Marib Coffee Brings a Taste of Yemen to Westerville and The Green Grape Report
Coffee Shop Review
Marib Coffee Offers Westerville a Warm Slice of Yemen
Restaurant Review by Gary Gardiner
Marib Coffee gives off an easy warmth the moment you walk in. On my visit, a group of elders talked with their younger counterparts near the front. Families drifted through. Couples settled in with their drinks. A group of young women leaned over their pastries, sharing quiet conversations. Along the back wall, people worked on laptops and tablets. The mix felt natural, and the room carried it well.
My baklava sat on the table, its shine catching the light. The pistachios looked fresh. The layers cracked gently before the syrup softened everything. Sweet without turning heavy. It felt like something made with care. My Americano fit the moment, steady and bright.
The space itself is clean and inviting. The lighting stands out. The room feels bright, as if it comes from within the walls rather than from the front windows of the small shopping center around it. Small touches nod to Yemeni roots without turning the room into a stage set. A sign on the wall reads, “A legacy in every sip.” It suits the place.
The menu is wider than you expect at first glance. You can go straight to Yemeni staples like Mofawar, Malaki, Sana’ani, and Qisher. You can pick from crafted drinks such as Pistachio, Roasted Caramel, Tiramisu Latte, or Biscoff. If you like cold drinks, the iced lattes get plenty of attention, especially the Spanish and Pistachio versions. The frappe list runs long with Pistachio, Brown Sugar, Caramel, and Biscoff.
If coffee isn’t what you want, there is a long list of other options. Smoothies come in mango, strawberry, lemon mint, and Araysi. The refreshers include Mango Dragonfruit, Pomberry, hibiscus mint, and a rose special. Mojitos show up in tropical, green apple, and strawberry flavors.
The pastry case stands strong on its own. You will find mousse cups, tarts, samboosa, brownies, milk cake, cheesecake, fruit cake, honeycomb, and kunafa, which is the favorite. It pairs well with the baklava on my plate.
While I sat with my Americano and enjoyed the baklava, I noticed something small but telling. Only one person grabbed a to-go order. Everyone else stayed in the bright, well-kept room. People talked, studied, and lingered without any rush. Near the counter, a woman a little older than the young staff moved with calm attention. She cleared tables as soon as diners finished, then set each chair and table with careful precision, as if the next person who sat down deserved a space arranged just for them. The whole room felt ready for whoever came in next.
Marib Coffee manages to make the room, the drinks, and the pastries work together in a way that feels steady and welcoming. It is the kind of spot that invites you to sit awhile, and most people do.
The Green Grape Report
Food Review by Gary Gardiner
Kroger - Maxtown and Schrock
Brand – Autumn Crisp
Price – $3.99 for a three-pound clamshell. (Requires digital coupon)
PLU Code – NA
The Review
The most important news this week is that the Autumn Crisp grapes at Kroger are the best of the year. That is a subjective opinion and an objective reality.
Sugar content at 25% is the highest of the year. They are still large, crisp, juicy, and abundant. This is the time of year when Autumn Crisp shows its full strength.
Late-season Autumn Crisp reaches this level through a mix of patience, weather, and strict selection in the field. The clusters stay on the vine longer than usual. As the season reaches its final stretch, the vines slow their push for new growth and switch their energy into finishing the fruit. The berries lose a bit of water each day, which concentrates the sugars. Warm afternoons help ripening. Cooler nights reduce the loss of sweetness through respiration. This gradual shift gives the fruit a deeper flavor and a firmer bite.
Growers also sort more aggressively in the final passes. Workers leave behind anything soft, uneven, or likely to slide into a mushy state during shipment. What makes it into the boxes now tends to be the best of the remaining fruit. Storage rooms maintain steady humidity and low temperatures, keeping the skins tight and the pulp crisp until the bags reach the produce section.
The result is a berry that hits perfectly the moment you bite into it. The skin gives way with a clean crack. The juice pours out. The sweetness has weight, yet the acidity keeps the flavor from collapsing. Very few varieties reach this level in November. Even fewer do it at the scale we are seeing in the fruit aisles now.
This Week’s Other Grapes
Since Autumn Crisp set the pace, I picked up Gem and Dora at Market District to see if either could keep up. Both carry premium labeling and claim a more polished eating experience. Both were tested cold, side by side, straight from the same fridge.
Gem seemed strong at first glance. The clusters were tidy. The berries were firm. The color was bright. The flavor, though, stayed on the safe side. It opened mild, settled quickly, and never reached the intensity of Autumn Crisp. Nothing was wrong with it. It simply stalled at “pleasant”.
Dora followed a similar pattern, only softer. The texture carried less snap. The sweetness landed early, then flattened out. It left almost no finish. In a week when the main variety is hitting 25 percent sugar with serious punch, Dora felt quiet.
Neither Gem nor Dora could match the structure, sweetness, or presence of Autumn Crisp this week. They serve well as everyday grapes. They satisfy a basic snacking need. They do not rise to the same level at this moment in the season.
And, in two-pound clamshells, they are more expensive, even on sale.
If you want the strongest green grape available right now, the choice is easy. Autumn Crisp stands well ahead of the others. You get power, sweetness, crunch, and consistency. This is the week to buy them in quantity.
The Westerville News is a reader-supported publication by Gary Gardiner, a lifelong journalist who believes hyper-local reporting is the future of news. This publication focuses exclusively on Westerville—its local news, influence on Central Ohio, and how surrounding areas shape the community.
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