Yemeni coffeehouses expand rapidly across the US

Yemeni coffeehouses are expanding rapidly across the United States, growing from a handful of locations in 2022 to hundreds of cafés nationwide. According to reporting on a 2026 Associated Press report, six major Yemeni-style coffee chains grew by 50% in 2025, reaching 136 locations across the country. Three businesses headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan—Qahwah House, Qamaria Coffee, and Haraz Coffee House—now operate 121 stores between them in 14 states including Ohio, Illinois, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, and Tennessee.

The coffeehouse boom began in 2022 when Delah Coffee opened in San Francisco as the first Yemeni café in the Bay Area, followed by Mocha House in Oakland a year later. In Dearborn, Qahwah House opened in 2017 as an early hub, and the chain now operates 27 locations nationwide. The growth has extended to less traditional markets: Rochester, New York, now supports multiple Yemeni coffeehouses including Albunn Coffeehouse and Layali Coffee House. Albunn opened its first location in June 2025 and expanded to a second location within a year.

These cafés serve traditional Yemeni drinks seasoned with cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and qishr (dried coffee husks), alongside contemporary specialty drinks like pistachio lattes and brown sugar lattes. Many remain open late—often until midnight or past—offering a social gathering space that appeals to diverse customers. According to reporting from the Bay Area, younger Muslim communities have embraced Yemeni coffeehouses as late-night spaces where alcohol is not served, filling a gap in social nightlife. Some customers cited consumer boycotts related to Gaza as motivating their patronage.

Yemen has deep historical ties to coffee: while arabica plants originate in Ethiopia, Yemen was the first to cultivate and trade coffee as a beverage centuries ago. The Port of Mokha in Yemen became the center of global coffee trade, and the port's name entered European languages as a synonym for high-quality coffee. Contemporary Yemeni coffeehouses celebrate this heritage through their decor, often featuring photographs of Yemeni countryside, traditional coffee pots, and arabesque patterns alongside modern aesthetics.

In Michigan, the Yemeni American community has grown significantly in recent years and is now the largest single Middle Eastern demographic group in Detroit and Hamtramck. The dek of Dearborn, Abdullah Hammoud, declared the city the "Coffee Capital of America" in November 2025, inspired by the recent cultural phenomenon of Yemeni coffeehouses.