On a recent Tuesday morning, just as Moonbeam Cafe in Oakmont opened its doors and bright sunshine poured in the front windows, operations leader Brooke Arabia greeted Oscar Matous.
Moonbeam Cafe in Oakmont Invites You to Lounge With Your Coffee
Four or five days per week, Matous walks from his apartment on Second Street to the cafe at 636 Allegheny River Boulevard, where he orders an Americano or cold brew before relaxing on a couch to play Wordle while enjoying his drink.
“I don’t even put anything in it because I like their espresso,” he says. “It just tastes smooth.”
Matt and Carrie D’Ambrosio of Indiana Township took over the shop in 2024, grabbing the baton from founder Nina Komaniak, who opened Moonbeam in late 2019.
Despite having full-time jobs in other fields, Carrie D’Ambrosio says the pair was drawn to the strong sense of community in Oakmont. They opted to keep the name of the cafe the same since a moonbeam represents comfort, guidance and hope.
“Those qualities align beautifully with how we want guests to feel when they walk through our doors,” she says. “We saw ourselves not as starting something entirely new but as becoming stewards of a beloved community space and helping it evolve into its next chapter.”
Carrie D’Ambrosio operated Today’s Organic Market, just a few doors down from Moonbeam Cafe, for seven years. The couple’s son, Amani D’Ambrosio, took over co-ownership earlier this year with Larissa Russo Morgan of The Refillery; the younger D’Ambrosio handles the finances at Moonbeam.
Stop for the Coffee, Stay for the Atmosphere
The cafe’s interior, accented by wooden furniture and green foliage, features soft lighting and rotating vendor crafts, such as artificial flower arrangements by Lawrenceville-based Never Fade Floral. Local musicians perform occasionally to add to the atmosphere.
Matt D’Ambrosio says when he thinks of new ideas for the cafe, he keeps his mom, Dori D’Ambrosio, in mind.
“I like a cozy, comfortable atmosphere where nobody feels intimidated,” he says. He sources the cafe’s espresso beans from Nicholas Coffee & Tea Co. Downtown; coffee beans come from Colectivo Coffee in Milwaukee. In addition to the usual coffee, espresso and seasonal specialty drinks, Moonbeam also offers a “European classics” menu with eight rotating features, such as the Italian Marocchino, made of chocolate sauce, cocoa, espresso and milk.
“I’m always researching,” Matt D’Ambrosio says, “to give our customers something different that they might not be able to get from other coffee shops.”
To complement the coffee, fare includes pastries from Harvest Valley Farms, breakfast burritos from Pittsburgh Taco Boys and rotating menu items made in-house.
Eight baristas make up the cafe’s staff, led by Arabia, who Carrie D’Ambrosio says connects with both employees and customers in a way that has fostered the community spirit necessary for Moonbeam’s continued success.
A Team of Baristas Who Care
“The biggest lesson we’ve learned is that when people feel valued, appreciated and empowered, they bring their best selves to the table — and that positively impacts everyone who walks through the door,” Carrie D’Ambrosio says. “What makes Moonbeam truly special is the team behind it. Watching our staff grow, collaborate, support one another and create meaningful relationships with guests has been one of the most rewarding parts of ownership.”
Arabia, of Oakmont, worked for Komaniak for two years and returned eight months ago to the helm of the cafe. Arabia says making coffee for someone is more than just a transaction.
“There’s something really enjoyable about making someone a really nice cup of coffee or a really nice latte and watching the enjoyment on their face when they drink it,” she says, adding that she enjoys learning customers’ birthdays, favorite colors and more. “It’s not just me being their barista, but it feels like a friendship that you build with a lot of people … all over a drink.”
Now people use the cafe as a workspace and linger inside — so much that Arabia tears up considering how people will take seats next to each other and wind up connecting.
“There will be a young person doing their work with an older couple playing cards, sitting at the same table, and they suddenly get to know each other,” she says. “It’s really cool to see.”
Looking ahead, Carrie D’Ambrosio says she wants to continue to strengthen the cafe’s role in the community.
“Our vision has always been bigger than coffee,” she says. “It’s about bringing people together.”
Story by Stacey Federoff
Photos by Laura Petrilla