Qahwah House RVA — Restaurant in Richmond

I recently visited Qahwah House RVA with my wife, and it was a refreshing experience. I used to frequent this spot when it was a bookstore during my days at VCU, so it was nice to see it transformed into a vibrant coffee shop. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, with the rich aroma of coffee filling the air, paired with Arabic music that set a relaxing tone.

We tried the pistachio coffee and the Yamani coffee, both of which were delicious and unique in flavor. The coffee truly stood out, and it was clear a lot of care went into crafting these drinks. However, the pastries we sampled didn’t quite match the quality of the coffee. They were fine, but nothing extraordinary—they didn’t offer the burst of flavor I was hoping for.

Service was generally good, but there were a couple of hiccups. Our drinks and pastries were ready, but the device they give you to alert you when your order is ready didn’t seem to work, so we were left waiting without a notification. It would be helpful if there was a screen menu available for customers to view before getting to the register, especially as we had a bit of a wait (around 25 minutes) due to the five or so people ahead of us.

Overall, Qahwah House RVA is a great spot with a lot of potential. The vibe, coffee, and overall experience are fantastic, though some small tweaks—like improving the pastry offerings and the efficiency of the ordering system—could elevate the experience even further. I'll definitely be back to enjoy the coffee and...

Went with friends for Grand Opening night. The place looks absolutely amazing inside and has glass so that you can see the staff making the drinks. Make sure to check the website for pictures of all the items!

The prices are very fair! about $8 for most drinks and $6/7 for pastries

IMPORTANT note about the coffee, you must express that you want it sweet! If you do not it will be basically like it has no sugar and it is quite strong, especially if you ask them to Frappe the drink. Just express it the staff are really nice and understanding.

The Drinks: The Matcha Tea - from what I was told it was average and quite fine.

Tima Drink (Pictured) - A definite favorite for those that love a sweet cold drink because it is Tea with Ice cream & a few other things. (Very Sweet!).

The pastries: Crème Brûlée Tart - Has a very light taste, not too sweet. The top has the lightly melted sugar pieces so this tart is yellow in the display case.

Sabaya (pictured)- I feel is a slight acquired taste but you may find it quite good, strong flavor comes with honey

Khaliat Alnahl (Honeycomb) - A certain favorite of our table. Very nice taste with the cream cheese &...

I had to change my initial review, which I originally left five stars. It’s a shame because I really wanted to support the business but I have seen a steady decline in service.

Qawah used to be very welcoming and a nice environment to stay for a while and have a few chai. It’s now become unpleasant to stay at. The manager or owner will ask if you’ve ordered something the moment you sit down, regardless of how long you’ve been there. We were pressured at the register to buy a pot of tea instead of a cup because the employee said his manager doesn’t like people lingering. The last few times I’ve been in, it’s been nearly empty. You’d think they would want people to stay a while and re-order food or drink. This is bad business.

I suggest the owners re-think their hostile approach given there’s five other coffee shops within a mile radius of them. Richmond is small and filled with accommodating coffee houses that don’t treat their...