Yafa Cafe

Yafa Cafe, Born in Sunset Park, Is Opening Two New Locations | Eater NY

"Since it opened in 2019 in Sunset Park, I’ve watched Yafa Cafe—founded by Hakim Sulaimani with help from his cousin, Ali Suliman—grow from a scrappy neighborhood spot into a community hub and a quiet force in Yemeni representation in New York City. I’ve seen it earn local respect for its coffee (once the subject of a New York Times review) and for food highlights like the hawaij-marinated fried chicken sandwich, while doubling as a space for teach-ins, readings, and phone banks and taking an outspoken stance on Gaza. The cafe began by importing Yemeni beans and roasting at City League Coffee, and now operates its own roastery in the Brooklyn Navy Yards (inside Shared Roasting) with signature blends that meld Brazil, Sumatra, and Yemen and even white-labels beans for other cafés. Expansion plans are underway with outposts coming to Downtown Brooklyn and Midtown, and Sulaimani is cautiously weighing franchising and a future higher-end restaurant while trying to keep the Sunset Park ethos intact." - Emma Orlow