- Bahi Café

Our Story

Opened in 2024, Bahi Café is a unique destination in Shmeisani that blends nostalgia with modern hospitality. Designed as a tribute to Amman’s golden era of the 1970s and 1980s, Bahi combines retro sophistication with contemporary simplicity. Known for its Levantine inspired menu, specialty teas, and refined design, the café has quickly become a cultural landmark in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.

Bahi is a café built on memory, created as a tribute to Amman’s golden era of the 1970s and 1980s. It was designed to evoke nostalgia while offering something grounded in the present. Every detail is meant to feel familiar yet intentional, a quiet reflection of a time when elegance lived in the everyday.

The space is inspired by the design sensibilities of the 70s and 80s, with warm tones, clean lines, and a focus on comfort and flow. Materials like terrazzo, wood, copper, and brushed metal were chosen for their texture and timeless appeal. Natural light plays a central role in shaping the mood, softening the space and creating a sense of ease throughout the day. From custom made furniture to the overall layout, every element was designed to feel grounded in the past yet fully present.

The menu is refined yet approachable, focused on comfort, freshness, and familiarity. It includes salads, seasonal soups, omelettes, and sandwiches, all prepared with care and inspired by Levantine flavors. Omelettes are served with arugula and grilled vegetables. Sandwiches are made to order on house baked bread, and salads shift with the produce we enjoy working with.

Desserts are rich in memory and texture, drawing on tahini, saffron, and nuts in ways that feel both nostalgic and new. The cake counter features a rotating selection of classics and house favorites, designed to pair naturally with tea or coffee and to linger over.

The drink menu draws on the classics, placing tea at the center of the café experience. From strong black brews to soft herbal infusions, tea is treated with attention and care, served alongside a concise selection of coffee and seasonal drinks. A specialty of the café is khader tea (شاي مخدر), a long brewed black tea that is slow to prepare and slower to drink. It anchors a table, opens space for conversation, and holds silence just as easily. Familiar, generous, and deeply tied to local ritual, it reflects the pace and presence we aim to offer in everything at Bahi.

At its core, Bahi is a space to slow down. To gather or to be alone. To read, to talk, or to simply sit with something good. It is a space made for Amman, one that honors the past without losing sight of now.

The Spirit of Bahi