How to Host Your First Home Cafe With Your Besties

Who doesn’t love going to a quaint little cafe on a weekend morning? While I love making any excuse to go to my favorite local cafe and order a vanilla latte and almond croissant, I’ve been loving the trend of people hosting home cafes for their friends. 

If there’s anything I love more than frequenting my local cafe on the weekends, it’s hosting my friends on the weekend, and this trend combines both of them.

While hosting a home cafe yourself can seem like a lot of work, we’re here to make it easy for you to pull together on a Saturday morning. Everything from what you’ll need to for a coffee station, pastries to serve your friends, how to make a menu, and other decorations to make your home cafe come to life.

Read on for a foolproof guide to hosting your first home cafe.

Home Cafe Q&A

What is a home cafe?

Home cafes have been taking over our TikTok feed over the past month. If you don’t know what they are, it’s simply when you host a cafe out of your home for your friends. You decorate your kitchen with a cafe menu, serve pastries, and make coffee orders.

It’s such a great theme for a birthday party or a unique way to host besides your typical weekend brunch.

What are some key elements I need to host a home cafe?

The key elements of a home cafe include:

Can I host a home cafe at my apartment?

You can absolutely host a home cafe in your apartment. In fact, a majority of people who host a home cafe are people who live in bigger cities and live in apartments. No matter the size of your home or apartment, you can host your friends.

How to Host Your First Home Cafe

Hosting a home cafe for the first time just got WAY easier! We’re breaking down everything you need to host your first home cafe and make it a success.

Coffee Station Essentials

First and foremost, a cafe would not be a cafe without a coffee station. A coffee machine or espresso machine (or both) is needed to serve your guests coffee. With that comes all the different coffee accessories you could include.

If some of your guests aren’t coffee drinkers, you may want to consider serving tea or match drinks as well.

READ THIS NEXT: 12 Gorgeous Coffee Bar Station Ideas for Small Spaces

What to Bake & Serve

When it comes to knowing what to bake and serve guests, you’ll want to think of some pastries that are popular at your local coffee shop. Whether that be almond croissants, chocolate croissants, muffins, coffee cake, or quiche. Get creative with what you serve and what you think your friends will love.

Pro tip: If you don’t want to make some or all of these pastries homemade, your local grocery store or Trader Joe's should have them to buy pre-made or frozen so you can just pop them in the oven and enjoy.

Homemade Baked Goods

Store Bought Baked Goods

Make a Homemade Menu

A cafe must have a menu for your friends to order from. You can make one on Canva for free or buy a cheap Etsy template to make things easier.

Must-Have Home Cafe Decorations

To complete the home cafe theme, adding a few more decorations to your space will make it feel special. Here are some additional decorations to add to your home cafe:

This post is all about how to host a home cafe.