East African coffee shop to launch in Gahanna

GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) – A new East African coffee shop featuring pastries and desserts will soon launch in Gahanna.

East African Coffee House will open at 4359 Morse Road on Saturday, according to Abdullah Abdullah, who owns the shop with his wife Hodan Ismail.

“We’re just excited to showcase East African tradition and hospitality and culture in a beautiful fashion,” Abdullah said. 

The new coffee shop will feature traditional East African teas and coffees, which Abdullah said often feature unique spice blends. As an example, he pointed to one coffee on the menu called the “Somali Qahwah,” which is made using coffee husks, ginger, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.

The storefront will also offer lattes, refreshers and matcha, along with small dishes including pastries, milk cakes, cheesecakes and tiramisu, according to Abdullah. 

Abdullah said he chose to launch his business in Gahanna because it is close to north Columbus’ large East African community. He hopes to expand the business with more locations in the future. 

Both dine-in and takeout will be offered at the new shop, and the business will register on food service apps such DoorDash in the future, Abdullah said. 

On weekdays, East African Coffee House will likely regularly open at 7 a.m. and potentially close as late as 10 p.m. It will open and close later on weekends, however, Abdullah said the shop’s exact hours have yet to be determined.