In Broummana, Unicorn Coffee House is more than a place to grab a cup of coffee. Behind its colorful interiors, changing themes and familiar atmosphere are two friends, Walid and Gabi, who turned an idea inspired by Friends into a coffee house they still personally run more than a decade later.
Walk into Unicorn Coffee House and it quickly becomes clear that this isn’t a coffee shop designed to blend in.
There is color everywhere. Vintage furniture sits alongside quirky decorations, objects collected over the years and details that seem to invite a second look. Depending on when you visit, the place might be dressed for Christmas, transformed for Halloween or preparing for a movie night.
But behind all of that character is a surprisingly simple story: two friends who decided to build a place of their own.
It started with Friends
Before Unicorn, Walid and Gabi came from different professional backgrounds. Walid had experience in interior design and a passion for cooking, while Gabi brought a stronger business background to the partnership.
Then came a period when both found themselves out of work.
Like many people with unexpected time on their hands, they watched television and apparently, quite a lot of Friends. Somewhere between episodes and visits to the fictional Central Perk, an idea began to take shape.
Why not create their own version of that feeling?
Not necessarily a replica of Central Perk, but a place where people could meet, spend time together, have something to drink and feel comfortable enough to stay.
That idea eventually became Unicorn Coffee House.
Earlier coverage of Unicorn documents the same origin story, describing how approximately six months of work went into creating the coffee house and how Walid’s design skills and Gabi’s business experience came together to bring it to life.
Built by the people behind it
Perhaps the most interesting part of Unicorn’s story is how literally the founders built their idea.
Much of the original coffee house was handmade by Walid and Gabi themselves. That helps explain why Unicorn doesn’t feel like a space assembled from a standard café design catalogue.
Every corner seems to have developed its own personality.
There are mismatched pieces of furniture, unusual decorations, warm colors and little objects that make the space feel lived in rather than overly polished. And, fittingly for a coffee house partly inspired by Friends, an orange sofa has also been part of its interior.
The result sits somewhere between a café and someone’s eccentric living room.
And that feeling is intentional.
No employees — even after all these years
The hands-on approach didn’t end once Unicorn opened its doors.
More than a decade later, Walid and Gabi continue to run the coffee house themselves, without employees.
It is one of the details that makes the Unicorn experience particularly personal. The owners aren’t names hidden behind the business; they’re the people customers encounter when they visit.
The arrangement has been part of Unicorn’s identity from its early years. Previous coverage described the coffee house as operating without additional staff, with customers participating through a self-service concept.
Traditionally, the responsibilities have also reflected the founders’ different strengths: Gabi behind the drinks and Walid bringing his passion for cooking into the desserts.
So when you visit Unicorn, there is a good chance that the person preparing what you ordered is one of the same people who conceived and built the place.
What Should You Try?
Coffee may sit at the heart of Unicorn Coffee House, but the menu has never been afraid to have a little fun.
Alongside the usual coffee choices, you’ll find drinks that match the personality of the place – colorful, playful and slightly unexpected. Red Velvet has become one of those flavors associated with Unicorn, appearing in creations such as the Red Velvet Shake and the warm Steamed Red Velvet.
And then there are the desserts.
Walid’s homemade sweets add another reason to stay a little longer, with the four-layer Red Velvet Cake standing out as one of the more indulgent choices.
That combination says a lot about Unicorn. This isn’t a place trying to make coffee culture feel overly serious. You can come for an espresso, but you can just as easily order something sweet, colorful and unapologetically fun.
A Coffee House That Keeps Changing
Unicorn Coffee House never really stays the same for long.
Visit in December and the space may be transformed with Christmas decorations. Come around Halloween and the mood shifts again, with the café taking on a completely different personality.
Over the years, themed events and seasonal transformations have become part of Unicorn’s identity. Christmas, Halloween, movie nights and special occasions give Walid and Gabi another chance to reinvent the space and keep regular visitors curious about what they’ll find next.
The creativity isn’t limited to the décor, either. Unicorn has also experimented with themed concepts such as Lebanese Week, bringing music, atmosphere and desserts together around a particular idea.
That constant change feels completely natural for a coffee house shaped so closely by the people behind it.
At Unicorn, the space isn’t simply where the business happens.
The space is part of the experience.
More Like a Neighborhood Living Room
Maybe that’s what the Friends inspiration gets right.
Central Perk was never memorable simply because the characters drank coffee there. It mattered because it felt familiar, a place they kept returning to, where people knew one another and staying a little longer was part of the experience.
Unicorn has created its own version of that feeling in Broummana.
Students come to study. Friends meet over coffee. Couples settle in for a while. Different generations share the same space, and those who prefer some fresh air can move outside.
But the part that gives Unicorn its character isn’t just the décor or the menu.
It’s Walid and Gabi.
They started with an idea, spent months building the coffee house themselves, and then stayed behind the counter to bring it to life.
More than a decade later, they’re still there.
Two friends. One idea. And a lot of coffee.
SWANKY TIP
If you can, visit Unicorn more than once. The café changes with the seasons, themed events and special occasions, so the experience can feel completely different from one visit to the next.
SwankySip 