IT’S AROUND 8 p.m. on a Sunday, long after most coffeehouses in the city have turned their chairs over their tables and swept the floors. At this late hour, even the most ardent coffee fans have likely switched to decaf. But Yafa Golden Coffee, the Ali family’s Yemeni-style bean-brewing spot and bakery that opened last June in Noblesville, is bustling. Some patrons are working on laptops or tapping on their cellphones, but most are deep into conversation with their tablemates, enjoying aromatic lattes or tipping ornate and long-handled brass pots called ibriks of dark, thick coffee into tiny cups. No worries about the buzz of the brew keeping them up. There are still hours to go.
Yafa Golden is just one of several all-day coffee spots that have sprung up mostly on Indy’s northeast side over the last year or so and that offer an array of steaming, foam-topped drinks that you can also find in cafes from Istanbul, to Cairo, to Dubai. “Saudis, Pakistanis, Yemenis, they all cherish their coffeehouse culture,” says Sajjad Shah, founder of Muslims of the World, abbreviated MOTW, an Instagram-page-turned-global-initiative with the mission to “illuminate the lives of Muslim individuals.” His organization has raised millions for humanitarian causes and has franchised seven coffeehouses with the MOTW name, including three in Indianapolis. Dozens more in several states are in the works. “As alcohol is forbidden in Islamic culture, the coffeehouses are a substitute for nighttime socializing and bars. The atmosphere can get pretty lively, especially late.”
It’s a similar scene at other cafes with Middle Eastern influences. “We opened just before Ramadan last March,” says Shaylin Arwani, manager of the two local locations of Mariam Coffee, a Turkish-style roaster and cafe franchise founded by Palestinians living in Istanbul. The company has spots in seven countries, and each bag of their coffee beans includes a little story that can be used as a bookmark. “We stayed open until 3 or 4 a.m., and we had so many customers we had to pull chairs out onto the sidewalk.”
Arwani, whose father and uncles own the Mariam spots in Fishers and Broad Ripple, is a pharmacy student who hopes to specialize in operating coffee carts for private events, which Mariam already sponsors. “Every place in the Middle East has dozens of spots for sharing a cup of Turkish coffee,” she says. “It’s the preferred place for having a chat or talking about the past.”
“Coffee holds a special place in Yemeni and Arabic culture,” says the affable Ali Ali, manager of Yafa Golden Coffee. The owners directly trace their roots to Yafa, a small tribal community in South Yemen. “Yemen is often referred to as the birthplace of coffee culture, with the first coffee beans cultivated in the region of Yafa and Mocha centuries ago. Beyond being a beverage, coffee represents hospitality, tradition, and community—a symbol of the warm, welcoming nature of our culture.” With its cardamom-laced Yafa Special, its light roast blend with added sesame seeds, and its peach cascara made from coffee shells flavored with peach, not to mention the excellent cream cheese–stuffed honeycomb bread in its pastry case, Yafa’s menu seeks to give a true experience of coffeehouses on the Arabic peninsula—though Western-style cortados, cappuccinos, and Belgian chocolate cookies are offered as well.
Other new spots such as Niyyah Coffee, with two locations in Fishers and Glendale, lean more toward the typical drinks found in American coffeehouses, such as a zebra latte or a Pumpkin Suga’ Shook with pumpkin spice and a white chocolate base. The decor at Niyyah’s location in the Fishers Hub & Spoke building is particularly modern and European, though a logo on the wall reminds customers that “Niyyah” translates to “intention” in Arabic.
“I want to show that Americanos, lattes, and cappuccinos can be served by counter clerks in headscarves who are just as American as anyone else,” says Shah, a proud Butler University grad and Indy native. “The overwhelming majority of our customers
are non-Muslim,” he is quick to point out. “We wanted to counter misinformation
about Muslims while serving a great cup of coffee. We want to be open for everyone.”
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