Yemeni Coffee Shop Bayt Almocha Opens New Location in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown District

Near Ann Arbor's busy farmers market, Bayt Almocha has set up its newest location. The Dearborn coffee shop now brings its drinks to the university area, just minutes from Central Campus.

In Arabic, the name means "House of Mocha," pointing to Yemen's rich coffee history. Both Abdulla Alysofi and his business partner Rafed Al-Serri grew up close to Mokha port, which shaped coffee trade for three centuries.

"I think it's a place where you can actually sit down, have a conversation for hours and drink coffee and tea," Al-Serri told The Michigan Daily. "It's a very welcoming, homey, local coffee shop. We want it to feel almost like you're inside your own house."

Guests can try unique drinks like adeni chai - black tea mixed with spices and milk. The mufawar blends Yemeni coffee with cardamom and cream. Soft cushions in blue and gold fill the cozy space inside.

Students pay 20% less on drinks, while basic coffee costs just $1.99 throughout the day. A mobile app offers more ways to save.

Barista Farhana Sajh spoke about keeping costs down. "Not many people have the opportunity to get their daily coffee as prices are hiking up because of the new administration, impacting not only the middle class, but the lower class especially," Sajh said.

Engineering student and barista Gregory Busuioc watches the mix of visitors daily. "I see students, people who work around here, professors and, of course, families too,” he said. "On Sunday, a group came in with board games and stayed for a couple of hours."

"The workers will notice if someone's studying or if someone just got a drink and, sometimes, we'll just keep offering them something for free," Sajh said. "The owners want people to come in here and try new things and be involved in Yemeni cafe culture."

"Anything that customers have to say, give an opinion, give your thoughts on it, to help improve the cafe," Sajh added. "The owners say that anything to improve the cafe, they'll accept."