Coffee
Yemeni coffee houses in Metro Detroit: where the wave started and what to order
Dearborn is where the American Yemeni coffee house began. What qishr, Adeni chai and sabaya are, and the cafes that started it: Qahwah House, Haraz and Qamaria.
Why Dearborn
Yemen is where coffee was first cultivated and traded, and Yemeni families have lived in Dearborn's Southend since the 1960s. In September 2017 Ibrahim Alhasbani, whose family grows coffee in Yemen, opened Qahwah House on Schaefer Road. It is widely credited with starting the wave. Haraz followed in 2021 and Qamaria opened its first cafes in 2020, and all three now have locations well beyond Michigan.
The format is the same everywhere: beans from Yemen, drinks brewed with cardamom and ginger, pots meant for sharing, pastries with honey, and hours that run past midnight.
What to order
- Yemeni coffee, by the pot. Brewed with spices. Each house has its own named blends. Ask which one is the mildest if spiced coffee is new to you.
- Qishr. Coffee-husk tea with ginger. Light, warming, no bitterness.
- Adeni chai. Milk tea with cardamom and cloves. Sweet.
- Sabaya, or bint al-sahn. Thin layers of dough and clarified butter, baked, then covered in honey and black seeds. One slice is enough for two.
- A latte, if you must. They are good at those too, usually with pistachio or cardamom versions.
The houses
Yemeni coffee house opened on Schaefer Road in September 2017 by Ibrahim Alhasbani, whose family grows coffee in Yemen. It is widely credited with starting the Yemeni coffee-house wave in Metro Detroit and has grown to more than 30 US locations, including a West Dearborn cafe at 22000 Michigan Ave and one in Canton (42051 Ford Rd).
What to order: Yemeni pour-over coffee, Adeni chai, Sabaya / bint al-sahn honey pastry.
Alcohol-free; Zabihah listing quotes the business as serving 100% halal food and drinks.
6655 Schaefer Rd, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Yemeni coffee franchise founded in Dearborn in 2021 by Hamzah Nasser. From its first cafe on Michigan Avenue in East Dearborn it has expanded to dozens of locations, including Detroit (1501 Church St) and Livonia (30120 Plymouth Rd).
What to order: Yemeni coffee, Specialty lattes, Pastries.
Fully halal per Zabihah (alcohol-free menu; halal certificate on file per listing).
13810 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Yemeni coffee company founded by Munif Maweri and Hatem Al-Eidaroos, who began as wholesalers sourcing beans from Haraz, Yemen, before opening cafes in 2020. The Ford Road cafe at the Dearborn/Dearborn Heights border opened in 2022 as the brand's fifth location; it also roasts on Dix Avenue in south Dearborn.
What to order: Single-origin Yemeni coffee, Qishr (coffee-husk tea), Yemeni desserts.
Halal per Zabihah listings for the brand (Troy listing: Muslim owners confirmed, certified halal); coffee-and-dessert menu.
25245 Ford Rd Suite B, Dearborn, MI 48128DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Shibam Coffee Co. is a Dearborn-based Yemeni coffee company headquartered on Schaefer Road in East Dearborn, where its shop sells Yemeni coffee, Adeni tea, pastries and beans roasted under its own label. The Ann Arbor Observer reported in June 2026 that founder Amjed Oudeif runs it with his father and brother and that the parent company had 19 stores with 10 more in development. The brand takes its name from the walled city of Shibam in Yemen.
What to order: Yemeni coffee, Adeni tea, Pistachio latte, Pistachio and Lotus milk cakes.
No written halal statement found from the business. The menu is coffee, drinks and pastry; if it matters to you, ask about gelatin or alcohol-based flavorings before you order.
5461 Schaefer Rd, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Diwan Cafe is an Arabic-style coffee house on Schaefer Road in East Dearborn with ornate red decor and majlis seating modeled on Yemeni architecture. It serves Yemeni and Turkish coffee, Adeni tea, fresh juices and smoothies, and desserts such as milk cake, basbousa and honeycomb. Metro Times included it among its favorite Dearborn coffee shops and singled out the Kahwa Rada'yi Mulflaf, a light-roast coffee blended with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nuts, raisins and barley.
What to order: Kahwa Rada'yi Mulflaf, Mofawar coffee, Adeni tea, Fresh juices and smoothies.
No written halal statement found from the business. The menu is coffee, drinks and pastry; if it matters to you, ask about gelatin or alcohol-based flavorings before you order.
5125 Schaefer Rd, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsCallWebsiteDetails
Jabal Coffee House is a Yemeni coffee company founded in Dearborn in 2023 by brothers Gamal and Saqr Waza, with its original shop on Mason Street in West Downtown Dearborn. It serves organic single-origin Yemeni coffee, mofawar, Adeni tea, an espresso bar, refreshers and a pastry case, and offers bookable private rooms. By 2026 it had opened franchises in Ann Arbor, Orlando, Raleigh, Toledo and Mississauga, with more announced.
What to order: Mofawar coffee, Adeni tea, Yemeni single-origin coffee, Pastry and dessert case.
No written halal statement found from the business. The menu is coffee, drinks and pastry; if it matters to you, ask about gelatin or alcohol-based flavorings before you order.
1031 Mason St, Dearborn, MI 48124DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Bayt Al Mocha is a coffee house on Michigan Avenue in west downtown Dearborn. It serves espresso drinks, teas, smoothies, pastries and breakfast sandwiches.
Zabihah lists it as fully halal with no alcohol, on staff's verbal assurance; no certifier named.
22219 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124DirectionsCallWebsiteDetails
The downtown Ann Arbor location of Shibam Coffee, a Yemeni coffee house chain with several Metro Detroit cafés. What Now Detroit reported in January 2026 that franchisee Amjed Oudeif was building out the Main Street space, and the company's website now lists the café with daily hours. It serves Yemeni coffees, spiced teas and pastries.
What to order: Mufawar coffee, Sana'ani coffee, Adeni tea, Milk cake.
Zabihah quotes management as saying every drink and dessert is prepared to halal standards. The café does not serve alcohol.
414 S Main St, Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI 48104DirectionsCallWebsiteDetails
Emari Roast Café is a coffee house near Somerset Collection in Troy founded by brothers Omar and Amar Al-Haidari. What Now Detroit reported in November 2025 that it would open as the first location of a planned franchise. It serves organic Colombian and Yemeni coffee, teas, pastries and sandwiches.
What to order: Yemeni and Colombian coffee, Buffalo chicken sandwich, Pastrami sandwich, Pastries.
The café's menu describes its buffalo chicken and smoked pastrami as halal. No certifier named.
987 Wilshire Dr, Ste C, Troy, MI 48084DirectionsCallWebsiteDetails
Make a night of it
Dinner first: the Dearborn restaurant guide or the Yemeni food guide. During Ramadan the coffee houses are the after-taraweeh stop; see Ramadan in Dearborn.
Sources (5)
Questions people ask
What is Adeni chai?
Yemeni milk tea, also called shahi haleeb: black tea brewed in condensed or evaporated milk with cardamom and cloves. It is very sweet and usually served by the pot.
What is qishr?
A hot Yemeni drink made from the dried husks of the coffee cherry, spiced with ginger and sometimes cinnamon. It is lighter than coffee and has been drunk in Yemen for centuries because the husks need no roasting.
Are Yemeni coffee houses halal?
They serve no alcohol, and the three in this guide are listed as fully halal. They have become popular late-night gathering places for exactly that reason.
