Espresso AL brings an Albanian café tradition — and a free kids area — to Six Mile

Business Spotlight

Two friends from Albania opened the Livonia coffee shop around the idea that parents should be able to drink a cappuccino while their kids play a few feet away.

Livonia Thrive

Espresso AL, a coffee shop at 37164 Six Mile Road, was started by two friends, Anxhela and Lorena. The name works two ways: the letters come from the owners' names, and they also stand for Albania, where both are from. The storefront sign carries the tagline "A Family Café."

The pair said they picked Livonia because it felt like a good fit for what they wanted to build, particularly for families.

That focus shaped the layout. In Albania, the owners said, it is common for cafés to include a space where children can play while their parents sit with a coffee — something they missed after moving here. Espresso AL has a kids area, and it is free to use.

The play room sits behind interior windows that open onto the seating area, so parents can see in from their tables. Inside are a play kitchen, a toy register, low shelves of picture books, a bean bag and a chalkboard. One wall is painted with a mural of a coffee shop, with a street sign reading 6 Mile Rd. A wooden high chair sits outside the window on the café side.

Seeing parents get to enjoy their coffee while their little ones play is one of our favorite things about the shop. Espresso AL owners

What's on the menu

The shop serves coffee and espresso drinks, matcha, specialty drinks, sandwiches, desserts and gelato. A sidewalk chalkboard out front lists coffee, gelato, sandwiches and pastries.

Seating runs along the length of the room, with a pastry and gelato case at the counter and menu boards mounted on the wall behind it. There is also patio seating outside the front door.

Espresso AL is still new. The owners said they have been grateful for how welcoming Livonia has been since they opened.