Sayfani Is North Texas’ Newest Yemeni-Themed Coffee Shop

“More than just a morning routine” is the motto of Sayfani, a fresh Middle Eastern addition to the Dallas coffee scene. The shop is run by Yemeni Omar Mohamed, who says the shop was a natural result of his deep-seated love for coffee.

“I love a good cup of coffee, and I also love being an entrepreneur,” he says. “That feeling of being the one to introduce other people to something new … it’s great,” Mohamed says. Sayfani Cafe is perhaps the ideal culmination of all his ambitions.

We taste a few ingredients in the coffee here: caffeine, cardamom and a whole lot of passion. We imagine there’s more, but we think those three shone the brightest.

Hot coffees are the shop’s specialty. The Turkish coffee is a standout on the menu, a thicker alternative to the typical recipe, while the Arabic Qahwa is its slightly sweeter sibling, made of under-ripe coffee beans and a heavy tint of cardamom. Coffees are available in hot and iced varieties, but we followed the barista’s suggestion and ordered a hot latte, brewed fresh to order. We can’t say it was the wrong choice.

Teas also span multiple Middle Eastern geographies. Sip on a Yemeni tea, a red-leaf variety with a subtle blend of cardamom and clove spice. The specialty Yemeni beverage leads nicely into its Palestinian and Adani counterparts, which cover other geographic flavor influences.

A glass case filled with Middle-Eastern-influenced desserts is equally tempting. Over a dozen different types of cakes occupy the small shelf space, undecorated by labels or prices. For $5-6 a slice, pastries come in flavors like coconut-rose-water (coconut cake drenched in aromatic rose water) or date cake with a punch of cardamom. As explained to us at the counter, milk is a central ingredient in the Middle Eastern pastry world. Square-cut slices of bright-yellow saffron or green pistachio cakes both come soaked in a rich condensed milk, slightly salted for a nice sweet-to-salty balance.

A rare culinary find is the authentic Yemeni honeycomb bread: a bubbly, cheese-filled pastry that’s baked to a satisfying crunch on the outside. It’s drenched in honey and garnished in toasted sesame seeds for an extra depth of flavor. Americanized desserts also find a just niche on the menu, with inventive options like the lotus-biscuit and baklava cheesecakes.

If the soulful aromas of honey and cardamom wafting weren’t enough to keep us around, the free WiFi, comfortable lounge seating and piping hot coffees certainly were. Bring your laptop and warm up to the productivity-enhancing smells of an authentic Yemeni glass of coffee.

Sayfani Yemeni Coffee, 1201 W. McDermott Drive, No. 102, Allen. Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. – midnight; Saturday, 10 a.m. – midnight; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.