Walk past a sign that reads “Coffee so good, you’ll forget you’re allergic to cats,” up the steps, and into the corner rowhome that’s now a cheery coffeehouse—with a glassed-in back room full of sleeping cats. This is Affogatto, Baltimore’s only current cat café.
Opened last Friday on the corner of Wolfe and Fleet streets in Fells Point, Affogatto is a 1,000-square-foot space with orange seating, disco balls, cat books for sale, a pastry case filled with Ovenbird baked goods, a shiny Estella espresso machine, and a menu (making use of local Black Acres Roastery coffee) that runs from cortados, cold brews, and pistachio lattes to affogatos—of course—prepped with scoops of Taharka Bros. ice cream. The name is a pun on affogato, the Italian combination of espresso and ice cream, and “gatto,” which is Italian for cat.
Although Affogatto’s owner, Tony Cusimano, is from Glen Burnie, his parents are from Sicily, hence the Italian influence. The genesis of the café, however, dates back to Cusimano’s time in Japan, where he studied a decade ago and where cat cafés have long been popular.
Cat cafés originated in Taiwan a quarter-century ago, quickly spread to Japan, and from there across Asia and eventually to the U.S. and Europe. Although there have been a few cat cafés in Baltimore over the years, they closed, making Affogatto the only place in the city where you can currently share your flat white with a feline—and, ideally, take one home, as all the cats at Affogatto are adoptable.
Cusimano works with area rescues and shelters to bring cats to his café, including the Humane Society of Washington Co. in Hagerstown; Berkeley Co. Humane Society in Martinsburg, WV; and Mercer Co. Animal Shelter in Princeton, WV. Affogatto has four cats who are currently adoptable, plus five kittens that will be old enough to be adopted soon. Cuisimano picked up the kittens from a shelter that had just gone over-capacity, and were in danger of being euthanized.
“We’ve built a place where rescue cats can roam freely outside of kennels and off euthanasia lists,” says Cusimano, who worked in tech for years before quitting to open Affogatto. “There’s a lot happening in the world right now, and we hope this can be a cozy, welcoming spot to catch your breath—with a cappuccino and a cat or two.”
Behind the coffee house, there’s a back patio that will eventually debut as a “catio,” with outdoor café seating, as well as more cats in some capacity. The glassed-in space, or cat lounge, in the back of the café is currently open by appointment, with plans to offer walk-ins in the future.
This is where folks can meet the cats, play with them, socialize them (an important aspect of rescue pets), and hopefully bond enough to take one home. Mirroring another feature of shelters, Affogatto has a website that showcases its cats, with pictures and names—Mocha, Hazelnut, Earl, and Pistachio—links to the adoption application, and information about health status. In the works are free monthly “cat trouble” workshops to help new owners address issues they might encounter.
Affogatto is a remarkably cheerful place, with touches like blonde wood, exposed brick, colorful café posters, local blends from Wight Tea Co., laser pointers for sale at the counter near the Ovenbird kouign-amann, and a Mason jar for cat name suggestions.
Not to be outdone, the cat lounge is pretty happy, as well, with wooden cat trees, toy mice and balls, a bright shag rug, and a disco ball. And do not overlook the bathroom, which has its own disco ball, plus photoshopped artwork featuring Baltimore’s own Divine posing with cats.
Welcome to Baltimore.