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Qahwatea had a soft opening on Sept. 22, and their grand opening is planned for Saturday, Sept. 27. The cafe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t a strong party culture in Yemen, locals prefer coffee shops for their late-night hangout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“People have meetings late at night. People have to study late at night. People want to come and chill late at night,\u201d Safi said. \u201cThere’s so much stuff that goes on late at night that people don’t think about today.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qahwatea\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd this is what that [vibe] is in a [traditional Yemeni] coffee shop, which is the vibe you want to give: more of an \u2018at home\u2019 vibe,\u201d Safi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u201cmocha\u201d was derived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf 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,\u201d Safi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the coffee aficionados, don\u2019t leave without trying their specialty coffee drinks. The Qahwatea Latte, infused with traditional Yemeni spices, is described as a \u201cmouthful of explosions of flavor on your tongue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Jubbani coffee is unlike anything you\u2019ve tried: light roast coffee with an aromatic flavor profile of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cascara (the peel of the coffee cherry). <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s pleasant on both the eyes and the taste buds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The drinks pair deliciously with Qahwatea\u2019s pastries, such as the viral Dubai croissants, and a variety of cheesecakes, from strawberry cheesecake to Kunafa cheesecake. Don\u2019t 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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Qahwatea (pronounced Ka-Wa-Tea) is a wordplay between Arabic and English, Safi explained. In Arabic, \u2018Ti\u2019 means \u201cmy,\u201d and it rhymes with the word \u201ctea\u201d in English. When combined with the Arabic word \u201cKahwa,\u201d which means coffee,the name Qahwatea cleverly translates in English to \u201cmy coffee.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow Qahwatea on Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> for more updates.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Qahwatea Coffee is Ellisville\u2019s up-and-coming late night spot for coffee, tea and good conversations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":185,"featured_media":47239,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","newspack_collection_is_cover_story":false,"newspack_collection_post_order":0,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"above","newspack_post_subtitle":"The new concept brings Yemeni coffee culture to the St. Louis area ","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4351,66,347,22],"tags":[1434,1436,4356,567,568],"newspack_collection_taxonomy":[],"newspack_collection_section":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[406],"class_list":["post-47238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature-follows","category-features","category-new-and-notable","category-places-2","tag-cafe","tag-open-late","tag-qahwatea-coffee-ellisville","tag-st-louis","tag-stl","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.saucemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Qahwatea-Coffee-Shwetha-Sundarrajan-.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1\")
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