I’m sharing my review of Safwa Coffee & Teahouse.
As I write this, Safwa has two locations–one in Somerset, New Jersey; the other in Westbury, New York (on Long Island). I’m reviewing the Long Island location.
Safwa carries a wide range of coffees–espresso, cortado, flat white, etc. Since this is a tea blog, however, I’ll focus on their tea, the space, and the food.
Tea
You can order teas in the teahouse or online. We noticed an even wider selection in person than online. Both online and in person lists hot chai (sweetened or unsweetened) and iced chai. In person, we saw the extra detail that it was “Afghan Iced Chai with black tea and cardamom.” When asked, a barista shared that it was made with black tea, milk, cardamom, and condensed milk.
We loved the balance between the tea and the cardamom in the Afghan Iced Chai. Delightfully, the sweetened version wasn’t too sweet for me. My daughter and I both thought that in addition to the cardamom, we also detected a slight flavor and aroma of saffron–which we really liked. We guess that’s the alchemy of the tea and the other ingredients coming together.
Safwa Coffee & Teahouse also includes matcha lattes on the menu. My daughter ordered the Iced Pistachio Matcha. It was absolutely delicious! They use pistachio syrup, matcha, milk, and condensed milk. We forgot to ask whether you can use a milk substitute. I’ll update this post after we visit again.
Besides other flavored matcha latte choices–like Mango Matcha–we noticed a green tea with saffron that I look forward to trying during another visit.
The Space
I knew my review of Safwa Coffee & Teahouse would have to mention how spacious it is inside! It’s not as huge as nearby Qahwah House, but there’s ample room and lovely natural light in the space. (The inside is much nicer than the exterior suggests!) The walls are white, with some built in arch designs. You order at a lovely wooden counter.
The tables mostly have chairs for seating, but there are also some cushioned benches.
On my YouTube channel, I have posted a video of the interior of Safwa Coffee & Teahouse from the perspective of the stepping in through the front door.
Food Options
There are several sandwich options and a handful of savory “toast” with spreads. We tried the avocado toast and turkey sandwich. We thought each was good! I appreciate a teahouse that serves savory options.
We noted they also serve desserts–two flavors of baklava, tiramisu, cheesecake, Lotus Biscoff cake, and tres leche cake. We weren’t able to try any dessert…this time.
Address, Parking, and Tips
Safwa Coffee & Teahouse website
Long Island Address: 435-B Old Country Rd, Westbury, NY 11590
Parking: There is limited metered parking on Old Country Road, in front of Safwa. There is also limited side street parking (not metered).
If You’re Gluten Free: I don’t think any of the savory foods or sweet treats on the menu when we visited were gluten free.
