Blu Bee Cafe serves coffee, desserts of Middle East in Painesville Township - The News-Herald
Published by: The News-Herald
By Bryson Durst
Original article found here
The team behind Painesville Township’s new Blu Bee Cafe is providing visitors with a place to hang out and enjoy food and drink from the Middle East.
A distinctive blue, orange and white sign stands above the entrance to the new cafe, which is located at 1493 Mentor Ave. in the middle of the Painesville Commons plaza. Once inside, visitors are greeted with the smell of coffee spices and shelves of baked goods, along with space to eat, talk or play games.
Co-owner Heba Ali said that Blu Bee’s Middle Eastern cuisine uses a lot of spices and nuts.
She highlighted the new cafe’s lattes. The pistachio latte uses a melted pistachio base, while the lotus latte features coffee flavored with melted cookie butter and milk.
“For these two, we don’t use syrup at all, it’s just the base that we melt,” Ali said.
She said that Blu Bee also offers a traditional Turkish coffee, which she described as “a really strong coffee.”
“It has a lot of spices in there that people are not really familiar with, but when they try it, they like it,” Ali said.
Coffee- and fall-themed decorations line the wall at Blu Bee Cafe. The cafe opened in the Painesville Commons plaza in August. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald)
The cafe’s website also highlighted an “indulgent Dubai chocolate latte.” Seasonal lattes recently advertised included cinnamon bun, pumpkin spice, toasted marshmallow and other fall-themed drinks.
Blu Bee also prominently features many baked goods. The website said that the “authentic Middle Eastern sweets” range “from flaky, honey-soaked baklava to the soft, fragrant delight of harissa,” a semolina cake.
Ali said that the cafe also features mini-doughnuts that are made to order, all-day waffles and breakfast from opening until noon.
She added that she takes suggestions and tries to honor them if she can make them. Blu Bee will offer seasonal items, and once in a while it will add or remove menu items.
Ali added that she also posts allergy-friendly meals to the cafe’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
Baked goods line a display case at Blu Bee Cafe in Painesville Township. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald)
Ali said that Blu Bee offers a family-oriented, friendly, welcoming and calm environment for visitors. The cafe includes indoor and outdoor seating, couches, tables and board games.
“If you want to have a fun night with a family, just grab a drink, grab a dessert and then a board game, and you can just hang around,” she said.
Ali said that the cafe was her husband Mohammad Qatrawi’s idea. The couple is from Olmsted Falls, but she said that Qatrawi owns the nearby Sunoco gas station at 1435 Mentor Ave. in Painesville Township.
She said that while there are similar businesses near where they live, they wanted to share their culture with residents in the Painesville Township area. Qatrawi also wanted to offer a local coffee shop instead of a chain.
“He’s been here for two years, and he’s been asking around and seeing what Painesville needs, like what they don’t have, and he wanted to bring something that we all enjoy and love over here,” Ali said.
The restaurant opened Aug. 11. Qatrawi was originally going to open the cafe with a friend, but after he left Ali joined. She is a nurse, but she said she loves coffee, baking and desserts.
A sign marks Blu Bee Cafe, located in the Painesville Commons plaza at 1493 Mentor Ave., Painesville Township. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald)
She added that business has been good for the first couple months.
“We’ve been getting a lot of people, we’ve been getting a lot of returning customers,” Ali said. “We’re happy and glad that Lake County is really liking us and enjoying us.”
She said that Blu Bee posts to Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. It also has its own app and offers delivery through DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Blu Bee Cafe
1493 Mentor Ave., Painesville Township
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
Info: Blu Bee Cafe on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, blubeecafe.com or 440-551-9616.