Yemen’s Ancient Coffee Culture Finds New Home in American Cafés

Hundreds of years ago, Yemen introduced the world to coffee. Today, the mountainous, war-ravaged country that borders Saudi Arabia and Oman is exporting something equally valuable: its rich coffee culture.

Yemeni coffeehouses are expanding rapidly across the United States. According to Technomic, a restaurant industry consulting company, the number of cafés run by six major Yemeni-style chains grew 50% last year to 136 locations. This count doesn’t include numerous smaller chains and independent cafés serving coffees and teas imported from Yemen.

These establishments are thriving for several compelling reasons. Unlike traditional American cafés, Yemeni coffeehouses typically stay open late—sometimes past 3 a.m., especially during Ramadan—providing a social space for the growing number of Americans who don’t consume alcohol. A 2023 Gallup poll found that just 54% of U.S. adults reported drinking alcohol, the lowest percentage in 90 years.

“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,” explains Ahmad Badr, owner of an Arwa Yemeni Coffee franchise in Sunnyvale, California.

The growth of these cafés also reflects demographic shifts in America. Between 2010 and 2024, the Arab American population in the U.S. increased by 43%, compared to around 10% growth for the U.S. population overall, according to the Arab American Institute.

While most Yemeni coffee shops have opened in areas with high concentrations of Arab Americans, including Michigan, California, and Texas, they’re increasingly appearing in diverse locations such as Alpharetta, Georgia; Overland Park, Kansas; and Portland, Maine.

A Taste of Home

Faris Almatrahi, co-founder and owner of Texas-based Arwa Yemeni Coffee, which operates 11 cafés across the U.S. with 30 more in development, says the ongoing civil war in Yemen that began in 2014 has prevented Yemeni Americans like himself from visiting their homeland. This separation inspired him to recreate authentic Yemeni experiences in his cafés.

“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 says. “It was extremely emotional for all of us due to the fact that it really transported us to Yemen.”

Arwa locations feature natural desert tones, archways reminiscent of mosques, and lampshades shaped like the hats worn by Yemen’s coffee farmers. These design elements create an immersive cultural experience.

Interestingly, Almatrahi notes that most of his customers aren’t of Arab descent. Market research company Datassential confirms that Americans of all backgrounds are increasingly seeking authentic global flavors and experiences, a trend accelerated by social media’s ability to spread food trends rapidly.

Yemeni café menus vary but typically feature specialties like Adeni tea, a spiced tea similar to chai, and qishr, a traditional drink made from dried coffee cherry husks. Familiar drinks like lattes often contain special spices or honey; at Arwa, lattes feature the outline of a camel stenciled in spices.

The bakery cases showcase treats like khaliat nahal (Yemeni honeycomb bread), a cheese-filled pastry drizzled with honey, and basboosa, a cake soaked in sugar syrup typically flavored with lemon or rose water. Many establishments also offer more conventional American coffeehouse items like matcha lattes or berry refreshers to appeal to a wider audience.

Choices for Coffee Lovers

Peter Giuliano, a researcher with the California-based Specialty Coffee Association nonprofit, says culturally specific cafés have been driving growth in the U.S. coffee industry for several years. Beyond Yemeni cafés, he points to Latin-style chain Tierra Mia in California and Nguyen Coffee Supply, a New York-based company that roasts Vietnamese beans.

First-time customer Cindy Donovan, who discovered Badr’s Sunnyvale shop through an internet search, was impressed by the distinctive flavors of Yemeni coffee. “I think they’re much more refined and mellow, and much more full of flavor than a regular cup of dark roast,” she says. “The cardamom in the drinks is fantastic. Very, very flavorful, rich but not heavy.”

Most Yemeni coffee is sun-dried, which enhances its flavor profile, bringing out undertones of chocolate and fruit, according to Almatrahi. Yemeni cafés often blend coffee with special spice mixes—called hawaij—that may contain cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, or nutmeg.

“Our coffee and teas are not just made through a fully automatic machine,” explains Mohamed Nasser, operations director for Haraz Coffee House, a Dearborn, Michigan-based chain with 50 U.S. outlets and another 50 in development. “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.”

Yemen’s Flavorful History

Coffee has a rich history in Yemen. While the coffee plant likely originated in Ethiopia, by the 1400s it was being cultivated in Yemen, where monks brewed it to stay awake during prayers, according to the National Coffee Association. Yemen monopolized the coffee trade for approximately 200 years until Dutch merchants smuggled coffee seeds to Indonesia and began growing plants there.

Almatrahi credits the recent U.S. boom to a revitalization of Yemen’s coffee industry over the past two decades, led by coffee companies, foundations, and young entrepreneurs. Coffee represents one of the most promising sectors for economic development in Yemen, where more than 80% of the population lives in poverty, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

“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,” Almatrahi says, highlighting how these cafés serve not just as businesses but as cultural bridges between Yemen and America.