Houston’s newest café, AnnKello Kahawa, is more than a place to grab a drink—it’s a buzzing cultural hub built around great coffee and an unmistakable sense of atmosphere. The Tanzanian coffee and Japanese matcha bar, co-founded by Collin Mkello and Anna Lakhani, weaves together global influences in both its menu and design that feels transportive from the moment you step inside.
“When you walk into the space, we don’t want it to feel like you’re still in Houston,” says Lakhani, who is of Pakistani descent.
That intention is reflected throughout the Galleria-area café, which Mkello and Lakhani designed as a thoughtful cultural mosaic. Artwork inspired by Tanzania and Kenya’s Maasai tribe shares space with Japanese Nambu Tekki iron kettles and European coffee-table books, while echoes of house and Afrobeats music pulsate through the speakers,
Those thoughtful details have helped draw a broad and varied crowd to the café. “One thing I love most is the diversity,” says Mkello. “There are so many different cultures and ages in our shop.”
Although AnnKello Kahawa’s brick-and-mortar location opened just last month, the concept has been a year in the making. The café first took shape as a coffee cart operated by 25-year-old Mkello, who began hosting pop-ups under the name Mkello Kahawa at weddings, birthdays, corporate events, and his local mosque.
By way of his coffee cart, Mkello was able to perfect menu favorites like the indulgent chocolate chip cookie dough latte, a creamy strawberry matcha, passionfruit matcha, and lavender latte—offerings that drew long lines on the storefront’s opening day. He says those experiences not only refined his offerings, but they laid the groundwork for the launch of his shop.
“You learn from your customers, and you learn what’s good,” he says. “We didn’t want to just start off as a store; we wanted to commit to the [community] first and see what they love.”
It was during his time hosting pop-ups that he met 24-year-old Lakhani, who herself was doing pop-ups to help support her family’s business, OMG! Burger. Aside from the pair’s love of “Kahawa” meaning “coffee” in Swahili, the two are passionate about creating a lively alcohol-free space for Houstonians.
“We felt like there needed to be a space, for our age group, and any age group, where you can go at night and still have a good time,” says Lakhani.
With later than usual hours, AnnKello Kahawa acts as a third space, offering its guests the chance to enjoy the mellowness of a coffee shop during the day and a more energetic vibe after dark.
As the co-founders settle into their new space, they look forward to hosting themed nights and parties in the future. But for now, Annkello Kahawa is Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
AnnKello Kahawa, 5333 Westheimer Rd., Houston
