Shaghf Cafe Opens in Katy, Bringing Gulf-Inspired Coffee, Karak Chai and Pistachio Favorites to Katy Freeway
Katy’s growing coffee scene has welcomed another international name, and this one brings flavors and café traditions rooted in the Arabian Gulf.
Shaghf Cafe is now open at 25705 Katy Fwy in Katy near Katy Mills, marking the brand’s third Houston-area location following openings in Sugar Land and, most recently, Cypress. The Katy café celebrated its grand opening on Friday, Aug. 7, giving west Houston-area residents another place to gather over specialty coffee, pastries and desserts.
The timing also reflects how quickly the UAE-born concept is growing across the Houston region. The Katy opening came shortly after Shaghf Cafe opened its Cypress location at 29040 US-290, extending the brand’s presence farther across Houston’s western suburbs.
For Katy residents, however, the appeal is less about the expansion map and more about what is waiting inside: a coffeehouse blending familiar espresso drinks with Karak chai, pistachio lattes, matcha creations, frappes and Arabian-inspired sweets, all in a setting designed around conversation and community.
Shaghf Cafe Brings Gulf Café Culture to Katy
The word Shaghf translates from Arabic to “passion,” an idea that has remained central to the company since the café concept was founded in the United Arab Emirates in 2018.
Shaghf grew beyond the UAE during the following years and secured North American master franchise rights in 2023. Its expansion into the United States and Canada began in 2024, bringing a café experience shaped by Gulf traditions to a growing number of North American communities.
Today, the company reports more than 65 cafés worldwide across more than 10 countries, with its North American footprint continuing to expand.
The Katy opening fits squarely into that growth, but it also gives local residents another chance to experience a type of café culture built around lingering rather than simply picking up a drink and leaving.
Shaghf emphasizes gathering and hospitality as part of the experience, and the new Katy location includes both cozy indoor seating and an outdoor patio, giving customers room to meet friends, enjoy dessert after dinner, work over coffee or settle in for an unhurried conversation.
What Is on the Menu at Shaghf Cafe in Katy?
Anyone searching for a new coffee shop in Katy, Texas, will find the expected espresso classics at Shaghf — but the menu quickly moves into less familiar territory.
Traditional choices include espresso, Americanos, hot and iced lattes and specialty pour-over coffee, including brewing methods such as V60, Chemex and Aeropress.
Shaghf’s personality becomes clearer in its signature drinks.
Pistachio Latte is one of the brand’s better-known offerings, combining espresso and milk with pistachio cream. An iced version and a blended Pistachio Frappe give customers several ways to try one of the flavors most closely associated with the café.
There is also Karak chai, a sweet, milky spiced tea deeply associated with everyday café culture in the Gulf. That connection to the brand’s UAE origins helps distinguish Shaghf from more conventional American coffee chains.
Cold-coffee options include drinks such as the Dirty Coffee, which layers espresso over chilled vanilla cream, along with Tiramisu Latte, Kinder Latte, Red Velvet Latte and Twisted Caramel.
Matcha drinkers have plenty to explore as well. Choices include Strawberry Matcha, Dirty Matcha, Salted Vanilla Iced Matcha and White Matcha Crack, alongside newer creations such as Protein Cloud Matcha Latte.
For customers who would rather skip coffee altogether, the menu stretches into iced hibiscus tea, peach tea and fruit-based drinks featuring passion fruit, strawberry, watermelon and lemon.
Frappes, Pastries and Desserts Make It More Than a Coffee Stop
Shaghf Cafe is also designed to work as a dessert destination, particularly for families and friends looking for somewhere to gather later in the day.
Its frappe selection includes the Shaghf Frappe, Pistachio Frappe, Lotus Frappe, Caramel Frappe and Cinnamon Frappe, as well as fruit and matcha-based options.
The sweets menu is even broader.
Customers may find San Sebastian-style cheesecake, tiramisu cake, molten lava cake, brownies, cookies, croffles and pistachio-forward desserts, depending on availability at the Katy location.
One of the more distinctive offerings is Chocolate Kunafa, which pairs crispy kunafa with chocolate. Shaghf also serves croffles — a croissant-and-waffle hybrid — including versions topped with Nutella or served with chocolate, caramel and pistachio dips.
Other choices range from carrot cake and banana cake to red velvet berry cake, cinnamon bites and pastries such as a Za’atar Croissant, adding a savory Middle Eastern flavor to a menu otherwise heavy on sweets.
The combination gives the Katy café flexibility: it can be a morning coffee stop, afternoon study spot or a place for dessert after dinner.
Halal Certification Is Part of Shaghf Cafe’s Identity
For many families in Katy and the greater west Houston area, another important part of the new café is Shaghf’s commitment to halal offerings.
The brand describes halal certification as a standard across its locations, applying that expectation to its ingredients and suppliers.
That makes the Katy opening particularly relevant for residents searching for halal coffee shops, halal desserts and halal cafés near Katy, while still offering a menu intended for customers from any background.
Shaghf’s storefronts also incorporate both Arabic and English, maintaining a visible connection to the culture and language of the region where the company began.
The result is not simply an American coffee shop serving a few Middle Eastern flavors. The company has built its broader identity around bringing elements of Gulf café culture into the communities it enters.
Katy Becomes Part of Shaghf Cafe’s Fast-Growing Houston Presence
The new Katy café comes shortly after the Shaghf Cafe opening in Cypress, giving the brand a growing presence across Houston’s western suburbs.
Along with its Sugar Land location, the three Houston-area cafés now place Shaghf within reach of residents across several of the region’s fastest-growing communities.
That growth also mirrors a broader change taking place in Katy’s dining scene, where international restaurants, specialty cafés and culturally specific food concepts continue to give residents more choices close to home.
For customers already familiar with Karak chai, kunafa or pistachio-heavy Gulf desserts, the new café may offer a welcome taste of familiar traditions. For others, Shaghf could simply be an easy introduction to flavors they have never tried before.
Either way, the new location offers Katy residents another gathering place — and another reason to explore beyond the standard cup of coffee.
Shaghf Cafe is located at 25705 Katy Fwy, Katy, TX 77494. The café offers indoor seating and an outdoor patio. Menu pricing and availability may vary by location.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more Katy restaurant openings, new businesses and community updates close to home.
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.
