Tre Stelle Is a 20-Year-Old's Dream Coffee Shop Made Reality

At the tender age of 20, Texas Tech sophomore Jonathan Ghebreamlak already had concrete plans for his own business: a coffee shop called Tre Stelle (Italian for "three stars").

“It was during my second year of university that I got this idea,” Ghebreamlak says. “My dad was already messing around with different types of coffee at home, and I just fell in love with the drink. I was drinking 2–3 cups of coffee a day to stay up for work, anyways. So I just thought, why don’t I open my own coffee shop?”

We’re sure such dreams are common. But we don’t stumble upon too many 20-year-olds who bring their visions to fruition. According to Ghebreamlak, it was a post-grad trip to Eritrea — homeland of the entrepreneur's parents — that set plans into motion.

“In Eritrea, coffee is a part of our culture,” Ghebreamlak says. “It’s not just about the actual drink there. People meet for coffee because they want to spend quality time together. Me and my dad — we decided on that trip to actually make this a reality.”

Four years later, the father-son-duo’s Dallas coffee shop attracts 150 to 200 loyal coffee-drinkers each day, with coffee that’s pure in caffeine, coffee beans and passion.
Whiffs of freshly roasted coffee were strong, even near closing time on a Thursday afternoon when we stopped by. We enjoyed the pumpkin pie and peaches and cream latte, both of which hide ultra-subtle hints of fall tastes under a flavorful layer of roasted coffee. Simple options like the drip and Americano retail for slightly over $3 a cup, complemented by fancier varieties like the Neapolitan, a strawberry-scented latte  and Matcha Mocha, which has an almost grassy aftertaste. Their specialty dirty horchata, a classic cinnamon horchata muddied by two shots of espresso, beckoned from the overhead menu, but it will have to wait until our next visit. All drinks are best enjoyed hot, crafted with Tre Stelle’s signature house-roasted coffee blend.

“I’ve always loved roasting coffee,” Ghebreamlak says. “Really every part of it is done in shop, from raw green coffee beans all the way to a cup of drinkable coffee. You can taste and smell the freshness in the coffee. That’s what makes us different.”
Hunger is settled by a small but tempting food selection, sourced fresh from Leila, a nearby local cafe. Options like the breakfast sandwich — a layered spinach, egg and garlic aioli sandwich encased by two fluffy burger buns — complement a hearty selection of savory quiches and kolaches. Croissant-muffins, cookies and other pastries also tempt from within glass shelves; they come from Irving’s Montecito Baking Co. We opted for one of the shop’s last few chocolate croissants, served with a warm, flaky crust. As we were told at the counter, the bakery selection is freshly restocked every Friday. Plan your visit accordingly.
Food and drink is best enjoyed in Tre Stelle’s indoor lounging space, a spacious white-walled room that’s decorated comfortably in rustic furniture and hanging plants. Bring a laptop or a book to read while you lounge in the scents of freshly brewed coffee.

“Tre Stelle was also the name of my father’s favorite coffee bar in his home country of Eritrea," Ghebreamlak tells us. "So this is really just our way of bringing a small part of Eritrea’s coffee culture to the city of Dallas.”

Tre Stelle. 17390 Preston Road, No. 210. Monday – Tuesday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Wednesday – Sunday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.