Haraz Coffee House is the first to bring the Yemeni coffee vibe to the Philadelphia area
Hamza Shaikh and Farah Khan were intrigued by the Yemeni coffee concept, and have opened a shop of their own near the University of Pennsylvania, with another planned for Fishtown.
As a neurosurgeon, Hamza Shaikh handles his share of emergencies.
In his new sideline as a coffee shop owner, he faced his first crisis last week. He was alone after hours in Haraz Coffee House, which he and his wife, Farah Khan, opened last month on the University of Pennsylvania campus, when a family tapped on the door.
They explained that they had heard that Haraz was open and had driven an hour and a half for the Yemeni coffee shop experience: a relaxed atmosphere; rich coffee bearing notes of such spices as cinnamon, saffron, ginger, and cardamom; and sweet baked goods like milk cake and pistachio croissants.
“‘We were looking for something like this,’” Shaikh said they told him. “‘We had it in Texas and we’re so happy you’re open.’ I felt bad. I didn’t want them to leave, so I let them in and got them what they wanted. They had the whole space to themselves.”
Shaikh and Khan understand the appeal. The couple, who live in Bryn Mawr, weren’t necessarily looking for an investment when they stopped at a Yemeni coffee house in Paterson, N.J., and were charmed by the atmosphere. (Shaikh and Khan, whose families both have roots in Pakistan, grew up in Central Jersey and Long Island, respectively.)
Known for large footprints, late hours, expansive menus, and no alcohol, Yemeni-style coffee shops have become popular “third spaces” — places to hang out that are not home or an office — in cities like New York, Austin, and Charlotte, and in areas with large Arab American communities, such as Dearborn, Mich.
Intrigued by the Paterson shop, the couple toured other Yemeni coffee houses in the Dearborn area and signed on as franchisees with Hamzah Nasser, founder of Haraz, which has nearly two dozen locations open or pending. Shaikh and Khan’s first location, replacing a Starbucks at 3421 Chestnut St., is still in soft-open mode — explaining why the shop was closed in the early evening when the family stopped.
After Haraz ramps up staffing, the couple plan to stay open until 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends, Shaikh said. But the customer base — hospital workers, along with Penn students and the occasional suburbanite — will dictate the closing times.
“The goal is, of course, to make money and all that, but really it’s for the students of Penn and Drexel and the hospital to come here, enjoy themselves, and feel like they’re themselves,” Shaikh said. He said his shop, like other Haraz locations, is alcohol-free but doesn’t promote any political or religious ideologies. “We’re here just to be the mediator in allowing people to have a safe space.”
The core of the drink menu is coffee; the beans are imported from Yemen. There are toasts (labneh, avocado, ricotta), fruit drinks, smoothies, and frappés. Haraz is one of the few spots in town serving Turkish coffee in a copper set.
For now, the baking is an ad hoc assortment of treats from Au Fournil and Manna Bakery, as well as Khan’s own milk cake — served in several flavors, including rosewater.
Already, Shaikh said, student groups are reaching out to host events in the space. Although Shaikh and Khan are not offering buyouts, they will block off tables.
Along with other partners, the couple is working on a larger location with a central bakery, due to open this summer in Fishtown. They are looking for additional locations in the King of Prussia area as well as Cherry Hill.