Yemen’s coffeehouse culture is showing up on U.S. streets after decades of war and limited travel home, with cafes built around late-night socializing and distinctive drinks. In the latest example, Sunnyvale, California, has become one of the points of visibility for a broader expansion of Yemeni-style coffee spots across the country.
According to Technomic, the number of cafes run by six major chains that serve Yemeni-style drinks rose 50% last year to 136. That figure does not include smaller chains and independent cafes serving Yemeni coffees and teas, which operators say are also growing. The expansion is unfolding in a way that blends food and beverage novelty with a specific nightlife rhythm, including service that can run late—sometimes past 3 a.m., especially during Ramadan.
Owners and operators have linked that late-night format to how Yemen’s café culture traditionally functions in the region. Ahmad Badr, who owns an Arwa Yemeni Coffee franchise in Sunnyvale, said, “Generally in the Middle East. our nightlife is coffee, right? People hang out at coffee shops, they play cards, they talk. We wanted to bring that here,” according to the Associated Press report. Badr’s comments reflect a model where the venue is as much for staying and socializing as it is for ordering a drink.
The U.S. alcohol context has also played a role in demand for gathering places that are not centered on alcohol. The report cited a Gallup poll showing that just 54% of U.S. adults reported drinking alcohol last year—its lowest percentage in 90 years—and said Yemeni cafes benefit from that shift by offering a place to socialize for people who don’t drink.
A second factor is the growth of Arab American communities and their influence on where new cafes open. The Associated Press reported that the Arab American Institute found the Arab American population in the U.S. rose 43% between 2010 and 2024, compared with around 10% growth for the overall U.S. population. While many Yemeni coffee shops are in places with high concentrations of Arab Americans—including Michigan, California and Texas—the report said cafes are also opening in locations such as Alpharetta, Georgia; Overland Park, Kansas; and Portland, Maine.
For some operators, the trend is also tied to how Yemen’s civil war has affected day-to-day life for diaspora customers. Faris Almatrahi, co-founder and owner of Texas-based Arwa Yemeni Coffee (with 11 cafes across the U.S. and 30 more in development), said Yemen’s civil war that began in 2014 has prevented Yemeni Americans from visiting, so he has tried to evoke Yemen in the cafes. “One of the ways to actually visit without traveling there was to bring that experience to the U.S., and that was a huge passion for us when we opened our first location,” Almatrahi said. “It was extremely emotional for all of us due to the fact that it really transported us to Yemen.”
The cafes’ presentation is designed to reinforce that sense of place. Arwa locations, the report said, use natural desert tones and feature archways meant to mimic mosques, along with lampshades shaped like the hats worn by Yemen’s coffee farmers. Even so, Almatrahi said many customers are not of Arab descent, and he pointed to broader market interest in global flavors and experiences. Datassential and the role of social media were cited in the report as additional drivers for new customers.
Menus vary by location, but the report described several common Yemeni specialties—including Adeni tea, described as a spiced tea similar to chai, and qishr, a traditional drink made from dried husks of coffee cherries. Familiar drinks such as lattes may be adapted with spices or honey; at Arwa, the report said lattes feature a camel outline stenciled in spices. Bakery offerings can include khaliat nahal, described as Yemeni honeycomb bread with cheese and honey, as well as basboosa, a cake soaked in sugar syrup and often flavored with lemon or rose water, alongside more typical U.S. café items such as matcha lattes or berry refreshers.
As Yemeni cafes spread, industry analysts say the appeal aligns with broader coffee trends. Peter Giuliano, a researcher with the Specialty Coffee Association, told the Associated Press that culturally specific cafes have been a key growth driver in the U.S. coffee industry for the last few years. The report also cited other culturally themed café concepts as comparables, including Tierra Mia in California and Nguyen Coffee Supply in New York, which roasts Vietnamese beans.
At storefront level, customers described their routes into the cafes as often starting with simple discovery rather than prior familiarity. One customer who visited Badr’s Sunnyvale shop for the first time said an internet search brought her there on a recent weekday, and Cindy Donovan said she was “always on the hunt for good coffee” and tried Yemeni drinks. Donovan said, “I think they’re much more refined and mellow, and much more full of flavor than a regular cup of dark roast, for instance,” adding that “the cardamom in the drinks is fantastic. Very, very flavorful, rich but not heavy.”
Operators also described how ingredients and preparation techniques contribute to the flavor profile. The report said most Yemeni coffee is sun-dried, which Almatrahi described as enhancing chocolate- and fruit-like undertones. It also said Yemeni cafes may mix coffee with special spice blends known as hawaij, which can include cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, coriander or nutmeg, depending on the drink. Mohamed Nasser, director of operations for Haraz Coffee House—a Dearborn, Michigan-based chain with 50 U.S. outlets and another 50 in development—described a manual process: “Our coffee and teas are not just made through a fully automatic machine,” Nasser said. “We have to manually blend and mix our coffee and tea, boil it with water and evaporated milk, make sure that it comes out (with the) perfect taste, perfect color.”
The story also returns to Yemen’s longer association with coffee itself. The Associated Press report said that while the plant was likely discovered in Ethiopia, by the 1400s it was being cultivated in Yemen, where monks brewed it to stay awake during prayers. It said Yemen monopolized the coffee trade for around 200 years until Dutch merchants smuggled coffee seeds to Indonesia, beginning cultivation there. Almatrahi said a revitalization of the Yemeni coffee industry over the last two decades—led by coffee companies, foundations and young entrepreneurs—has helped make the current U.S. boom possible, and he framed new shops as cultural outreach. “We are ambassadors for our culture and our people. So when we open these shops, we want to perform the outreach, to show the hospitality, to show what we have to offer,” he said.
The report was filed by Dee-Ann Durbin from Detroit, with AP Video Journalist Mike Householder contributing from Dearborn, Michigan.