New Coffeehouse Opens on So. Pacific Avenue

Fulfilling her long-time dream, a San Pedro woman and her husband have opened a coffeehouse on Pacific Avenue in coastal San Pedro.

Located just south of 22nd Street, Dro City Coffee serves espresso drinks, tea and pastries. It has a few sidewalk tables and an intimate patio where poetry readings will be held on summer nights.

“I’m Italian and I grew up drinking coffee,” said owner Margaret Becnel. “I always said that one day I’m going to have a coffeehouse.”

Becnel and her husband, Arnulfo Arochi, are lifelong San Pedrans and 1989 San Pedro High School graduates. They leased the property in late 2006 and recruited their many friends to help remodel it.

Coffeehouse owners Margaret Becnel and Arnulfo Arochi with their daughter Brianna, 10.

Feeling “happy and nervous,” Becnel is leaving her job as a surgical technician to work full-time at the coffeehouse.

Becnel says customers can expect friendly, fast service and a familiar coffee taste every visit. After extensive sampling, Becnel chose a brand of premium Italian coffee and plans to re-order the same blend to maintain a consistent flavor of coffee.

An economical, independent alternative to chain coffee houses, Dro City’s specialty espresso drinks are no more than $1.95 for a small and $2.95 for a large. A large brewed coffee is $2.

The name Dro is short for Pedro, short for San Pedro.

Dro City Coffee, 2210 S Pacific Ave., (310) 833-3122. Open daily 6 a.m.-sundown.