Saturday, April 27, 2024

Qahwah House in Lombard takes coffee back to its Yemeni roots: I want to build a bridge through coffee

qahwah house

Whether you have a taste for soul food, African dishes or takes on Mexican cuisine fused with Caribbean flavors, Livernois has an abundance of options for you. A multicultural city surrounded entirely by Detroit, Hamtramck’s food scene is shaped by the immigrant populations that have settled there. A large Bangladeshi influence draws diners craving biryani and warm curries. There are rich cultural communities that have served some of the most noteworthy dishes for generations, and neighborhoods garnering more recent acclaim for a new wave of bars and restaurants, bakeries and cafes. A pour over is a handcrafted style of brewing coffee which requires a slow rhythmic process.

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Just as his coffee beans must make the journey from Yemen to the United States, so did Ibrahim Alhasbani. And although there are challenges in both journeys, the result is worth it. The passion and connection behind each cup of coffee served at Qahwah House go beyond what many baristas can offer. Southwest Detroit’s vibrant Latino community has shaped the neighborhood into a destination for some of Michigan’s best Latin cuisine.

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You will have no desire to rush to your next meeting, or anywhere else, for that matter. “Qahwah House was born into existence when I wanted to share my culture, family expertise and love of coffee to the world. It wasn’t actual coffee — at least not the one I’ve grown up on and got used to,” says owner Ibrahim Alhasbani, who opened the first Qahwah House location in Dearborn, Michigan, in 2017.

Inside Dearborn's Qahwah House, a farm-to-mug Yemeni coffee shop

For a long time, he and other young Muslims didn't feel safe in closed spaces. The staff are his friends, one is his brother, and they get his tea ready as soon as he walks in the door. While people waited for their orders, many would stand and admire a giant map that traced the roots of Yemeni coffee and how it was distributed to the rest of the world. One of Alhasbani's reasons for launching Qahwah House was to build bridges between cultures. It's one of the main reasons why the New York City location is in Brooklyn's Williamsburg, a majority white, Jewish neighbourhood, he says.

She is an avid traveler, and her favorite way to explore a new place is through its local coffee scene. Originally, we are from Yemen where we were born and raised amidst coffee plants.Our expertise originates from a long line of ancestors, all committed to the tradition and innovation of coffee. The best quality coffee with no added preservatives, artificial additives, or flavors.

Though Mexican food is king here — you’ll find Mexican bakeries, taco trucks and restaurants in Mexicantown and throughout southwest Detroit — there are also a number of Latin American markets and eateries. Think, Salvadoran and Honduran pupusas, Venezuelan arepas, Puerto Rican maduros or sweet plantains and Dominican-style rice and beans. In addition, the word mocha comes from the Arabic word Al-Mukha, the name of a port city in Yemen where it is believed the world’s first cup of coffee was brewed.

If you’re a foodie looking to explore the breadth of the area’s up-and-coming restaurant scene, here’s a guide to the region’s culinary communities — plus, some not-to-miss eateries to check out while you’re there. He also gave insight regarding the culture of coffee in Yemen and how it differs from the culture that exists around coffee in America. He shared that coffee drinking in Yemen is more socially-oriented; a bridge between people, a vehicle for conversation and connection. The coffeehouse has become so successful that Alhasbani opened a few more branches. And in 2022, he is excepted to open at least five new locations across the country. He has plans to open up more Qahwah House locations soon, but unlike Dearborn or Lombard, the new shops will likely be in places where Middle Eastern coffee is an unfamiliar concept.

It’s an experience to watch, and if you’re the kind of person who likes to film vertical video of food and beverages, there’s no shortage of engaging content to be made here. Most of the drinks are served by the pot, with a tealight candle in the base to keep it warm, and multiple small cups. At the Clifton Qahwah House, the beans are ground and served in light and medium roasts used in aromatic cups of coffee, or in coffee drinks like lattes, cappuccinos and espressos.

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Old cobblestone streets are lined with rowhouses, architecturally stunning Victorian homes and quaint eateries with small-town appeal. Residuals of an early influence of Irish settlers escaping the potato famine in the 1800s remain today with some restaurants, like Cork and Gabel paying homage to the neighborhood’s Irish roots. Eastern Market is best known for its year-round weekend farmers market and local makers markets, as well as its meat markets and butcher shops.

Yemeni Cafe Owner Becomes Cultural Ambassador In Dearborn, Michigan : The Salt - NPR

Yemeni Cafe Owner Becomes Cultural Ambassador In Dearborn, Michigan : The Salt.

Posted: Wed, 03 Jan 2018 08:00:00 GMT [source]

It starts with an espresso blend that’s infused with ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon, poured over milk and ice, and topped with a mountain of whipped cream and honey. It embodies all of the frivolous fun of an American-style iced coffee beverage, but is packed with serious and sophisticated flavor. Unlike the freakshakes and frappuccinos that you often see on social media, this is an aesthetic iced beverage designed for coffee connoisseurs. Alhasbani only uses Yemeni coffee beans in the coffee drinks made at Qahwah House. Customers can ask for lattes, cappuccinos, espresso and anything else they might ask for in a typical coffee shop. Most of the drinks are brewed by hand, in individual stainless steel pots over an induction cooktop, in plain view of the customer.

I did something different and unique in that I use only Yemeni coffee beans. That’s why the public in Dearborn, and many different cities in Michigan, love what I create for them. These three areas are east of downtown Detroit with Jefferson as their common border street. Rivertown has several restaurants on or near the water including longstanding Sinbad’s. Historic West Village is between Jefferson Avenue and Kercheval and home to award-winning Marrow, a neighborhood butcher shop and restaurant and Sister Pie. Primarily a residential neighborhood, you can admire the many architectural styles of the area homes from Colonial, Georgian and Mediterranean Revival to many Tudor styles.

Jefferson Chalmers is on the river side of Jefferson and is also noted as the canal district. You can enjoy a meal with a water view, admire stately homes or head to a restaurant by bike or kayak and sip cocktails or have brunch. This area of Detroit neighbors the north end of Midtown and is known for the Fisher Theater and the main Henry Ford Hospital campus. Milwaukee Junction is nestled off of East Grand Boulevard and Woodward Avenue while New Center is off West Grand Boulevard and Woodward.

qahwah house

The Clifton location, which opened in November at 441 Crooks Ave., is his fifth store since he started the company in 2017. Coffee lovers who visit the new Qahwah House in Clifton will find more than just a premium cup of rich, imported brew. They will also find a story rich in history, tradition and culture that starts centuries ago in the Yemeni port city of Mocha, along the Red Sea.

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