INTEL: Late Night + Alcohol Free: Yemeni Coffee Shops + Smoothie Bars Are Hot To Go
When I reviewed Sheba al Yemen on Albany’s Central Ave in 2019, it was the first Yemeni restaurant in the Capital Region, introducing an audience upstate to the flavors of Yemeni cuisine. But it was Yemeni tea, spiced with cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg and strengthened with evaporated milk, that drew me back at 8am for breakfast, mid-afternoon for a pick-me-up, even with dinner when it wasn’t technically on the menu, but always available if you asked.
In the last couple of years, Yemeni coffee shops have grown in popularity nationwide, expanding from Arab + Muslim communities into the American mainstream, and paralleling a decline in drinking and post-pandemic interest in other social “third spaces.” And Yemeni coffee culture is surging in popularity upstate.
Between late 2024 and March 2026 several franchises of Yemeni coffee shops + smoothie bars popped up around Albany and Latham with common features: Open until 11 p.m., midnight (or later during Ramadan,) frequented by an “inter-gen” mixed age crowd, and offering decadent sweet treats from crepes to chocolate fountains. For a younger gen looking to socialize in spaces that de-center alcohol, these four—soon to be five—dessert shops hit the spot.
At midnight on any Saturday night, you’ll them packed. We headed out on a busy weekend during Ramadan, joining groups of friends and whole families breaking fast. Stylishly decorated, modern and leaning into Middle Eastern coffee culture, they have broad all-day appeal from parents with little children to college-age kids. Order spiced Adani chai or medium roast Yemeni coffee with cardamom + cream; try a ‘mojito’ fruit soda or a decadent Dubai chocolate smoothie. But don’t leave without trying a crepes, croffles or a Dubai chocolate milkshake.
Words: Susie Davidson Powell
Photos: K.D.O Photography/The Dishing
RAHA SWEETS
340 Central Ave, Albany | @raha.sweets
Although Raha Sweets opened in the former Sheba al Yemen Yemeni restaurant on Central Ave, its big storefront windows now stream daylight into a modern dessert café with dark marble tables, faux foliage on the walls, LED lighting, and tiered chocolate fountains at the counter into which staff dip waffle or fruit sticks. Although Yemeni coffee beans are not the main focus here, you can order a full list of espresso drinks. Yemeni co-owners Ameen Nagi, Ahmed Murshed and Khalil Fadah are joined in the business by Palestinian entrepreneur Bader Albarghouthi, new co-owner of Saba al Yemen restaurant which replaced Sheba al Yemen when it moved a few doors up to 348 Central. Confusingly, Saba al Yemen, the restaurant, is on the lower floor while Saba Café—Albargouthi’s hookah lounge and bakery/café—occupies the upper level up a steep flight of stairs. Read about Saba Café hookah lounge here. (They host karaoke and belly dancing nights too.)
Raha Sweets leans into Middle Eastern–inflected dessert culture — crepes, waffles, milkshakes, and specialty items like pistachio-topped cups and Dubai chocolate that are the hallmark of the new gen Yemeni coffee shops. With all-day hours from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., sit at the window counter with a view onto Central Ave and the WAMC Linda Auditorium, or tuck yourself into a booth with friends. Raha is about a block up from the downtown Albany Masjid As Salam mosque.
Why go? Dessert presentation is key at Raha with sweet treats presented on black slate drizzled in dark, milk or white chocolate and sprinkled with pistachio dust. Whether you go for the white strawberry shortcake “sushi” (strawberries wrapped in a crepe and drizzled with white chocolate), the Oreo encrusted waffle sticks, or ‘mojito’ fruit-and-soda refreshers, everything is beautifully presented. Don’t miss the milkshakes in flavors from Snickers to Fruity Pebbles.
SHIBAM COFFEE CO.
356 Troy-Schenectady Rd, Latham | shibamcoffee.com | @shibamalbany
The brand new Shibam Coffee Co. in Latham is located near to the Al-Hidaya Mosque and is co-owned by Ahsan Memon and Chafiq Naboui. Shibam Coffee Co. is a café franchise with more than 20 locations concentrated in the Dearborn, MI area, where it roasts its Yemeni coffee beans in-house, and has expanded now across the Midwest, South, and the East Coast. The stylish interior in cream marble and gold, incudes a conference room, a semi private room and café table seating in view of the glass pastry case filled with chocolate croissants, cheesecake, baklava, macarons, and Yemeni pastries like sabaya and honeycomb bread. The Latham team trained in Detroit to learn@shibamalbany the menu which includes traditional preparations of mufawar (medium roast Yemeni coffee with cardamom and cream), Adani chai with Yemeni black tea, cardamom, nutmeg and cream, iced ‘mojito’ fruit refreshers, Moroccan mint tea, light roast Saudi coffee with cardamom and saffron, and pistachio or lotus lattes.
Why go? A smallish, stylishly casual setting for coffee/tea and dessert whether it’s post-movie, an after-dinner treat or your destination at any time of day. Best for sitting and chatting at tables. No lounge furniture. The conference room is a bonus for business meetings over coffee and cake.
BORA BORA SMOOTHIE CAFE
640 Loudon Rd, Latham | boraborasmoothiecafe.com | @borabora_us
Bora Bora originated in Kuwait, made it's way to Brooklyn and has around 15 downstate (mostly in Brooklyn and Queens,) locations in 12 states from Connecticut to Texas, and finally Latham, with the 2024 opening of Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe on Loudon Road. Bringing a tropical aesthetic to a Loudon Road strip mall, with wall murals by artist @vanessaalvarez, Bora Bora is open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. most days with a menu of fresh juices, smoothies, crepes, waffles, croffles (croissant-waffles) as well as hot and cold coffee, coconut bowls, pitaya bowls, matcha bowls and savory sandwiches, all with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and customizable orders. In the Latham location, owner Mo Nasher and his father draws a steady crowd with their fresh fruit smoothies, ‘mojito’ fruit-and-soda drinks, and high-octane desserts like a Dubai chocolate kunafa, strawberry cheesecake dips that lean into the Middle Eastern coffee-and-dessert culture.
Why go? Fresh juice, smoothies, chocolate and pistachio crepes, or a strawberry stick with fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate. On weekend evenings, the casual cafe is packed with a lively, friendly crowd.
QAMARIA YEMENI COFFEE
800 Loudon Rd, Latham | qamariacoffee.com | @qamaria.albany
The rapidly expanding Michigan-based Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., which specializes in 100% premium Yemeni beans, has over 40 locations across the U.S. and recently Canada, but The Shoppes at Latham Circle is its latest location. The founders built up a Yemeni supply chain before opening their first cafe in Dearborn and the walls of the huge Latham location tell the story of Yemen as the birth place of coffee. (Sufi monks who roasted and brewed it for rituals called it qahwah or gawa.)
The large Latham strip mall franchise at 800 Loudon Road, where you’ll also find Jersey Mike’s, Fruit Loop + a Taste of Italy,) is owned by Ghous Barak. The menu features traditional cardamom-scented Yemeni coffee, as well as Spanish latte, chai, matcha drinks, Middle Eastern teas like qishr (coffee-husk tea with spices), Adeni chai and pastries from kataifi, honeycomb and kaak to Dubai chocolate croissants.
The largest of the new Capital District Yemeni cafés, Qamaria has ample seating + soft lounge furniture making it a natural draw to the large groups of friends who descend here on a Saturday night. With the strip mall parking lot packed with young drivers + upscale cars, the scene could be a Miami or L.A. strip mall at midnight.
Why go? Come for house-ground Yemeni espresso drinks, housemade pistachio milk, pastries, desserts + friendly energy.
🫒 → Opening soon — Qahwah Yemeni Coffee Co. is under construction at 650 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham. Owned by Ahsan Farooq, an alumnus of the University at Albany, it’s set to open this spring.