Cafe Nightlife? Yemeni Coffee Shop Offers Community After Dark – CoffeeTalk

Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., located in Greenfield, Wisconsin, is a popular late-night spot for people of all backgrounds seeking a space to socialize without serving alcohol. The shop has grown in popularity over the past 14 months, with lines becoming especially long during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting that ends this weekend. The owners, Anas Alhurani and Faraz Shuja, believe the friendly atmosphere is much a reason people gather at the shop as a need for caffeine.

The Greenfield shop, at 4818 S. 76th St., has become a vibrant multicultural community hub, catering to people of all backgrounds. The shop’s appeal has reached beyond Milwaukee’s Muslim and Arab communities to people of all backgrounds, creating a vibrant multicultural community hub. The Greenfield shop had the highest sales of all Qamaria franchises last year nationally, according to Alhurani.

Owners Alhurani and Faraz Shuja are proud of the shop’s appeal and its ability to reach beyond Milwaukee’s Muslim and Arab communities to people of all backgrounds. They are proud of the connections they have made with customers and the “family of non-blood relatives” they have created.

Distinctive drinks and desserts are part of the draw for these Yemeni-style cafés. Qamaria regularly sells out of the internet-famous Dubai chocolate bars made with shredded filo dough, and barista Omer Asan, a native of Turkey, often is found artfully drizzling pistachio sauce and sprinkling pistachio crumbles over the bars.

Older customers who may have grown up abroad tend to opt for traditional beverages with familiar spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger, while young people gravitate to Americanized options like pistachio lattes and fruity, juice-like “refreshers.” There are also all the typical drinks like cappuccinos, macchiatos, and espressos.

Coffee beans are sourced from Yemen, one of the world’s oldest coffee producers. The mocha, named after a historic port called Mokha, known for exporting coffee, is named after a historic port called Mokha. Since the Qamaria location is a franchise, the beverage menu is set by the Michigan-based company, but local bakeries make most of the desserts. The shop has a tea cart that groups can rent for events, with hopes to expand to outdoor fairs and festivals.

Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. is a homey, friendly atmosphere that serves as a “third space” for local Muslims and Arabs to socialize and catch up with friends and family. The shop is especially busy on weekends and late at night during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. People come to the café to relax and enjoy the lively scene around them, which reminds them of their long nights spent drinking tea and chatting growing up.

People who visit Qamaria once tend to return, with radiology students like Evelyn Duran, Marquette University biomedical sciences majors, and 50-something gamers enjoying Turkish coffee orders. The laid-back, joyful environment has been a welcome refuge for some local Muslims and Arabs living with daily reminders of the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Alhurani hopes Qamaria will become a “recharging station” for all those with stress in their lives, no matter their background. The laid-back, joyful environment has been a welcome refuge for some local Muslims and Arabs who live with daily reminders of the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The shop is especially busy on weekends and late at night during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The laid-back, joyful environment has helped people clear their minds and feel comfortable stopping by. A regular customer walked in to pray in the back offices, feeling comfortable since they were in the area and had gotten to know Alhurani.

This warm, inviting culture Alhurani and Shuja worked to build is in action, as seen in the warm, inviting atmosphere at Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co.

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