Brilliant ideas meet clunky execution at Qima Cafe in Fitzrovia

Qima Cafe in Fitzrovia is exactly the sort of London gaff that social media loves. It’s beautiful without trying too hard.

Sunlight pours through the windows, bouncing off terracotta-hewn walls. The drinks are layered, intricate and photogenic enough to briefly stop conversations.

And then there’s the story behind it all.

Unlike many speciality coffee shops, Qima isn’t only serving coffee. It’s actively involved in sourcing it, working with thousands of coffee farmers across Yemen and the wider region, while also trying to showcase the traditions and flavours that are linked to the beans. It’s ambitious.

Which is maybe why I find myself feeling slightly conflicted after two visits. Because there are some great things happening at Qima Cafe Fitzrovia.

And yet there are also enough practical frustrations that the experience never quite reaches the heights it should.

Quick info on Qima Cafe in London

• Location: Warren Street, Fitzrovia
• Must order: Fig & hojicha latte, Ethiopian pour over
• Skip: Saint Alia Mokha
• Best for: coffee lovers who enjoy trying something different
• Issues: around timing, sometimes execution

Read the full Qima Cafe review below to find out more

The Qima menu is more interesting than most London cafes

The first thing that strikes me about the Qima menu is how much thought has gone into it.

Yes, you’ve got your standard flat whites and cappuccinos.

But there are also Yemeni-inspired coffee drinks, single-origin pour overs, pastries infused with unusual flavours, and a food menu that feels more ambitious than the average cafe/sandwich offering.

This is where Qima separates itself from much of London’s speciality coffee scene.

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The beef rib melt tastes like a stew stuffed into a sandwich

The Yemeni beef short rib melt arrives tucked inside a gloriously puffy focaccia.

The first bite is wonderful, full of rich beef and sweet-stewed carrots. These are deep savoury flavours that remind me of eating a slow-cooked stew.

Unfortunately, the ratios are off, and there’s just too much bread to filling.

The focaccia itself is nice, but each bite feels disproportionately dough-heavy, making the filling seem sparse. Each bite feels dry, like it needed more of that stewed filling to bring the sandwich properly together.

Adding to that, several pieces of beef are noticeably gristly.

It’s a frustrating execution fail, mostly because the flavour is excellent.

The drinks are where Qima really shines

The Ethiopian pour over arrives in a ceremonial flourish, on a board laden with individual components. There’s a bowl of freshly ground coffee to smell, and a chocolate-covered date.

Then the coffee itself, served in a glass jug for pouring at the table.

I absolutely love this sort of thing.

Coffee can sometimes become only functional. Here, Qima reminds you that it can also be an experience.

The pourover coffee itself is balanced, strong and beautifully made. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but would I wait over twenty minutes for it again? Probably not. 

The real star, however, is the fig and hojicha drink.

Jammy fig coats the inside of the glass while creamy coffee and roasted hojicha create layers of flavour that seem to evolve with every sip.

It’s rich and complex, but the result is beautiful.  And unlike many instagram drinks, it actually tastes as good as it looks.

It’s easily my favourite thing on the Qima Cafe menu.

A good idea doesn’t always make a great drink

The Saint Alia Mokha should be right up my street.

Inspired by the historic Yemeni port of Mokha, it combines chocolate, coffee, peach, lavender and cardamom.

On paper, it’s fascinating. In reality, I find something slightly astringent about it. Compared with the fig and hojicha, it feels less harmonious.

The bigger issue, again, is timing. The drink arrives quite a while before our cake order does. And by the time they arrive, the drink has cooled considerably in its thin glass.

Which brings us to Qima’s biggest issue.

The problem isn’t the menu. It’s getting the menu to you

We’ve now visited twice, and on both occasions, timing has been a problem.

Not five minute delays – twenty minute delays. Long gaps between drinks and pastries, and items arriving at noticeably different times.

The frustrating thing is that I completely understand why, when the drinks are as complex as they are, in an ambitious menu. 

The team at Qima is clearly putting care into what they’re producing.

But the number of staff preparing these intricate drinks doesn’t always seem capable of keeping pace with the number of customers sitting both inside and outside the cafe.

The result is a strange contradiction. Qima’s biggest strength is its creativity. Yet that same creativity occasionally undermines the experience.

The pastries swing between excellent and almost

First we try the coffee bean pastry, shaped like a coffee bean and dusted with espresso powder. It promises a rich coffee flavour.

Unfortunately, it tastes more like chestnut than coffee.

The lamination is excellent, and the exterior shatters satisfyingly, while the creamy centre creates lovely soft pockets where filling meets pastry.

But if you’re expecting a strong coffee hit, you may leave disappointed.

The pistachio Paris Brest is considerably better, with a crisp choux and rich pistachio cream filling. The chopped pistachios add crunch.

It’s delicious, but, at £8.40, I can’t ignore the fact that parts of the exposed cream have developed that slightly hardened surface that occurs when something has been sitting around a little too long.

It doesn’t ruin the pastry, but it does diminish the luxury (price tag).

Meanwhile, the peanut Snickers cake is a triumph. Layer upon layer of chocolate, sponge and caramel sits beneath a peanut mousse shell that’s every bit as good as it looks.

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So is Qima cafe worth visiting?

Even with all the execution missteps, I’d still say yes.

Because Qima Cafe is doing more interesting things than most London cafes. The drinks are inventive, the pastries are often excellent, and the coffee selection is fascinating.

And yet the experience is repeatedly undermined by practical issues that feel solvable.

All it would take is a few tweaks to timing, and a little more attention to pastry freshness. Maybe a better balance between complexity and service speed.

Underneath the issues sits a cafe that feels tantalisingly close to being exceptional.

That’s probably why I’ll be back.

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Qima London review
Address – 21 Warren St, London W1T 5LT
Nearest Tube – Warren Street