Bethlehem Storefront Fills With Zen Cafe Opening
Independent food operators in Bethlehem gain a new coffee and matcha competitor ahead of the peak holiday visitor season.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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Zen Cafe, a coffee shop co-owned by Annabel Figueroa and Andrew Underwood, opened on West Morton Street in South Bethlehem, filling a storefront that had been empty since May. The cafe serves high-end coffee and matcha along with Japanese sandos, and the owners also run Donerds Donuts.
Why it matters
Filling a storefront that sat vacant since May adds a food-and-beverage operator to a South Bethlehem block and signals that small independent food concepts are still finding space in the city. The timing, ahead of peak holiday visitor season, puts the new cafe in front of a seasonal surge in foot traffic.
The storefront stood empty from May until Zen Cafe leased it and opened on Monday, November 2, 2026, after roughly six months without a tenant. The cafe is one of two businesses run by co-owners Annabel Figueroa and Andrew Underwood, alongside Donerds Donuts.
The players
Zen Cafe
A coffee shop serving high-end coffee, matcha, and Japanese sandos, co-owned by Annabel Figueroa and Andrew Underwood.
Amicus Properties
The real estate owner of the West Morton Street storefront leased to Zen Cafe.
Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
A regional business association that promotes buying from small local businesses across the Lehigh Valley.
The details
Zen Cafe occupies a storefront owned by Amicus Properties on West Morton Street in the South Bethlehem area. The owners drew design and menu inspiration from Japanese and Scandinavian culture, which shapes both the high-end coffee and matcha offering and the Japanese sandos on the menu. Because the owners already operate Donerds Donuts, the new location extends an existing multi-concept business rather than starting from a single product line.
Timeline
May: The West Morton Street storefront became vacant before Zen Cafe leased it.
Monday, November 2, 2026: Zen Cafe held its grand opening.
Peak holiday season: The cafe opened ahead of the busiest visitor period in Bethlehem, the Christmas City.
Market Landscape
Bethlehem's population and business investment have grown steadily over the past 20 to 30 years, and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce promotes buying from small local businesses to keep that growth local. Zen Cafe's opening in a previously vacant South Bethlehem storefront fits that pattern of independent operators filling commercial space as the city draws holiday visitors.
Operators of independent food businesses in Bethlehem should watch how a new coffee concept performs against existing cafes during the peak holiday visitor season. Commercial landlords with vacant ground-floor space can take Zen Cafe's six-month vacancy turnaround as one data point when pricing their own storefronts.
The takeaway
Independent operators opening during the holiday season face a short window to build a customer base before slower months arrive. Track foot traffic and repeat visits through the first winter, since that data will show whether a multi-concept owner like Zen Cafe can sustain a second location's pace.
Further reading
For more context on other new and departing businesses, browse Openings & Closings coverage across the city.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WFMZ.
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