In a space previously occupied by a vegan bakery and coffee shop at 95th and Metcalf, something new is brewing.
It’s been a busy few weeks for Rufaida Elmansi, who is bringing to life an idea to remake an old bakery into her new coffee shop.
But if all goes according to plan, this spring, customers will be getting a taste of Yemeni coffee at her new cafe, R Qahwah Cafe, this spring.
R Qahwah Cafe is coming to 7319 W. 95th St.
- An idea two years in the marking for Elmansi, the coffee shop will open in a space just off 95th Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park.
- Mud Pie Bakery occupied that space for roughly seven years before relocating to Mission in 2024.
- Regular hours for R Qahwah will be 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
R Qahwah Cafe will serve Yemeni coffee in various forms
The menu at R Qahwah Cafe, will serve a variety of coffee drinks (cappuccinos, lattes, you name it) with Yemeni beans.
The green beans will be imported and then roasted locally in Kansas City, with small notes planted around the cafe to educate customers about the origin of the coffee they’re drinking — including the altitude they’re grown at and how that affects flavor.
The cafe will offer some traditional Arabic drinks, including mufawar — a drink made from very finely ground coffee, simmered with spices such as cardamom, and served extremely hot in a glass teapot.
Though Yemeni coffee will be R Qahwah’s “star” of the shop, Elmansi plans to make Japan-sourced matcha central to the menu as well. The cafe will also serve a rotating list of Arabic pastries and sweets.
The cafe’s name comes from the Arabic word for coffee, “Qahwah”.
“My first idea (for the name) was ‘Meet Me for Qahwah,’” Elmansi said with a laugh, recalling how friends gently told her it was too long.
It was her son who suggested “R Qahwah,” tying together the Arabic word for coffee and the first letter of her name.
“I thought, ‘That’s personal,’” and (it’s important) to have your personality in what you’re doing in life, so people can feel it with you,” Elmansi said.
R Qahwah Cafe is a new chapter for its owner
Elmansi’s path to cafe ownership was not linear. She previously spent time working in banking, but for many years, the idea for a cafe percolated, especially during her travels with family when they’d try new food and coffee together.
Leading up to landing the cafe’s Overland Park space, Elmansi spent lots of time obsessing over details: cup sizes, ratios, syrups and, most importantly, beans. Friends and family have served as R Qahwah’s first taste testers.
“I’ve been thinking about it and working on it, and putting every single piece together to make sure that it is what I’m hoping it to be,” she said. “You got to put your love in it for people to feel it. If it’s not like that, then you’re gonna be just a regular store.”
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