On Route 59, Yemeni and Arab coffee shops are brewing community
By Carolyn Stein
Published on May 1, 2026.
On the Route 59 in Naperville, Illinois, a cluster of Yemeni and Arab coffee shops are becoming a hub for teenagers and young adults alike. The shops, often located within a few miles of each other, serve everything from freshly brewed pistachio lattes and Adeni chai infused with spices like cardamom and cinnamon to baklava and Biscoff milk cakes. These cafes are popular with the Muslim community as they stay open late into the evening, usually until 10 or 11 p.m. On weekends, these cafes can be seen as a way for people to hang out with friends and family. Sally Howell, a professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, credits Qahwah House in Dearborn, Michigan for starting the rise of these types of coffee shops.
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