MOSES LAKE — It had only been open about an hour and a half, but already The Way Cafe was bustling Tuesday morning. 

“We made it very comfortable in here,” said owner Tatyana Pashkovsky. “There are couches, comfy seating areas. It’s spacious.” 

The Way Cafe held a grand opening Tuesday morning at 319 S. Cedar Street in downtown Moses Lake, in the building that had housed Cedar Street Cleaners since 1986. It took about 13 months to turn a dry-cleaning shop into a cafe, Tatyana said. 

“We completely renovated it from the ground up,” she said. “We redid everything (and) made it very pretty.” 

The décor is simple, mostly white with black furnishings. At the counter there’s a glass case of pastries and other baked goodies. Sandwiches are also available. 

Many of the people in The Way Cafe Tuesday had small children in tow. There were toys and games around the shop to keep children entertained while moms enjoyed their caffeine. 

Tatyana is no stranger to coffee, she said. She operated a coffee cart and spent two years managing Starbucks in Ephrata, she said. 

“I had to learn everything about coffee,” she said. “I was obsessed with it. I can’t survive a day without coffee, and my family is the same way.” 

The Way Cafe also serves matcha, a green tea from Japan, barista Dianna Pashkovsky said.  

“We (flavor it) with honey lavender,” she said. “We have brown sugar, cinnamon. That one’s the most popular now.” 

Boba teas are also a good seller, Tatyana said. She was especially proud of a crème brulee matcha. 

“You put sugar on top and then you actually burn it with a torch,” she said. 

Barista Dianne Pashkovsky said the bubble teas are popular with the younger set. 

“Kids absolutely love it,” she said. “It’s a sparkling water drink with a little sweetener and popping boba. That’s really cool for the summertime.” 

“When I first tried it, I was like, ‘This is so fun,’” Tatyana said. 

One of the popular bubble drinks is called Midnight Sky, with blue raspberry syrup and an orange layer of boba. There’s another boba drink, Dianna said, called the Pretty Girl. 

“It’s pink, with rose petals on top and a pink heart straw,” she said. “It’s really fun. Very cool, especially for the summer.” 

Besides her coffee shop, Tatyana sells real estate, she said. 

The location is a good one for the summer, one customer observed, being right across the street from the Surf ‘n Slide Water Park. 

“In the summertime, we’ll be changing things up,” Tatyana said. “We will have … specials. We will add ice cream, smoothies and (other) summer things. And we have a display fridge, where people can grab and go.”

The Way Cafe

319 S Cedar St.

Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

509-512-5075

    Alina Pashkovsky serves customers at the counter of The Way Cafe in Moses Lake Tuesday.
  

    The Way Cafe drew a pretty good-sized crowd for its grand opening Tuesday.