Karak House Coffee

In 2023 and 2024, hyper-aggressive franchising of Yemeni coffee chains including Qamaria Coffee, Haraz Coffee House, and Qahwah House seemed to guarantee that these names would be all over Orange County by 2025, but some entrepreneurs have taken the same concepts and run with them – Karak House Coffee is the latest to appear, and like others, it has a unique combination of strengths and distinctions. Located in a Laguna Hills plaza near Mission Viejo and Irvine, the shop combines a particularly impressive dessert collection with fair to good coffee and tea drinks.

Though Karak’s menu is very similar to ones we’ve seen exclusively at Yemeni cafes, its name refers to a chai-style Indian and Middle Eastern milk tea, and there’s no specifically Yemeni decor, plating, or coffee thrust – its website refers broadly to influences across the region, noting that Karak chai sourced from Assam, India is “our passion,” and coffee from Ethiopia is “our companion,” with a hint on social media regarding Pakistani origins. Unlike Qamaria, which emphasizes presentation of piping hot and super strong coffee pots, Karak sells coffees only in medium, large, or large iced cups, while teas can be ordered medium (shown), large, or by the shared pot.

We tried the Iced Pistachio Latte ($7.50), their most expensive drink, which looked beautifully multi-hued but had only a recessed pistachio flavor, a Red Velvet Latte that was similarly nicely colored but more sweet than distinctly flavored, and a Rose Latte that wasn’t amazing, but at least had more than hints of floral flavor and aroma. By contrast, their Signature Karak Chai was a very typical cup of Indian-style milked black tea with cardamom and ginger, properly balanced in sweetness and bitterness, while not standing out in any way on spicing.