Qahwah House Coffee - Columbus — Restaurant in Columbus

I live in a neighboring apartment building and am thrilled that Qahwah opened! I stopped by for their soft open and my senses were immediately greeted by the smell of fresh coffee infused with the warmest, coziest of spices drifting through the air; bright, mellow and smooth voices singing in Arabic accompanied by beautiful, plucky guitars; and most importantly, smile after smile — every patron and barista boasting with kindness and excitement.

Indulging in Qahwah is much like walking in. At the barista's recommendation, I ordered the Jubani, made with:

light roast coffee, medium roast coffee + Cascara (coffee husks), which gives the drink a more tea-like flavor and consistency

ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom

I also ordered the Honeycomb, a soft, bubbly bread with bursts of sweet cream cheese, toasted, drizzled with honey and sesame seeds.

To my ecstatic surprise, a Jubani for here is carefully brewed in a clear glass coffee pot set over another piece of glass with a tea candle to keep your fresh qahwah warm for the entire duration of your indoor enjoyment. Not only fun, but for someone like me who likes to post up at a coffee shop for hours at a time, the self-reheating coffee is both a beautiful and a practical plus for long work-from-home days.

Now, onto the Jubani itself! I love ginger in all its forms, and this powerful root packs the punch it rightfully deserves in this deliciously spicy light-roast coffee beverage. More warm notes of cinnamon and cardamom round out the ginger's bright zing. I opted for a little bit of sugar, but this drink would do just fine on its own without the added sweetness!

The Honeycomb, with its soft, subtle flavors, pairs well with this spicy wake-me-up. I recommend eating the whole thing while it's warm for full mouthwatering effect.

This is THE coffee shop for you if you're tired of every "signature" coffee drink being pumped full of sugar. Qahwah offers unique and traditional coffees infused with incredible spice blends I have not seen anywhere else in Columbus.

As for the service, WOW. Everyone has been so kind and patient during an extremely busy opening day!! Absolutely impressive, and I can't wait to come back! The owner has been walking around greeting folks and supporting barista's with orders. Wishing him and the whole team all the best as they work to open 20+ locations across the U.S. by the end of the year!

Wherever you live in Columbus, make sure to stop at Qahwah. The staff's attention to detail, care for their craft, and incredibly kind customer service is unlike any coffee shop experience I've had in this city, and I've been here since 2014. The only coffee shop that comes close is Parable! The two are on par for service, style, and menu, but each are on their own wavelength, which is really exciting for all of us...

This is literally the only coffee shop open late anymore in Columbus! I came here expecting the place to look and feel like a tacky, poorly decorated hookah bar with coffee but to my surprise, not only is it incredibly well decorated and built, but the menu is legit and drinks/food slaps hard. This is the only place I know of in town that offers up authentic Arab (specifically Yemeni) drinks and food, with the vibe of a proper western store. The staff were all kind and considerate, helpful and welcoming. My cashier was actually excited to introduce me, a regular middle-aged white American guy to the menu options. It’s all new construction and the interior is all new, there’s plenty of natural lighting and since the front faces north, it’s comfortable in the day without the sun casting a shadow on my laptop. The place is Immaculately clean too. I’m impressed and will be back. It’s also huge inside and they have acoustic panels on the ceiling that help prevent conversation from carrying across the room. I only have two criticisms: 1) They really need to add in more electrical receptacles since there’s only a few for such a big space. To the ownership, you can get an electrician in here to and 1/2” metal conduit with metal junction boxes for a not much money. 2) The parking is sparse but I made it work. Maybe it’s possible to do a deal with a neighboring business and have some designated parking...

After my first experience at a Yemen cafe, I was really excited to try this one. A big part of why I love international style establishments is their atmosphere I get immersed in while I am trying their food. This place, unfortunately, just felt like a big empty dining area with a couple Yemen wall art pieces. It was spotless and well taken care of, but it felt very cold in there (not temperature wise). The menu had a good number of Yemeni items, and I tried the iced Adeni chai and iced Yemeni latte. The ingredients listed for each were very intriguing, but the words were better than the drinks. Don’t get me wrong, they tasted good, but the flavors didn’t pop for me. I feel like I can make a latte at home and add cardamom and would get the same result. They also have a dessert case, which all looked very good, but none of them were labeled. This caused a longer wait time because people needed to ask what each dessert was. To save time I just ordered the red velvet cake since it was the only thing that looked familiar to me. It was good, but something about it didn’t taste homemade to me. I really hope I’m wrong and I hope to come back and try their other desserts. The staff were extremely nice and kept checking in on me to make sure I enjoyed everything. They also have a buzzer system for orders, which is nice so you don’t have to wait around standing. I recommend trying this place...