, soft toys and an area where young customers can play rather than being expected to remain quietly seated.
The Yazzies drew inspiration from their own experiences taking children to coffee shops. They wanted parents to have somewhere they could meet a friend, enjoy a drink or get a little work done without feeling that their children were disturbing everyone else.
Anaïs occupies the walk-up bar area inside Edison Square, the former neighborhood movie theater that originally opened in 1919. The large hall continues to host evening performances and community events, but during the day it takes on a decidedly different personality—something closer to an enormous neighborhood living room.
The café serves beans roasted by Bluebeard Coffee, its neighbor directly across South Tacoma Way. Its menu includes traditional espresso drinks, teas, matcha and energy drinks, along with specialty creations such as the Golden Hour, made with espresso, vanilla, honey, cinnamon and oat milk.
Kaja, an experienced baker, makes the café’s chocolate chip and sea-salt cookies and plans to introduce additional flavors along with seasonal baked goods. The shop also carries a rotating selection of pastries made by other local producers.
One of Anaïs Coffee’s most unusual services extends beyond the walls of Edison Square.
Customers waiting outside businesses along South Tacoma Way between South 54th and 56th streets can place an online order, describe where they are standing and have their drinks brought directly to them. The café calls it “line delivery”—essentially coffee delivered to the curb.
Because employees make the deliveries themselves, the service may pause when the shop is busy or only one person is working. Customers can check its online ordering page to see whether delivery is available.
The café is also planning community activities. A Silent Book Club gathering scheduled for September 19 will combine quiet individual reading with a social hour and pop-up bookstore, while future events are expected to include programming created specifically for children and families.
Anaïs Coffee is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed Sundays. Hours may change when Edison Square is hosting an event, so customers are encouraged to check the café’s Instagram account before visiting. The business is cashless and accepts cards, mobile payments and tap-to-pay transactions.
Even people who do not purchase anything are welcome to use the space, according to the owners. Their larger goal is to create an inviting daytime gathering place for the South Tacoma neighborhood—whether visitors arrive with a laptop, a friend, a bagel from next door or a child who simply needs room to play.
Learn more or order online at anaiscoffee.com..
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