A Yemeni-style cafe is coming soon to Charlotte

An Arabic coffee cafe is bringing a Yemeni experience to the streets of Charlotte this fall, introducing a new style of coffee to the area.

Haraz Coffee House has signed a lease at 1204 Central Ave, previously occupied by Juice Bar, according to a recent Instagram post from the Plaza Midwood neighborhood account.

Hamzah Nasser, CEO of Haraz Coffee House, opened his first location in April 2021 in Dearborn, Michigan. The cafe serves traditional Arabic-style coffee, lattes and tea. “I get something every time I open a coffee shop; I make more friends and I become part of a new community,” Nasser told D Magazine recently.

Haraz coffee beans are grown in Jabal Haraz, a region of Yemen. In addition to serving traditional coffee, the cafe will showcase Yemen’s culture and coffee history, which is rich — while no one knows the exact origin of the invention of coffee, its roots can be tracked to both Ethiopia and Yemen.

[READ NEXT: Central Avenue’s African immigrants keep their culture alive through coffee, conversations]

COFFEE & FOOD: Customers can expect a variety of coffee, refreshers and tea at Haraz Coffee House. House specialties include Harazi, coffee with cardamom and cream, and Sana’ani, Yemeni-style black coffee with cardamom.

If you’re not feeling coffee, don’t worry. You can try the Iced Tango Chai, premium black tea and cream with haraz spice and foam, or a refreshing drink like the Iced Blush, organic hibiscus with lavender or blackberry.

This cafe will serve pastries such as a Tiramisu Coffee Cake and an Istanbul Cheesecake drizzled with Nutella.

An iced pistachio latte with a pistachio cheesecake at Haraz Coffee House.
An iced pistachio latte with a pistachio cheesecake at Haraz Coffee House.

Haraz Coffee House offers both classroom and hands-on courses. If you’re interested in taking a deeper dive into the coffee world, you can learn latte art, brewing, cafe training or espresso extraction.

Frank Jernigan and Grant Henderson of The Nichols Company represented Haraz Coffee House in the transaction.

“It’s going to be a great addition to the rapidly changing culture of Charlotte and Plaza Midwood — with the constant influx of people moving to Charlotte, Haraz will provide people a taste of a different culture,” Jernigan told CharlotteFive.

Adren/Karak Chai offered at Haraz Coffee House.
Adren/Karak Chai offered at Haraz Coffee House.

Haraz Coffee House

Location: 1204 Central Avenue, Charlotte NC 28204

Menu

Cuisine: Coffee

Instagram: @harazcoffeehouse