A new coffee house serving traditional Yemeni brews has settled into one of Columbia's busiest commercial strips. Qahwah Palace Coffee House held a soft opening on September 5 at 616 Harden St. in Five Points, moving into the former H&R Block space next to Bar None, and it's already drawing attention for a menu built around spiced coffee traditions rarely found in the Midlands.
The Five Points location took over a spot along one of the district's busiest retail stretches, according to the Post and Courier, and features private study rooms alongside late-night hours — a combination aimed squarely at the University of South Carolina crowd that fills the neighborhood after dark. During its soft-opening phase, the café is running daily from 2 to 9 p.m., according to The State. The menu leans into Yemeni tradition, offering Qishr, a spiced drink made from light-roast coffee cherry husks brewed with ginger and cinnamon, and Mufawar, a medium-roast coffee boiled with cream and cardamom, alongside more familiar options like a pistachio latte and Mazaj Adni tea, per the same account.
Qahwah Palace describes itself as a provider of authentic Middle Eastern coffee and a cultural gathering spot where stories are shared over steaming cups, according to The State's reporting. The company has said it blends Arabic elegance with contemporary design while honoring tradition and embracing innovation. That framing fits into a much older story: the global coffee trade historically originated through Yemen, where beans grown on mountainous terraced farms were exported through the Red Sea port of Mocha — the very city that lent its name to the modern mocha drink, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A Growing South Carolina Footprint
The Five Points shop is Qahwah Palace's second in South Carolina. The company opened its first state location in downtown Greenville on North Main Street in September 2025, per Upstate Business Journal reporting cited by The State, and it now has two locations statewide. Per its Instagram profile, cited in The State's report, the company plans further South Carolina expansion into Clemson and Charleston, and the Post and Courier adds that the brand is also eyeing Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as part of a broader multi-state push.
Qahwah Palace's arrival adds to a fast-changing local landscape for Middle Eastern coffee concepts. Another specialty shop, Amiriya Coffee House, has previously announced plans to open on Washington Street in Columbia's central business district, the Post and Courier reports. The story was written by longtime reporter Chris Trainor, a retail writer for The State who has covered South Carolina newspapers for more than 21 years, part of the paper's role within the McClatchy media network.
Riding a National Wave
Columbia's new café lands amid a broader boom. Yemeni-American coffee shops were the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. coffee sector in 2025, expanding nationwide by 50%, according to restaurant research firm Technomic as reported by Axios. National chains have backed up that growth with real sales numbers: Haraz Coffee House grew sales by 78.5% in 2025 and Qahwah House increased sales by 56.5%, according to Nation's Restaurant News data reported by Hoodline's coverage of Charlotte's own Yemeni coffee boom. Those gains came even as broader restaurant industry spending contracted.
Setting Up Shop in Five Points
Five Points itself carries its own weight in this story. The district was established in 1915 after the City of Columbia diverted Rocky Branch Creek underground, making it South Carolina's oldest suburban shopping district outside of Main Street, according to the Five Points Association. Commercial development there originally grew up around Columbia's first filling station on Harden Street, and today the district holds the capital city's highest concentration of locally owned independent businesses and a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, the Post and Courier has reported.
Harden Street itself carries about 24,000 cars per day, according to South Carolina Department of Transportation data cited by The State, underscoring just how much traffic — and foot traffic — passes the new café's door. The corridor is also one of Columbia's primary nighttime entertainment districts, which has led municipal leaders to periodically review late-night business rules and public safety, Hoodline has reported. A late-night, alcohol-free study spot near campus fills a niche in a neighborhood that continues to balance its daytime retail heritage with a lively after-dark scene.
