Qahwatea Coffee, located at 15957 Manchester Road, is Ellisville’s up-and-coming late night spot for coffee, tea and good conversations.
Qahwatea is a family-run business owned by Moe Safi, Hamzah Alshami and Tiger Safi. The idea bloomed over a Thanksgiving dinner between the two families, and soon developed into a reality.
“We joined forces and then we created a Yemeni coffeeshop. We both love coffee, we’ve known each other for such a long time, and every time we go out of town, we always [check out a new coffee shop and] get coffee,” Safi said. “So it kind of made sense that we would go into the coffee industry [together], and we joined forces to make some crazy [delicious] coffee.”
Qahwatea had a soft opening on Sept. 22, and their grand opening is planned for Saturday, Sept. 27. The cafe’s hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.
Unlike other coffeehouses in the area, the nighttime hours provide a liquor-free alternative for friends to meet up. According to Safi, since there isn’t a strong party culture in Yemen, locals prefer coffee shops for their late-night hangout.
“People have meetings late at night. People have to study late at night. People want to come and chill late at night,” Safi said. “There’s so much stuff that goes on late at night that people don’t think about today.”
Qahwatea’s decor is meant to transport patrons into a traditional Middle Eastern home. Sip on your beverage while lounging on a hand-stitched Yemeni wicker chair, or opt for an Arabic-style seating area with cushions.
“And this is what that [vibe] is in a [traditional Yemeni] coffee shop, which is the vibe you want to give: more of an ‘at home’ vibe,” Safi said.
As you walk around the cafe, the walls are adorned with Moroccan paneling, akin to a conventional Yemeni home, Safi explained. The wooden panels alongside the Arabic seating area are engraved with a beautiful, floral geometric pattern. Murals depicting different scenes of Yemeni life adorn the walls: murals ranging from native Yemeni Socotra dragon trees to a depiction of Old Sanaa, one of the oldest cities in the world.
But what makes Yemeni coffee so different? According to Safi, coffee originated in Yemen; particularly from the city of Al Mokha, from which the word “mocha” was derived.
“If you want to come discover coffee’s origin, then you have to come to [a] Yemeni coffee shop. You can’t go to your typical [neighborhood] coffee shop,” Safi said.
For the coffee aficionados, don’t leave without trying their specialty coffee drinks. The Qahwatea Latte, infused with traditional Yemeni spices, is described as a “mouthful of explosions of flavor on your tongue.”
The pistachio iced coffee is a beautiful cross-section of espresso, milk and pistachio cream at the bottom. It is meant to be shaken vigorously before drinking, Safi explained.
The Jubbani coffee is unlike anything you’ve tried: light roast coffee with an aromatic flavor profile of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cascara (the peel of the coffee cherry).
Looking for a coffee alternative? The Adani Chai comes to your table piping hot. The smooth black tea contains hints of cardamom, ginger, and vanilla that excites the senses. Or try the strawberry matcha latte, a drink that’s pleasant on both the eyes and the taste buds.
The drinks pair deliciously with Qahwatea’s pastries, such as the viral Dubai croissants, and a variety of cheesecakes, from strawberry cheesecake to Kunafa cheesecake. Don’t forget a Yemeni staple, the honeycomb bread: soft bread soaked in a sugar syrup and stuffed with cheese. For an Instagram-worthy dessert, order the fruit mousse. The mousse is almost like an edible Russian nesting doll; each layer brings with it a delectable surprise. The dessert’s chocolatey outer shell breaks with a satisfying crack, revealing the rich mousse inside. Dig a little deeper, and let your taste buds enjoy the third and final layer, the fruit jam.
Qahwatea (pronounced Ka-Wa-Tea) is a wordplay between Arabic and English, Safi explained. In Arabic, ‘Ti’ means “my,” and it rhymes with the word “tea” in English. When combined with the Arabic word “Kahwa,” which means coffee,the name Qahwatea cleverly translates in English to “my coffee.”
Follow Qahwatea on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more updates.