by Ebony L. Morman 

It’s a little after 7:30 a.m. on a Thursday at Haraz Coffee House in Plaza Midwood and only three tables are spoken for. Twinkling lights hang from floor to ceiling, covering two windows in the front of the shop, and irregularly shaped light bulbs drape from the ceiling. There’s a distinct aroma of coffee mixed with spices and soft music plays as the staff moves about making coffee and tea and stuffing the pastry case with mosaic Turkish cakes, milk cakes, and croissants. 

By 8:30 a.m., there’s not one empty seat. Computers are on laps and tables and a book is in the hand of one patron. Other tables are crowded with people enjoying pastries, coffees, and teas that were delivered with gold flatware on dark wooden trays. The sounds of laughter and conversation are louder than the music. When you stop by, you may find that this is particularly true well into the night, especially on weekends. 

It’s part of the original vision for the coffee shop, Abullah Saleh says. Along with his brothers and brother-in-law, Saleh co-owns the Yemeni-style shop, which opened its doors last December a few days before the new year. One distinguishing aspect is that the coffee house is open late — during Ramadan, hours were extended to 1 a.m. But on the weekends, there’s usually one small hiccup: people don’t want to leave at closing. 

“In our culture, our way of socializing is really around coffee or tea, whether it’s in a house or in a coffee shop,” Saleh says. “That’s another part of the experience we want to bring. It’s the vision that we had: the experience, the culture, and having that alternative to do something other than going to the movies or restaurants. You have until 11 p.m. to enjoy a cup of pistachio latte with a wife, a friend, or loved ones.”

While Saleh is less hands-on and allows his brothers to oversee day-to-day operations, he remains passionate about Yemeni coffee and making it more accessible, he says. Haraz is a brand his family enjoyed when they lived in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where the coffee chain got its start in 2021 before expanding to 14 locations. Their coffee beans are sourced from Haraz, a tiny village in the mountains of Yemen. 

When the brothers decided to franchise and open their own location, Charlotte appealed to them. An added bonus was Saleh’s familiarity with the city. His career as a CPA brought him to Charlotte eight  years go. 

“It clicked to us and it made sense given that Charlotte is a very diverse community, especially in the Plaza Midwood area,” he says. “We wanted to bring a new culture, something that is not in the southeast region at all. You can’t find it in Charlotte, so we thought it was gonna be a good market.” 

Their decision is affirmed daily, with hour-long waits on weekends and pastries that sell out by late afternoon, like the bee bites — a cream cheese-filled pastry that resembles a beehive in that mini bread balls are baked together and infused with cheese. It’s served warm and drizzled with a bit of honey or syrup. They’re the perfect shareable, Saleh says. 

The popularity of the pistachio latte inspired another popular pastry, the round croissant,  a circular croissant filled with cream. The pistachio flavor, which is popular in Middle Eastern culture, is topped with crushed pistachios. For now, other options include chocolate and strawberry. 

“We can get creative and innovative on the pastry side of the house,” Saleh says. “We try to have fresh products in terms of flavors and work our way around to have different flavors throughout the year.”

As for the traditional Yemeni drinks, which all have different boiling points, the HARAZI MUFAWAR (coffee, cardamom, and cream) and the ADENI/KARAK CHAI (premium black tea, cream, and Haraz spice) are top sellers. With the tea, the goal is to extract enough flavor to produce a rich taste and the rich flavor profiles of the drinks are what keeps people coming back, Saleh says. Traditional drinks are infused with the ideal blend of spices, such as cardamom, saffron, and ginger. And all drinks are made-to-order to retain the authentic blend of flavor. Familiar items such as iced refreshers and pumpkin spice lattes are also on the menu year-round. 

While the shop has only been open four months, Saleh is grateful for the overwhelming response. 

“There’s two sides of the house, the Arabic crowd and Muslim community are saying thank you for finally having something that we can relate to and come and enjoy,” he says. “Then, the non Muslim or the non Middle Eastern crowd is saying thanks for having something different in Charlotte, and thanks for bringing this type of experience.”