Nosy Neighbors Coffee & Donuts

The inspiration

The shop grew out of customer demand: when Keith Strenger opened his açaí spot Pepo Melo in Claremont Village, people kept asking him to add coffee, and the tiny adjacent space gave him room to try it¹ . The donut half came from his years in San Francisco, where he remembered Trish's Mini Donuts at Fisherman's Wharf drawing crowds who watched the machine churn out bite-sized treats, and he wanted to recreate that feeling in Claremont^1,2 . The name is a nod to the town itself, a close-knit place where, as he put it, everyone knows each other and has something to say³ .

Who's behind it

Keith Strenger is the founder and owner, and he also owns Pepo Melo, the fruit and açaí bowl shop a few doors from the original location^1,4,3 . He opened Nosy Neighbors in October 2021 in a 180-square-foot space next to Pepo Melo, then moved it about two blocks to a larger Yale Avenue building in early 2024 to add indoor seating and a wider menu^1,2,4 .

What to order

• The Just a Girl: strawberry cold foam and espresso, a whimsical signature drink .⁵
• Matcha: ceremonial grade, with seasonal items like a chocolate-covered strawberry mocha .⁴

What people are saying

Students at the Claremont Colleges treat it as a study spot, and reviewers note the dog-friendly vibe⁴ .

Why you should try it

You can watch your donuts being made on the spot, then settle in with a creative latte in a roomy, plant-heavy corner of the Village^1,5 . It is the kind of homegrown shop that started as a tiny experiment and grew into a genuine neighborhood hub^2,4 .