Ashley C.

Love Kooben. The closest thing I have gotten to authentic Mexican food outside of Mexico. I love that they have a healthy options made with fresh ingredients but still staying true to the cuisine. They have a nice selection of crafted drinks from coffees, matcha and cocktails. The Coco Matcha and Espresso Martini are by far my favorite. The martini is made with their house espresso, which is fantastic. There is an awesome outdoor area as well. Feels like you are in a true Mexican cafe. They are starting to host a lot of events so I recommend following their IG page. Don't miss out on Kooben!

Frank P.

Our food was almost certainly sitting under a heat lamp for 45 minutes. Three or four tables of larger groups (ours was only three) sat down and served their food WAY before ours. We had to flag down one of our servers to ask where our food was. About five minutes later, we received our food and the other tables were done eating. Unfortunately, this affected the taste of our food. It was warm just enough to eat. Since our food was left sitting out, the sauces were dry and the taste of other ingredients were absent. I'll spare more details, but none of us said a word when we finished. I understand it was a very crowded and small interior space (which is attractive), but this doesn't explain the most essential part of our experience. I enjoyed the free coffee they gave us. If only the same experience persisted. I'm hoping I can muster the courage to eat here a couple more times to see if this is the standard or if it's a one time fluke.

Amanda W.

I will start with the positives. The space itself is nice, with a neutral, modern decor. They have both indoor and outdoor space, which is nice. We were seated almost immediately - it was the last and only available table. The menu has a nice variety of items, which are different than your average Mexican restaurant you find in the Charleston area. They also brough little samples of their house coffee, which was very good. Now, onto the rest of the experience.... Our server was nice enough, got our drink orders, but we weren't ready to order food yet. Quite some time passed and she returned to take our food orders. 2 of us ordered water, 1 ordered Coke. It took probably 25+ minutes for the Coke to make it to the table. An hour or so after being seated, multiple tables came in during this time, several of which had already been served and were halfway through their meal. We were able to flag down our server and point out that we never received our meals. She said she'd be back. A few minutes later, she came out with our food. You could clearly tell that it wasn't fresh and had been sitting for who knows how long under a heat lamp. Nothing was hot and things were tougher to cut/chew because they were starting to get a little stale. The food itself wasn't that great and one can only wonder if it would have tasted better had it not been sitting there for 20-30 minutes waiting to be delivered to our table. I am typically very patient and reasonable when it comes to things taking time, restaurants being busy, etc. I had heard good things about the food and coffee here, but based on this experience, I will not be coming back to find out. I was very disappointed in this experience. We were moments away from walking out and finding somewhere else for lunch.

Ollie G.

Amazing. Everything we had was super tasty. Great ambiance. Little bit out of the way but that makes it fun.

Amanda M.

I still love coming to Kooben. The service is always great, the vibes are lovely and the coffee and food is always so good! In my most recent trip I ordered the TAMAL MONTADO and it was delicious! My hubby ordered the Yucatán omelette and ate his plate clean! Even if you don't like marzipan, you must get the Mazalatte. It's just amazing! You can't go wrong here!

Justin J.

What a great experience! Took the kids here today. There was a bit of a wait and they were clearly super busy but service was still friendly and lots of check-ins from our server. I had the classic chilaquiles, dark horchata, and split a flan with my daughter. She had enchiladas, my son had a kids quesadilla. He didn't care much for it, but that's because this is an upscale, authentic Mexican place that isn't just going to throw a tortilla with some gooey cheese on it on the grill for a minute. My daughter loved her enchiladas and somehow ate the all and was so full she didn't bother eating another thing all day. The flames astounding, the horchata tasted amazing, and the chilaquiles were fantastic. And prices were extremely fair too! It was loud inside between the packed house and a DJ. Very chic place and a good time, felt more like a club than a cafe in some ways. Just mind bending food here. J.Ja

Kiana K.

The aesthetic of the restaurant is perfectly aligned with the fusion of coffee and Hispanic food. Very cute and clean. The food was flavorful and well priced. My only complaint is that my food arrived a little less than warm. The server was professional.

Reagan A.

Heard about this place from a coworker and had to check it out. It did not disappoint! We had the guacamole to start which was great and then I did the verde chilaquiles which was also awesome. I tried the horchata as well and had a sip of my partners dark horchata. I couldn't say which was better, they were both great. While the service was a little slow, they were busy so it's understandable. Overall we had a great experience and will be back! Definitely a trendy little spot. Nothing else like it in Charleston!

John B.

The suburban shopping mall isn't exactly the best location Charleston has to offer, but I came to this one in search of an interesting brunch. They have some Mexican options that aren't easy to find in this area. I was offered a small complimentary coffee upon sitting down, but in addition I ordered a chocolate and corn beverage that is the peak of Americana. It was quite rich and an interesting flavor. I'd come in with the idea that it would be vegetarian-friendly and the menu was okay but not great. Many of the salads and things were not amenable to my needs, but I did find some cactus tostadas that were a nice way to start the day. I wanted some more bean-based options. But it was an interesting and new experience and perhaps the menu will grow.

The ambiance was beautiful, and the menu was very intriguing--there were a lot of things I wanted to try. They also had breakfast options, which was exciting--I haven't had a decent Mexican breakfast since I left Houston, years ago. But I didn't enjoy the fusion version of huevos y papas (it was a burrito). The waitress was not receptive either to questions or compliments. And I felt... weirdly scrutinized and unwelcome as a POC who was non-Latino. Like, "what are you doing here?" Maybe it was a Hanahan thing?--Hanahan being historically a "white flight" community. Maybe they would have been cool if I spoke Spanish? But I didn't feel welcome and, while I will recommend it to my Puerto Rican and Dominican friends, who are always looking for a taste of home..., I won't be going back.

Lauren S.

Walk into this stunning space with high ceilings, beautiful basket lighting and tropical plants. The service is excellent and large portions for values. Today they greeted customers with a welcome cafe and handed out roses to prep for the Valentine's Day special events. This was our 4th time visiting and will keep coming back! My favorites so far have been the Chile Relleno, Kooben Burrito, Chilaquiles, and Pozole Verde.

Peonia E.

Everything went well food was delicious. Service was very professional from a lovely young woman who could not have been more knowledgeable or helpful and the atmosphere was attractive. We will definitely go back. Can't wait to try some of their other delicious food. Definitely get the guacamole, but it's the bomb:-)

Rebecca A.

For a networking meeting I always want to support local and so we agreed upon the recently opened Kooben Cafe in Hanahan. We arrived at noon and a large party had just left but the place was still pretty full. We sat at a two top near the door. If you'd like they bring out a cute complementary cup of their cafe de olla. I don't drink coffee but my networking friend loves it and drank mine too! I ordered the chilaquiles with green sauce and added steak. It was fantastic!! Their house made green sauce is so fresh tasting. I could have used some heat so I should have totally asked for some hot sauce because I know they have it! I had a lot of steak and the chips leftover and took it home. The chips don't reheat well but I used the leftover steak with multiple things. Kooben is actually located down the road from our soon to open new office, so this will be a regular go-to spot!