Qahwah House, a beloved Yemeni coffee and tea chain, is adding some caffeinated spark to south Brooklyn.
Qahwah House is known for its Yemeni coffee, tea and pastries. The chain started in Michigan in 2017 and opened a location in Bay Ridge in February. Managers Waleed Hassan and Sameer Al-Asbahi considers the opening of the Bay Ridge location as an opportunity for community building through culture and quality service.
Qahwah House does not have an elaborate menu, but the brevity of the selection gives each drink more space to be recognized. Al-Asbahi noted that some drinks were definitely more under the radar than others, including rada'ey, a light roast coffee with ginger and cardamom.
Hassan and Al-Asbahi both confessed to being surprised by the city’s voracious appetite for coffee. At home, Al-Asbahi said he likes to keep it simple by drinking black coffee with cardamom.
Al-Asbahi and Hassan said the popularity of Qahwah House is a testament to Brooklynites looking to enjoy Yemeni culture. Hassan said first-timers with no clue what to order should start with the jubani, a light roast coffee with cardamom, cinnamon and ginger, and khaliat alnahl, a buttery, cheese-filled pastry with a honey drizzle.
The drink is named after Juban, a mountainous region in Yemen, where it is cold all year long, so people made jubani to “make them feel like warm the whole day," the managers said.
Unlike Williamsburg, Qahwah's first Brooklyn location, Bay Ridge is home to a vibrant Arab community. Hassan and Al-Asbahi said that the other Arab coffee shops were not competition, but a boon to their business.
They both expressed joy in the lively presence of the Arab community around the store.
“We're not coming to Bay Ridge to sell coffee and tea and make money and leave,” Hassan said. “We’re here because of the people…when they come in, they feel at home. This is a place for you and your family to come in and feel comfortable.”
During Ramadan, the Bay Ridge location donated chai and pastries for local mosques. When Al-Asbahi and Hassan man the register, they avoid giving children caffeinated drinks and make sure customers look like they're enjoying their drinks and snacks.
Hassan also noted the store’s popularity with South Asian residents, who, he believes, find resonance in Yemeni flavors. Adeni Chai, consisting of Yemeni black tea, cardamom, nutmeg and milk is the most popular drink on the menu, he said.
“I think there’s a similar taste [we] share, like cardamom and other spices,” he said, of Yemeni and other Asian cultures.
