On a late Saturday night in Memphis, a group of Gen Zers play board games and sip on hot coffee with cardamom and cream from little glass mugs in a strip mall café. Over 400 miles away in Richardson, Texas, servers fill teapot after teapot with fragrant Adeni chai in a 3,000-square-foot coffee shop. And up north in Dearborn, Michigan, families search for seats in a crowded coffeehouse, keen to munch on sweet honeycomb bread with hot drinks derived from dried coffee cherries.
This is an average night at a Yemeni coffeehouse, cozy third spaces popping up all over America that offer aromatic coffees and teas into the late hours of the night, attracting legions of immigrant and diasporic communities looking for a place to gather.
“These coffeehouses have grown due to a combination of cultural preservation, a need for community gathering spaces, and the rising popularity of Yemeni coffee,” said Amr Abozaid, merchants enrollment program director at the Yemeni American Merchants Association (YAMA).
These days, there are about 30 known Yemeni-owned coffeehouse brands with active locations and franchises between Michigan, New York, California, and Texas, from independent cafes like Aldar Cafe in Tennessee to national chains like Qahwah House. Many of the proprietors are immigrants or part of the diaspora, with connections to family farms in various regions in Yemen, and all their businesses serve three purposes: sell quality coffee, offer a hub to gather sans alcohol that’s open late (regularly drawing crowds of young folks in Muslim communities, especially during Ramadan), and honor their coffee culture by supporting farmers harvesting the coffee back home.
“Yemeni coffee is our identity,” said Mohamed Algushaa, who opened Aldar Cafe with his father in early 2024.
But these businesses are more than the coffee they brew—they offer many Yemeni entrepreneurs a chance to share the deep history of their homeland one cup at a time. These spaces operate similar to Western coffee shops, but with longer hours, beans imported from homeland farms, and cultural coffee practices built into the operations. Over time, they’ve become bustling cultural spaces for loyal crowds.
“These coffeehouses have grown due to a combination of cultural preservation, a need for community gathering spaces, and the rising popularity of Yemeni coffee,” Abozaid explained.
“The U.S. market of Yemeni coffee shops is still in its infancy,” said Faris Almatrahi, co-founder of Arwa, North Texas’ first Yemeni coffeehouse, but there’s plenty of room for entrepreneurs to expand this growing footprint.
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Many of these coffeeshops share similar DNA: Large, beautifully decorated facilities, and comfortable seating, while imported Yemeni coffee beans are roasted in-house and served in glass or ceramic cups, often accompanied by sweet, creamy honeycomb breads and an array of other traditional pastries. On the menu, drinks can include Jubani, a drink made with coffee and the husk of coffee cherries, served with cardamom, ginger, cinnamon; and Mofawar, coffee served with cardamom and cream. Qishr, a specialty of steeped coffee cherry husks with ginger and cinnamon, and Adeni chai (Yemeni black tea, cardamom, nutmeg, milk) are also common.
Yemeni coffeehouses put an emphasis on the aesthetics of the space. From the earthy tones and mosaic walls to the decorative tableware and plush seating, Yemen is present in not just the coffees but also the shops themselves. “[Our coffeehouses] are not like typical coffee shops—they're extremely extravagant, extremely aesthetic, because we wanted to bring the culture, [while offering] a family-friendly, non-alcoholic environment late into the night,” Almatrahi said. In Texas—and more recently, Illinois—Arwa emulates the aesthetic with its specific designs like the geometric inlays crafted into the gold arch designs inspired by one the oldest mosques in Yemen, Queen Arwa Mosque.
“I grew up in Yemen—and for anyone that grows up there, coffee and tea are part of our daily lives,” Almatrahi said. “It's a very unique tribal mindset, where everybody is extremely communal.” Folks participate in social activities as a family unit with extended families and communities gathering for three meals, he explained. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are enjoyed together, including tea and coffee always served at these social gatherings.
Qahwah House founder, Ibrahim Alhasbani immigrated from Yemen to New York in 2011 and opened the first-of-its-kind Yemeni coffee shop in Dearborn, a well-established hub for Arab and Muslim Americans, in 2017. “I'm the eighth generation of a coffee farming family,” Alhasbani said. “The idea [for Qahwah House] came from [an early age], when my mom and my father put two things in my heart and my mind: Yemen is the best place for coffee and Yemeni coffee is the best coffee in the world.”
But “the sad side of the story” was that “no one” knew the history of Yemeni coffee—they didn’t even know where Yemen was, he said.
While Ethiopia is often referred to as the birthplace of coffee, historical records show Yemen was where it was first cultivated, according to World Coffee Research. (For example, the word mocha originates from the coffee shipped from Mokha port located in Mocha, Yemen.)
“I wanted to bring it back to the forefront [of the industry],” Alhasbani said.
Today, he operates 26 locations nationwide with plans for 100 US coffeehouses by 2027.
For Alhasbani, coffee giants like Starbucks and Tim Hortons aren’t competition because they are the antithesis of Yemeni’s coffee culture—corporations that reverse open-door policies and prioritize grab-and-go, commercial coffee. What makes Yemeni coffee special is its naturally sweet taste and chocolate flavor, as well as its low acidity, Alhasbani explained.
“When you walk into a Starbucks, no one's coming to welcome you—you're not getting served gold forks and knives for your pastries and ceramic mugs for the coffee,” added Hamzah Nasser, a third-generation Yemeni immigrant and founder of Haraz Coffee House, which has 27 locations in cities like Charlotte, Buffalo, Milwaukee and more, with 167 additional locations in development. “[In a Yemeni coffeehouse], you have the Arabic music playing, a welcoming vibe, and a place to relax.”
And Americans are catching on. Nasser has noticed a shift in the demographic of customers over the years.
Initially, Nasser opened Haraz locations near Muslim communities, who often build social spaces in these businesses. But after opening in cities like Charlotte, North Carolina, he saw a lot of success with communities outside of the usual target audience.
“People [who] don't want to go to a bar would rather just go to a coffee shop, which is a lot better for us targeting young American professionals,” Nasser said.
Nasser thinks the buzz around Yemeni coffee shops is getting louder. “By 2030 folks will be able to drive three miles and find a Yemeni coffee shop just like Starbucks,” he said.
“As more people become aware of what we have to offer, you can only see a huge expansion,” Almatrahi added. “The future is very bright for Yemeni coffeehouses.”
Three Yemeni coffee shops to visit
Aldar Cafe
Nestled in a strip mall, this family-run café serves an extensive menu of Yemeni coffee in glass pots and cups until 10 p.m. on Saturdays. Settle in for traditional drinks, decadent pastries, and board games. And if you’re unfamiliar with the different coffees, consider signing up for a coffee tasting class to learn more.
4514 Summer Ave # 1, Memphis, TN 38122, instagram.com/aldarcafe901
Bab Al-Yemen Cafe
Since 2021, Ahmed Ghazaly’s coffeehouse has been a hot spot in Fresno. What brings the crowds is the Yemeni coffee brewed with spices in large pots fresh to order. Enjoy Mufawar, medium roast with cardamom and cream, and Aden, black tea and cream with cardamom and nutmeg. Doors close at 9 p.m. but open until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
3173 W Shaw Ave., Suite 102A, Fresno, CA 93711, instagram.com/babalyemencafe
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Arwa Yemeni Coffee
Walk into this North Texas Yemeni coffeehouse and find a large mosaic displaying the old city of Sana’a, Yemen. Sip on rich Yemeni lattes with a camel design atop and Adeni chais in small glass cups paired with saffron milk cakes and honeycomb breads as late as 1 a.m. on weekends.
888 S Greenville Ave., Suite 223, Richardson, TX 75081, arwayemenicoffee.com