Yemen Cafe & Restaurant

I’ve been to the two in Brooklyn, but this one is much nicer to actually eat in the restaurant. They have an indoor and an outdoor area to dine in (that was closed off that day since it’s winter.) Staff was super friendly and the food came out quickly and was very hot. They give you complementary Lamb Broth, bread and salad. All delicious! They also have self serve tea which is great do these cold days. Definitely recommend!

Really, really good food right here on Staten Island! Their lamb was to die for! The chicken, the sauces, the dessert. The tea! Everything was amazing!! Will definitely be back very often!

I've been here a handful of times and each time has been wonderful. The food here is on the same level as the food in their Bay Ridge location, nothing short of excellent. If you're in Staten Island and you're craving Yemeni food, don't be shy and come to this location.

The atmosphere was delightful. The charcoal grilled chicken is the best chicken on Staten Island in my opinion. The rice and veggies sauce amazing. Everything was delicious.

5 stars for above and behind customer service and hospitality! They make you feel like family here. They go above and beyond to make sure you enjoy your experience and the food. Very casual, relaxed “cafe” type atmosphere where the focus is on the food and culture. Big portions and very affordable.

Update 1 - 2 Stars - September 2024 Major disappointment this time around. Probably won’t try this location again. Original review: 5 Stars - June 2024 Yemeni food is one of the my favorite cuisines. So much flavor and the taste is simply amazing! I have dined at their other locations around NYC and this was my first time at this location. They did not disappoint! Amazing food, great service and staff were friendly and attentive. We had dinner here on a Tuesday night and the place was packed. You probably will need reservations for weekend dinners. I absolutely love this place!

Our first time eating this cuisine, and the waiters were extremely helpful. The lamb broth they brought us as soon as we sat down was wonderful and the spices were delicious and unlike anything I had ever had without being spicy. Each dish we had we loved the fava bean appetizer “Foul” was delicious and there was endless fresh traditional bread! My stewed lamb dish was extremely tender juicy with basmati rice and delicious root vegetables and okra. We also had a roasted chicken dish which was great. The complimentary tea was excellent a fragrant and a unique blend of traditional spices. For dessert we had chopped bread with traditional Yemen style butter and honey which was delicious! We will definitely come back! Wonderful food! Relaxed atmosphere!

Great to have Yemen Cafe finally in Staten island. I think this location can do so much better with a few tweaks. The portions were much smaller than the Brooklyn locations. I still think they have great potential to improve. One of the main things I dislike is the type of oil used is processed oil that is highly inflammatory and unhealthy. The soup and bread made fresh are really good. I had the lamb shank which was soft but could be a lot more tender like I have had in the Brooklyn locations. Please have an option for whole wheat bread for people that are sensitive to white flour, plus its very unhealthy. The sauce that comes with salad and soup is really good and packs a lot of flavor. Vegetables Stew that comes with the lamb shank and rice was also good. For the Yemeni tea, please have the sugar on the side as some of us are sensitive to sugar. Looking forward to having desserts on the menu with tea like Sha'ee Adeni. Staff was friendly and welcoming . Overall great décor and wishing the place best for growth and success. I will update my review with batter experiences. Last time I went there was a hair and a dead bee hair in the salad. When I pointed it out to the waiter, there were no apologies. He just brought me a new one which I didn't want. Still tipped well as its not the waiter prepping food. Update 12/14/24 Place is open again under the original mgt. Lamb Haneeth (shank) dish price jumped even higher to $32.50. Portion was a bit on the smaller side and we didn't get the 2nd bread with chicken haneeth that we were told we would. Salad was good and Fatah was good as well which is homemade as well. Haisa desert is a hard pass with artificial food coloring. There should be more sauce given on the side when the dish is served so we don't have to wait for it. Great service though. Wish they made the haneeth rice less oilier. Service was good but had to wait a few times to ask for things. Place looks a lot busier than before. 1/25/25 Went for dinner with a friend and still think the black seasome bread and lamb haneeth are the best they have. Great addition to the meal with the salad and the soup! Good addition of Adeni tea to the menu! 10/6/25 Went for dinner Monday night. Party of 2. Got two lamb shank orders. Was a bit disappointed that they were mostly not tender. That is what we came for. The bulk of them were not soft which is a deal breaker to pay such a high price for as it keeps going up. Now $32+. I hope they can get better and have the same level of tenderness as the OG Brooklyn location. Otherwise I would have to stop going. 10/11/25 Went in for dinner with a friend on Sat night. Asked the server about specific cuts and asked for the cut I wanted for tenderness. Server was very nice and explained the differences. If done right, this is a great meal with sides!

My first time trying Yemen food. It was very interesting and quite an experience. The food is extremely flavorful. They do not skimp on the spices. The bread is free and you can ask for as much as you want. Don't fill up on the bread tho, save it for when your dish comes out. They also have free salad and soup with your order. Although I enjoyed everything, the lamb was very rich and very heavy. I found myself enjoying the chicken items more. I'm not a red meat kind of guy though. The service was good. Our server was very nice and quick. I would come back and try other things.

Food was very good! We enjoyed the hummus with lamb and the Chicken Fahsah. Service was also great, and we got our food in a more than acceptable amount of time. Vibes were also very nice and the seating was very spacious and accommodating.

Ahh, probably the best food I have ever had in my life. Yemen Cafe is FIRE. They even have some spicy foods here if you are into that. We came for for some good Middle Eastern style food, they had the basic hummus and Falafel bread. But they have like a North African spice to the food which makes it taste unreal. Love the vibe, the owners and people are nice here. I promise I will be back for more.

Absolutely excellent food, friendly service and inviting atmosphere. The restaurant was clean, the employees/owner/family were very polite and attentive. The flavor and tenderness of the lamb in the Haneeth dish was unparalleled. Will definitely return for it!

Yemen Cafe in Staten Island too? Well deserved growth! I've been eating here for years. There's nothing like it. My favorites are the Lamb Fahsah, and Chicken Curry over Humus. With food this memorable, Staten Island will no longer be the forgotten borough!

Ordered on-line once and is was not good...decided to go in and give it another try...place wasn't clean, service was poor, and the chicken & fish we ordered seemed as if it was in the refrigerator and just warmed up a bit...flavor wasn't there either. Staff had an attitude as well.