There’s a bright pink coffee shop on Burnet Road where the latte tastes like baklava, the sourdough might come stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella, and cartoon cats with martial arts skills are part of the décor.
Welcome to Neon Belly Coffee & Bakery, where owners Kat Wainwright and Tony Latto have created a neighborhood gathering place that is intentionally colorful, decidedly unconventional, and deeply personal.
The idea took shape after the pandemic, when Latto, a longtime designer with a serious love of coffee, began thinking about creating a place where people could reconnect face to face. Wainwright, a real estate broker with a growing passion for baking, brought another ingredient to the mix.
Together, they created what Wainwright calls a “love letter” to the city she has considered home for decades.
“I have such a deep, deep love for the greater Austin area,” she says. “This is absolutely home.”
Even the name tells part of their story. Neon Belly is a playful riff on “knee on belly,” a jiu-jitsu position and a nod to Latto’s longtime involvement in the sport. The cats scattered throughout the branding are a wink at Kat, despite her insistence that she is actually a dog person. Their daughters, two of whom are designers, also contributed to the shop’s look, including the Kung Fu Kitty featured on Neon Belly’s signature coffee blend.
The family wanted the shop to feel different from the beginning.
“We wanted to look different, feel different,” Wainwright says. Rather than follow an established coffee-shop formula, they embraced bright colors, neon, and playful details designed to bring a little joy through the door.
But personality only gets you so far without good coffee.
Neon Belly works with local roasters including Creature Coffee, Flora Coffee, and Armadillo Coffee Co., which collaborated with the couple to develop the Kung Fu Kitty blend. Supporting fellow Austin businesses is intentional, Wainwright says, whether they’re sourcing coffee or something else for the shop.
Then there’s the bakery.
Wainwright’s interest in baking developed partly from a desire to slow down after years spent working behind a computer. At Neon Belly, that passion has grown into a menu of cookies, cakes, sourdough and rotating creations, with contributions from young bakers Wainwright has mentored through Austin Community College’s culinary program.
Most treats are intentionally individual-sized. Mini sourdough loaves and small cakes allow customers to indulge without committing to an entire loaf or full-size dessert.
First-timers looking for the quintessential Neon Belly order should start with the shop’s best-selling baklava latte, inspired by Latto’s Greek heritage and flavored with pistachio, honey, and cinnamon.
Pair it with the pepperoni sourdough, served with marinara, or grab a chocolate chip cookie — if they haven’t already sold out.
But coffee and baked goods are only part of what Wainwright and Latto wanted to build.
Before Neon Belly even opened, the couple joined the Pillow Elementary PTA and neighborhood association, supported Burnet Middle School, and sponsored McCallum High School cheerleaders. The shop now hosts an artisan market on the first Sunday of each month through the end of the year, bringing local makers into the space and strengthening the neighborhood connections its owners envisioned from the start.
The response has exceeded their expectations. Wainwright says neighbors who watched the long-vacant space transform arrived as soon as the doors finally opened in November 2025 and have kept coming.
For her, that connection is ultimately what distinguishes Neon Belly.
“Come to Neon Belly if you’re looking for community,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an absolute first-timer walking in. You’re my friend now.”
And if you’re still wondering about the unusual name?
Their tagline offers one final wink: “If you know, you know.”
Neon Belly is located at 8312 Burnet Rd, Unit 101, 78757.
“Come to Neon Belly if you’re looking for community. It doesn’t matter if you’re an absolute first-timer walking in. You’re my friend now.”