Karak House Coffee Co. Plans New Spring Cafe at Shops at Louetta Oaks
Spring area residents will soon have another place to meet for coffee, chai, pastries and conversation as Karak House Coffee Co. prepares to open a new cafe at Shops at Louetta Oaks.
The new Karak House location is planned for 1650 Louetta Road, Suite 500, in Spring, TX 77388, according to project information filed for the renovation. The cafe will be located in Harris County inside the Shops at Louetta Oaks development, adding another food and beverage option along a busy local corridor that serves nearby neighborhoods, commuters, families and small businesses.
For residents searching for new coffee shops in Spring, the project signals continued interest in neighborhood-focused retail spaces that give people somewhere close to home to gather, work, grab a treat or slow down for a few minutes during a full day.
From Existing Restaurant Space to New Cafe
The upcoming Karak House cafe is planned as a renovation and alteration project, converting the former El Gordo Sabor Latino restaurant space into a new cafe. The project covers approximately 1,491 square feet, with an estimated construction cost of $235,243.
Work is scheduled to begin July 31, 2026, with a listed completion date of November 5, 2026. As with any construction or renovation project, opening timelines can shift depending on permitting, buildout progress and final inspections, but the filing offers a clearer look at the brand’s plans for Spring.
For the Louetta Road area, the project is another example of how existing commercial spaces are being refreshed to meet changing neighborhood demand. Instead of a large ground-up development, this buildout focuses on adapting an existing restaurant space for a new cafe concept — the kind of smaller, practical investment that can still change how residents experience a shopping center.
What Karak House Brings to the Neighborhood
Karak House Coffee Co. describes itself as an authentic Karak chai and specialty coffee brand built around hospitality, handcrafted drinks and a family story.
The company was founded in 2023 and opened its first cafe in Laguna Hills, California. According to the brand, the idea began simply, with friends, a kitchen and the phrase, “let's have some Karak.” From there, Karak House grew around a goal of bringing the chai experience its founders grew up with into a modern cafe setting.
The company’s own story is rooted in a simple line: “One shop. One ritual.”
That personal origin is part of what may make the Spring location feel different from a standard coffee chain. Karak House was founded by three brothers — Junaid Malik, Zohaib Malik and Rohail Malik — who built the brand around family, tradition and the kind of hospitality that treats the cafe counter less like a transaction point and more like a living room.
The company describes its approach this way: “Family-owned. Community-rooted. Built to share.”
That message could connect naturally in Spring, where residents often look for casual local gathering spots that work for everything from quick coffee runs to after-school treats, informal meetings and weekend catchups.
The Story Behind the Brand
Karak House has grown quickly since its 2023 founding. The brand says it has expanded from one cafe to 14 locations and growing, with shops opening or planned across California, New York, North Carolina, Arizona, Virginia, Illinois and Texas.
Its locations include cities and communities such as Laguna Hills, San Diego, Torrance, Great Neck, Charlotte and Tempe, with other listed markets including Yorba Linda, Naperville, Falls Church, Anaheim, Culver City and Corona.
The Spring cafe would bring that growing national footprint into northwest Harris County, introducing local customers to a brand that blends specialty coffee culture with Karak chai, Middle Eastern-inspired flavors, Indo-Pak influences and house-made desserts.
Founder and CEO Junaid Malik, who was born and raised outside Detroit, leads the company with experience spanning supply chain, sales, marketing, coffee and franchising. Zohaib Malik, co-founder and operations and franchise director, focuses on systems, standards and growth. Rohail Malik, co-founder of marketing and communications, guides the storytelling and brand identity behind the company.
For Karak House, the family story is part of the product. As the brand puts it, “Every cup carries a story — we wanted to share ours.”
What Is Karak Chai?
For residents who have not tried it before, Karak chai is a rich, spiced tea traditionally made with black tea, milk and spices, often simmered for a deeper flavor. At Karak House, the signature drink is made with black tea, fresh milk and the company’s house spice blend, simmered slowly rather than built from instant powders or syrup-only shortcuts.
That focus on slow preparation is central to the company’s identity. Karak House says its drinks and food are made with real ingredients, handcrafted by people who care about the finished cup. Its slogan, “Brewed slow, shared often,” reflects the social side of chai culture — not just grabbing a drink, but lingering over it.
For Spring families and residents, that may translate into a cafe experience that feels more relaxed and communal than a typical drive-through coffee stop.
A Menu Built Around Chai, Coffee and Desserts
Karak House Coffee Co.’s menu includes specialty teas, signature lattes, espresso drinks, refreshers, pastries and desserts. The brand’s most recognized item is its Signature Karak Chai, served hot or iced and available in a share-pot format.
Other house favorites include the Karak Latte, which combines the brand’s karak spice with espresso and steamed milk, and the Date Cardamom Latte, made with espresso, milk, dates and cardamom.
For customers looking for iced drinks, the menu includes options such as Iced Pistachio Spanish Latte, Mango Cold Foam Matcha, Iced Strawberry Matcha and Iced Pistachio Latte. The cafe also offers espresso classics such as cappuccino, Americano, mocha latte, vanilla latte, honey lavender latte, rose latte and pour-over or drip coffee.
The refreshers menu leans bright and fragrant, with drinks such as Rose Mint Lemonade, Cucumber Mint Limeade, Mango Mint Lemonade and Lavender Mint Lemonade.
On the dessert side, Karak House highlights milk cake, cheesecake, croissants, macarons, assorted cookies and its Pistachio Knafeh Cookie, a house-made signature with a crispy knafeh shell and pistachio cream inside.
The brand’s cafe menu is also supported by an online store offering signature blends, specialty single-origin coffee beans, merchandise and gift sets for customers who want to bring the experience home.
Why This Matters for Spring Residents
New cafes often become more than places to buy coffee. In growing communities like Spring, they can become casual meeting points — where parents stop after school drop-off, remote workers open laptops, neighbors meet between errands and families pick up dessert after dinner nearby.
The Shops at Louetta Oaks location places Karak House along a familiar local route near established neighborhoods and daily traffic patterns. That matters because convenience often shapes whether a cafe becomes part of a resident’s routine.
For local businesses and nearby property owners, the renovation also reflects continued activity in Spring’s neighborhood retail market. A new cafe can help increase foot traffic within a shopping center, support nearby tenants and give residents more reasons to spend time close to home rather than driving farther for specialty coffee or dessert.
It also adds variety. Spring already has a strong mix of national chains, local restaurants and neighborhood service businesses. Karak House would bring a more specialized concept centered on authentic Karak chai, specialty lattes and house-made pastries — a menu that stands apart from many traditional coffee shop offerings.
Built Around Hospitality
Karak House emphasizes three core values: hospitality first, handcrafted products and growth rooted in community. The company says it treats the bar like a living room, focuses on traditional brewing and same-day baked pastries, and aims to grow with operators who care about the guest experience.
That approach is especially relevant as the brand enters new markets. Rapid growth can sometimes make a concept feel less personal, but Karak House says its goal is to scale without losing the spirit that shaped the first cafe.
Zohaib Malik’s guiding phrase for the operation side of the company is, “Strong recipe, stronger systems.”
Rohail Malik’s approach to brand storytelling is captured in another company quote: “Every cup carries a story — we just help tell it.”
Together, those ideas help explain how Karak House is positioning itself as it expands into Texas: a growing franchise, but one still tied to family, ritual and a slower style of hospitality.
What Happens Next
Construction on the Spring Karak House cafe is currently scheduled to begin July 31, 2026, with completion listed for November 5, 2026. Once the renovation is complete, the project would still need to move through the final steps typically required before opening, which may include inspections, hiring, training and local launch preparations.
No official opening date has been provided in the project information shared, but the buildout details offer a strong sign that Karak House is preparing to bring its chai and coffee concept to the Louetta Road area.
For Spring residents who enjoy trying new cafes, supporting growing food concepts or finding local places to gather, Karak House Coffee Co. will be one to watch as the Shops at Louetta Oaks buildout moves forward.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for updates on new restaurants, coffee shops, retail openings and community development across Spring and northwest Harris County.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
