Uptown Charlotte is getting a new caffeine ritual. Karak House Coffee is planning to launch a storefront this summer at 220 N. Pine Street, with an eye on an August 2026 opening. The franchised concept, built around Gulf-style karak chai and Middle Eastern-inspired desserts, says it will bring cardamom, rose and saffron notes into the heart of downtown's café lineup as part of a broader national growth push.
Franchise owner Lythe Elhulu, a Charlotte native, told WhatNow Charlotte that guests should expect a coffee experience that feels both fresh and memorable, and said he wants the shop to function as a hangout where people can meet, work and stay awhile. Co-founder Rohail Malik told the same outlet that Charlotte's mix of cultures and interest in global flavors made the city a logical next stop.
The brand, created by brothers Junaid, Zohaib and Rohail Malik, is rolling out a growing line of franchised locations, and Karak House lists Charlotte as a "coming late summer 2026" market. The company pitches its stores as social lounges where guests share pots of karak, linger over specialty lattes and match drinks with Middle Eastern sweets. In Uptown, Elhulu will operate the shop under that franchising model.
Where in Uptown
The Charlotte location is slated for a ground-floor retail condo at the Shops at Fifth & Poplar - 220 N. Pine St., Suite R2 - a roughly 1,828-square-foot space marketed to coffee and food users, according to a leasing brochure from The Nichols Company. The materials call out the storefront's large windows and its position within a Harris Teeter-anchored development that is expected to provide steady foot traffic, giving Karak House direct access to neighborhood residents, daytime office workers and evening visitors in Center City.
What to expect from the menu
WhatNow Charlotte reports that Karak House will lean into ingredients like cardamom, rose, pistachio and saffron across both drinks and desserts, with its namesake karak tea in the spotlight. The chain also layers those flavors into espresso-based lattes and serves a lineup of pastries and shareable sweets meant to encourage guests to settle in rather than rush out.
Karak House highlights franchise support for site selection, design and operations training as it scales. Its locations page currently pegs Charlotte as "coming late summer 2026," and Elhulu said the team plans to release a firm opening date and hiring details as construction moves ahead.
