Kahve Cafe SLC — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

We were super excited to try this place because of the great reviews. Truth be told, the cake and food was pretty good, but we were a little disappointed about everything else. Namely with the atmosphere… I am a sucker for unique coffee shops, and Kahve definitely fits the bill. It’s set up in an old home, which immediately I thought was adorable - their decor is very eclectic, vintage, etc… Super cute. The biggest downside is that since it takes place in an older home, the seating is dispersed throughout multiple bedrooms. It’s incredibly awkward to meander throughout the home, popping your head into each bedroom and feeling like you’re encroaching on people’s personal space. And there is ZERO music or any background sounds going on… So in a small bedroom with two other parties, it was just very very awkward and uncomfortably quiet.

As for food, the borek was very yummy however it was heated up poorly. One edge was warm but the rest was room temp/cold so I wasn’t super confident in food safety. (** edit: I apologize I didn’t realize they were kept in a cold case I thought it was room temp) The fig lavender cake was pretty good. I have a feeling it was gluten free because it was very crumbly. The cake flavor was good, but the lavender icing was so sweet it basically tasted like powdered sugar and milk.

The moon milk was also sweeter than I expected, and also fair warning, very chunky :) I wasn’t anticipating a mouthful of solids on my first sip, but - at least they’re using real ingredients I guess.

Lastly, I would highly implore them to move the bussing station to be in a separate area as opposed to right at the ordering counter… Multiple people weaving through the line to bring their dishes to the front counter is really disruptive to the flow and makes it super crowded in that area. But side note, love their dishware.

All in all, I think we would’ve enjoyed our experience a lot more had there been ANY type of background music to brighten the atmosphere. It felt kind of like a dark energy with all of the oracle reading and tarot card signs everywhere, but that’s just my personal opinion. Love the unique factor, but just wasn’t our...

Yum!!! Experience. Ambiance.

I have been dying for a quality Turkish coffee since living in Cairo where this deliciously made delicacy has resided for hundreds of years. Kahve Cafe did not disappoint! I was even more thrilled to find several gluten free options like this wonderful dusted fig cake that had left the oven only a few minutes before.

Turkish coffee is brewed with the grounds in a special heated dish of sand. Kahve takes it to the next level by serving an array of fresh spices that you pick YOURSELF! We had saffron (in honor of my friend who shares the name with the spice) cardamom and ginger in ours. You sip and smell this rich delicacy patiently, all the way down to the grounds which you can leave in your cup, or tip upside down on the saucer and find out your fortune in the dripping patterns.

It was too much fun sitting on floor cushions surrounded by modern art and authentic Turkish antiques from the owners' family. We read our coffee ground fortunes and talked for over an hour. Not time to leave yet! We cleaned up our space and moved to a couch in the second room to enjoy the specialty tea of the day and more good conversation. Like I said, Kahve is an experience and best enjoyed to the full!

Finally, we settled at a small table for lunch and split a couple of Borek pastries and a small selection of the many baklava's, all freshly prepared that day. The pecan chai was HEAVEN. The closest thing I can compare it to is pumpkin spice, but on a whole other level that makes you feel like you're traveling back in time when you bite into it.

Of course you don't have to make every visit as elaborate as this. We're just two travel foodies who knew a treasure like this is best enjoyed over time. And I'm definitely going back, whether all I have time for is coffee and cake or if I can hide away on a long, lazy day with a good book or my research, and sip on bottomless cups of perfectly brewed tea. Maybe I'll...

I thought I'd try the runner up for best hot chocolate as rated by City Weekly. I checked the menu on the website and at the Cafe, both advertised drinking chocolate. That was not available. Instead I was told the moon milk was hot chocolate. I tried the cherry chocolate with oat milk. I wasn't expecting vegan but that's ok. It was fine for what it was but not what I was expecting for runner up. It wasn't very chocolatey. I wasn't impressed with the service. I have found the world isn't very child friendly and I was with my two kids. There was a line which is ok, it went fast. But by the time it was my turn I was ignored. My kids were getting ancy. A man behind me was helped even though he was already served. My youngest started touching the table that is used for dirty dishes. I pulled him away and rather than ask me if I needed to be served the lady just said it was a good thing there were no dirty dishes on it. I continued to wait. Then a different lady, again without asking me if I wanted to order, said there's a kids areas with books. But I couldn't just leave a 3 year old and 16 month old there by themselves. Yes I'd like to visit the kid area but can I just order? I finally had to say please can I order. So I order and after waiting again for what felt like a long time I got my food. I went upstairs since they said that might be better for kids. Never mentioning they had clients up there that probably wouldn't like being disturbed. I didn't know that and my 16 month old was interested in the key pad on a door. He pushed some buttons. A man came out and got upset at us. All in all not a welcoming experience. It was a really cool place, our cake was good. I've just discovered most coffee places hate kids, despite lonely desperate stay at home mom's wanting to get out and have...