As new parents, coffee is a daily necessity. After seeing posts on Facebook raving about the new coffee shop around the corner from us, we knew we had to try it out. All we knew before visiting was that it had caffeine. Boy, were we in for a treat without even knowing it!

The East African Coffee House opened in late July along Morse Road. Nestled in the corner of Styler and Morse, it joined long-standing Buffalo Wild Wings and the new Pizza Nerds in the plaza. The family-owned business has earned quite a reputation, garnering 4.9 stars on Google from over 100 reviews in just over two months.

The store itself is a blend of warmth and modern aesthetics. If our newborn would allow it, I would be writing this email there while enjoying a snack and coffee. However, we are “to-go” people for now. The front case displays their baked goods for the day, from delectable sweets to savory Sambuses. 

We did the usual, ordered the recommended and unique products, of course. For our first visit, I couldn’t resist getting the Biscoff latte, and Josh tried the Somali drink called Qahwah. It’s made from coffee husks and contains all sorts of spices that give it the perfect warmth for your stomach. With hints of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, and topped with evaporated milk, it was unlike anything we have tried before. It reminded me of a chai tea, but dare I say it was even better than a chai?! We loved it so much that we went back AGAIN the very next day. In fact, just writing about it now has my mouth watering for another. It will be hard to stray to a different drink on future visits.

We also had to sample a snack, of course. On day one, we tried the tuna sambuse, and on day two, we ordered the beef version. The warm, flaky pastry was delicious, but what made it was the homemade hot sauce on the side. It had a unique flavor with just the right amount of spice, complementing the sambuse perfectly. After trying both, I preferred the tuna, but I would gladly eat either if offered. In fact, I would sample the whole case of treats if I could.