In 2017, when Employees Only announced it was opening a Miami Beach outpost at the Washington Park Hotel, Blagojevic and Zaletska, who are both partners in business and in life, jumped at the opportunity to move to the Sunshine State to help with the expansion. The bar shuttered a year later, but Blagojevic and Zaletska stayed put, working hard for the next few years to save up to open their own business.
"It just became a dream of ours to own the coffee shop one day," Blagojevic adds. Since we've been in hospitality, it was kind of a natural way of staying in hospitality, but doing something that we really were passionate about."
The Coffee Truck That Started It All
Naughty Coffee was born in 2019 as a coffee truck, first popping up at the First Presbyterian Church in Brickell in a custom Volkswagen Camper. Eventually, the pandemic slowed the momentum; however, it also brought new opportunities."Aventura Mall has this farmer's market inside the mall on Saturdays and Sundays, and they invited us to come — it was in the middle of the pandemic," Blagojevic says. "We did, like, four or five weeks at the market, and then Jackie Soffer, the owner of the mall, really liked our truck and asked, 'Do you guys want to stay full-time at the mall?'"
With a permanent space secured, Naughty Coffee quickly amassed a clientele of regulars who appreciated Blagojevic and Zaletska’s carefully crafted brews, whether it was lattes, cappuccinos, or cortados. In 2023, Naughty Coffee expanded with a second coffee truck at Dadeland Mall. However, Blagojevic and Zaletska's ultimate goal was to open a brick-and-mortar location. "The truck was what we could do at that time; it was just our savings. The shop was always a dream, something we always wanted to have,: Blagojevic adds.
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Downtown Miami Dream Becomes a Reality with Full Menu
Last month, that dream became a reality when Naughty Coffee expanded to downtown Miami. Beyond just offering coffee-based drinks, the added space also allows the team to develop the café’s food offerings, which include avocado toast, a couscous bowl, and a burrata salad. The team has also taken it upon themselves to roast coffee onsite."We still have a full coffee menu at the coffee trucks. Our mission has always been to give you as much as we can and more from the truck, and we did maximize the very limited space. But the brick-and-mortar location really offers a lot more," Blagojevic explains.
"We can do some things that we have always wanted to do. Coming from the restaurant industry, working behind the bar for a long time, we always wanted to have coffee drinks a little bit more elevated, in a sense, just to give you a little more for your money. We have our classic menu, but we also wanted to give a little more to people who want to try something exciting and different."
Ultimately, what Blagojevic hopes sets Naughty Coffee apart from the competition is the hospitality it offers. "It's always hospitality first — being warm and welcoming, treating people like they are coming to our house. On top of that, we try to deliver very good drinks. We also like having a fun approach — nothing too serious. It's a place where people can just come daily and become part of it, in a sense, rather than just grab and go."
Naughty Coffee. 101 NE Second Ave., Miami; 347-283-5609; naughtycoffeeshop.com.
