Photos by Kelli S. Hewett.
Amr Alamari, co-founder and general manager of Bayt Al-Qahwah in West Homewood, wanted to bring the Yemeni coffee experience to Alabama.
When the line for coffee trails down the sidewalk in West Homewood, it’s not just for a caffeine fix. It’s for a step inside a different world.
At Bayt Al-Qahwah, which translates to “the house of coffee” in Arabic, co-founder and general manager Amr Alamari is running a Yemeni coffee house that is part cafe, cultural hub and community living room.
“Yemeni coffee shops are going crazy in the States,” said Alamari, who grew up in Birmingham as the son of Yemeni parents. “Alabama didn’t have anything like this, so we just opened one.”
The shop, located near Publix on Green Springs Highway, has been open about six months and had lines out the door within the first week. The shop is open until 10 p.m. weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends.
The idea was sparked by trips he and his father, Abdo Alamari, took to some 30 Yemeni coffee houses, starting in Dearborn, Michigan, the hub of the U.S. Yemeni coffee craze.
“Our coffee is very much stronger than your original coffee,” Alamari said. “You look at the menu and you just get lost. It’s a menu that you never see.”
He suggests new customers chat with his team at the counter for a personal walkthrough to the perfect choice, from Yemeni Adeni tea to a nonalcoholic mojito or the perfect coffee creation based on favorite flavors and sweetness levels.
Favorites include mofawar medium roast coffee with cardamom and cream, Saudi or Yemeni coffee, and a Biscoff cookie or Spanish latte.
There’s also a pastry case filled with an international selection of sweets and savories, from their housemade honeycomb bread (perfect with Yemeni Adeni black tea), the signature 12+ layer cake sabaya and the Nutella croissant.
Alamari, a 20-year-old marketing student at UAB, decides the menu, often creating and refining it himself. His favorite is the Spanish latte.
Yemeni coffee is grown from genetically pure, isolated ancient trees terraced at extremely high altitudes. The rustic, complex flavor profile is unlike anything else in the world.
The beans arrive from Yemen, and customers notice the flavor and the caffeine buzz. An expert from Dearborn taught the team during two weeks of intense training.
Photos by Kelli S. Hewett.
Bayt Al-Qahwah, a new Yemeni coffee house in West Homewood, includes decor, coffee and pastries from Yemen. The Yemeni coffee craze has spread across the United States from Dearborn, Michigan. The coffee is known for its strength and for its rare, exotic flavors.
Inside, the space matches the menu’s ambition: custom design; upscale glam; layered textures; plush pillows and leather seating; marble columns, floors and tabletops; and brass accents. Much of it is shipped from Yemen.
There’s a map of Yemen edged in LED light. And to the side, there are two conference rooms and a prayer room.
The prayer room, Alamari stresses, is open to all religions.
Nazma Noorani of Hoover, who is Indian, said the shop has fast become one of her favorite spots. The conference rooms are a favorite for girls’ nights out.
“I love it,” Noorani said. “The whole concept — it’s more like communal drinking coffee than a singular one. We have the pot in the center. We are sharing desserts, so that is the best part. It’s very different from other places in town.”
The entire experience, Alamari said, is unique.
“Once you walk in here, you’re going to taste something new,” Alamari said, “something you’ve never tasted in your life.”
