Arefa’s Espresso

Excellent coffee. Comfortable atmosphere. Friendly baristas. Can’t ask for much more.

We visited Pittsburgh to look for apartments, since we’re moving in just a few months, and Arefa’s was our temporary haven! Every few hours we’d need to duck in for a hot drink, a snack, and a place to check for new Craigslist listings. Arefa’s has free wi-​fi, reasonably priced drinks, comfy couches/​chairs, TONS of outlets so you will never run out of batteries on your laptop, and a fairly quiet, chill atmosphere. Hopefully we will get an apartment in the neighborhood and come back here regularly. I’d love it to become «my» local coffee shop!

I work from home full time and typically head to Arefa’s on Fridays to work with one of my good friends. During the day, Arefa’s is the perfect place to post-​up with your laptop, drink incredible coffee, and enjoy the house music.
The owner and her husband are both extremely friendly people who make a concerted effort chat with their customers. Ask for the siphon coffee; you won’t be disappointed!

Stop!!! coffee time! An another coffee shop close to Squirrel hill. We just walked into the place and it was packed.
People were sitting around 2 people who were playing sitar and Mirdangam and others were sipping a cup of coffee and were enjoying the music. I am not quiet sure if the place always has some music going on, but i was lucky to get hold of one.
A small place, and the Espresso shot was good and being located in a calm location, i bet it is a great place to study in. And i do like the way they have a small light decorations outside.
–Smriti

So, I actually live very close to the new Crazy Mocha, and I sometimes roll across the street to get a super quick cup of Joe because it’s so cold right now. But I never stay and come spring to fall, I’ll head up to Arefa’s and, even in the cold, I still trudge up to Arefa’s to make a weekend afternoon of coffee and tea drinking while I work. Crazy Mocha is okay, but so very loud, and the staff doesn’t look very happy (lots of frowns and absent looks). The staff at Arefa’s literally take a good deal of time getting to know the people coming in, and actually learning what kind of products they prefer. I thought a comparison might be in order.

I’m new to coffee, so I’m the first to admit that my opinion might be off. That said, the Latte I had at Arefa’s this morning was one of the worst I’ve had in a while. I could barely taste the coffee. Maybe it was an off day or an off cup, but I was pretty disappointed. That said, some of the positive reviews here suggest that I should give it another try. Will report back when I do.

My cousin and I were shopping in Squirrel Hill this past Sunday. Since we were pretty much moseying up and down Forbes and Murray Avenues (indeed, the only place we went to with a purpose was Ten Thousand Villages), we took a break and had some Joe here. It has a small dessert menu, however one thing I do like is that they purchase goods from local, independent sources. Overall, the atmosphere is quieter here than at 61C.

Went for the first time today on recommendation that they had good coffee. Coffee was indeed better than any I have had in Squirrel Hill and nice mellow interior. Doesn’t have the crowded interior that 61C has which is a relief to me. Free wireless. Seems family run which is always nice. Casual dress.

I live right across the street from Arefa’s and so I tend to stop in when I am feeling particularly lazy. The staff is very friendly and I think they are still working out just how to run a coffee shop in the middle of the over saturated coffee shop market of Squirrel Hill.
However, it is always very clean, very open, and a good place to be. It doesn’t have the same atmosphere of hip-​trendy-​cool that 61c does, but it is a nice quiet alternative.

I have to admit — I was hesitant about this place at first. Do we really need another coffee shop in Squirrel Hill? The answer is yes! Arefa’s is great. Coffee is some of the best I’ve had in Pittsburgh with a clean and friendly atmosphere.
Negatives include minimal food served (a few desserts and such, but nothing special) and sketchy internet sometimes (you need to get a new password every 2 hours).

They use Prima coffee and the crema is excellent. They give you free wireless for 2 hours with each purchase. It seems that they have live music occasionally. They are very limited in food selections, basically just cookies and biscotti. They do have Harney & Son’s tea, but not the loose tea in silk satchels. Their regular drip coffee is just okay.
There’s something very straight forward about this place. I guess I didn’t think people could make money just slinging espresso without doing food as well. The seating is more spread out than most other place, so it never feels really crowded.