Write an article about Oud Coffee & Cafe Opens Second Location In Wicker Park .Organize the content with appropriate headings and subheadings (h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6), Retain any existing tags from
WICKER PARK — A cafe owned by a group of Palestinian-American friends offering coffee, Middle Eastern baked goods, salads and sandwiches has opened its second location on the Wicker Park-Ukrainian Village border.
Oud Coffee & Cafe, 2127 W. Division St., is in the midst of a soft opening, with a grand opening planned for next month. This is the second location for Oud; its first cafe opened last summer in River North.
Part of Oud’s mission is to replicate the vibe and atmosphere of cafes found throughout the Middle East, co-owner Ferris Ghassan said in an interview Monday. That means staying open until the early evening — possibly later at the new location — and welcoming groups of friends as well as people looking to study or work on their own for however long they want to hang out.
“In the U.S., you have a lot of social gatherings that are at bars and so forth, but in the Middle East, coffee shops stay open late, and it’s a spot where people go and socialize,” he said. “So that’s something that we wanted to do in our shop as well.”
Oud’s menu features a long list of craft lattes — including the Oud latte with pistachio, mint and cardamom — plus other espresso drinks, tea, Turkish coffee and smoothies.
Food offerings include breakfast sandwiches, salads, waffles and crepes, as well as manakeesh, a savory Lebanese flatbread.
Oud also stocks pastries from local bakeries and has become known for its Dubai chocolate and other desserts, like stuffed dates, tiramisu and baklava.
Ghassan said part of his interest in entering the coffee business came from his father, who has worked as a coffee importer for the past 15 years. Before that, he ran a deli in the Lake Point Tower complex near Navy Pier — a major inspiration for Oud’s food menu.
Ghassan teamed up with several childhood friends to open Oud in River North last year, taking over the former Fabcakes bakery, which now supplies pastries to the coffee shop.
He had been sitting on the name for the cafe for years — “oud” can refer both to a popular Middle Eastern string instrument and a type of wood used in perfume and other fragrances — and thought it embodied the hospitality concept he hoped to create.
The Division Street Oud is about three times bigger than the River North cafe, and it features booths and both smaller and communal tables. The storefront was previously home to a Kanela Breakfast Club.
“Because we have a larger footprint, we have a larger kitchen. We’re looking to expand our menu offering here, more than that you will find at our River North location,” Ghassan said.
Palestinian and Middle Eastern culture is at the heart of the two Oud locations. A mural by a Palestinian artist is underway at Division Street, and oud instruments hang on the walls of each cafe.
“We’re proud to be Palestinian. We’re proud to showcase our culture and where we come from, and what better way to do that than through a cup of coffee and some food?” Ghassan said.
Oud Coffee & Cafe is open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Management plans to announce grand opening details on Instagram.
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