Why Yemeni Cafés tend in the USA

You could be surprised that you walk along the Hollywood Boulevard to find a cafe full of customers on a Friday evening at 11 p.m. But this was for Sadeq Alaqel, who founded the Sana'a Cafe together with his brother, as usual. It is the first of the modern Yemeni cafés in the heart of Los Angeles.

Although the Hollywood location was only opened in March, it has been one of many places that you open throughout California – San Rafael, Lake Forest and Sacramento since the opening of her first café in San Francisco in May 2023.

“We just tried. We didn't think it would be so big to be honest,” said Alaqel. With nine new locations in the works, says Alaqel, you have plans to open your next La Cafe in Westwood.

Other Yemeni cafés, who mentioned, were mostly in Orange County, especially in Qamaria coffee in Lake Forest; An almost 50-minute drive from the city. Many of the Angelenos in the Café said that they wanted more Yemeni cafés like Sana'a Cafe in the city.

Yemeni cafes that serve an unmistakable Yemeni coffee and tea are becoming increasingly popular across the country, especially in areas with large Arab and Muslim population groups such as Michigan and Texas. Other popular Jemeni Café franchise companies are Qamaria Coffee and Qahwah House, the latter of which have opened 22 locations since its first foundation in 2017.

A large part of the attraction of these cafes is that they can act as a meeting point for people who do not drink alcohol, said Hani Bawardi, deputy director of Arab American studies at the University of Michigan. Like bars, they are usually open until late at night.

These cafes have many years of popularity in Muslims and the Arabic diaspora, which may feel a cultural connection to these rooms. But certain aspects of the Yemeni cafés – like their tendency to stay open for the last time

According to a survey published by the University of Michigan in early April, the consumer mood due to Trump's oscillating tariff policy fell for the fourth month in a row. Since the American consumers are not sure about the economy and want to reduce the expenditure, alternative nightlife such as Yemeni cafés offer a cheaper alternative to bars.

Although your coffee is high -end and a latte is usually over 8 US dollars, the entry barrier can feel less than in a bar in which a cocktail in a city like La or New York can easily go for about 20 US dollars.

However, the appeal goes beyond the price. Gen z is increasingly less alcohol than its predecessors after a recently carried out gallup analysis. For a more sober generation, a café could offer a neutral room for friends late at night.

Dalila Zelkanovic, a patron in the Sana'a Cafe, who works in strategy, announced that it was nice while she was drinking, but it was nice than being open to the nightlife.

“I will occasionally fall into a pub,” said Zelkanovic. “But it's like great energy consumption and it is simply nice to have other places where you can connect to friends.”

Access to a place where you can connect to others is more important than you may think. Richard Kyte, ethics professor at Viterbo University, who wrote a book with the title Find your third placesaid marketplace that our society is less dependent on each other than ever. He says this is because people can look for social interaction online.

“Digital devices offered us both entertainment options [and] Other ways to get together with people, ”said Kyte.

But young people report that they are more lonely than ever. A national survey carried out in 2024 showed that 24% of the 18 to 29-year-olds gave “serious feelings of loneliness”. This trend in adults was seen as a public health crisis – loneliness can be real health problems such as an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia.

Kyte says that third places like a café can help tackle the problem of loneliness.

“If we create targeted mutual dependency – undertake to appear regularly in one place – you are dependent on others being there. It offers a lot of wealth for your life,” said Kyte.

These cafés seem to be in general social nature, especially at night. In the Café of Sana'a there were over 50 customers in the room at 10 p.m. – while some people read a book or let a laptop opened, the rest were talking to friends and family.

The 28-year-old analyst Sandra Ghazal, who was visiting a college friend when he visited the Sana'a Cafe, emphasized the social attraction of the Yemeni cafés.

“Everyone is like in their own world, isn't it?” said Ghazal. “But then here, so contacts, you see people you know.”