Babaloo Coffee Club, the globally inspired coffee shop that built a following in South End, is expanding to South Charlotte with a second, much larger location planned for Rea Farms. The new cafe, set for 9825 Sandy Rock Pl., is expected to run about 1,500 square feet, roughly three times the size of the original shop, and will finally give the growing brand room for a kitchen, more indoor seating and an outdoor area.
Husband-and-wife restaurateurs Manny Pérez Ochoa and Carolina Maury own Babaloo Coffee Club, and they first debuted the concept in a South End storefront before setting their sights on South Charlotte, according to Axios. Pérez Ochoa said the Rea Farms location will have more indoor seating, an outdoor area and a small kitchen, per the outlet's report. That kitchen is expected to allow for increased food offerings beyond what the compact South End shop has been able to serve.
From Takeout Window to Full Cafe
The South End flagship opened in January 2025 at 1425 Winnifred St. in The Shops at Winnifred, and it has operated largely as a takeout-and-drinks spot with just a couple of tables inside. That tight footprint has shaped the brand's identity around creative coffees and matchas rather than a full food menu, with empanadas and pastries also on offer.
The Rea Farms build-out is designed to change that equation without losing what made the original shop popular. Babaloo intends to maintain a small, cozy feel even as it triples its physical space, giving customers room to sit down while still leaning on the brand's signature drink menu.
Where Babaloo Fits at Rea Farms
According to Rea Farms, the South Charlotte neighborhood is a mixed-use development designed to combine residential, retail, dining and other amenities. The development says it includes apartments, active-adult housing options and a K-8 magnet school within walking distance of those amenities.
Babaloo's planned cafe would add a coffee-and-food concept to that broader retail and dining environment. Foundry Commercial lists Rea Farms retail spaces ranging from approximately 441 to 2,771 square feet, placing the planned 1,500-square-foot Babaloo within the development's listed retail range.
What's on the Menu, and What's Still Unknown
Babaloo's offerings include La Colombe coffee, empanadas, pandebonos and breakfast and lunch sandwiches, according to the outlet's earlier South End coverage. The tiramisu latte remains a best-seller companywide.
The Rea Farms location is targeting a late October or November 2026 opening, though no exact date has been confirmed. Planned hours are set for 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, positioning the cafe for both weekday commuters and weekend foot traffic in the growing South Charlotte development.
A Growing South Charlotte Food Scene
Foundry Commercial's Rea Farms listing identifies available retail space at 9855 Sandy Rock Place, while Babaloo's announced address is 9825 Sandy Rock Place. The listing provides development-wide context for the planned cafe's size rather than confirming details of Babaloo's specific lease.
The expansion also lands amid a steady pace of new business openings across Charlotte, with Axios reporting in March that local business owners described openings as remaining consistent through 2026. Coffee and cafe concepts have been part of that churn elsewhere in the region too; Texas-based La La Land Kind Cafe has separately announced plans to open in the former Bitty & Beau's space at 1930 Camden Road, according to What Now Charlotte.
For now, Babaloo's South End shop remains the only place to get its drinks and snacks in person, but the Rea Farms build-out signals a shift toward a fuller sit-down cafe experience. Customers in South Charlotte will have to wait for a confirmed date before the second location's kitchen and patio officially open for business.
