Qahwah House, a coffee shop specializing in Yemeni coffee and pastries, opened its doors July 18 at 5238 Touhy Avenue in Skokie.
The first Qahwah House opened in Dearborn, Michigan in 2017. Marketing Manager Mohamed Ahmed said the business, which has another Illinois location in suburban Lombard, has expanded to Skokie in response to customer demand.
“A lot of our customers and fans coming to our Lombard location were really adamant about our opening in Skokie,” he said.
Ahmed said the store aims to bring authentic coffee and new flavor profiles to Skokie. Owner Ibrahim Alhasbani’s family has been growing coffee for eight generations in Yemen, Ahmed said.
“Many people don’t understand or have ever heard of the fact that Yemen was the first country to ever introduce coffee as a drink,” he said.
Those not familiar with Qahwah House’s offerings from Lombard may want to try the popular flaky pastry bread known as sabaya or honeycomb bread filled with cream cheese and drizzled with honey, which Ahmed described as a soft baklava.
He said first-time customers looking to try a drink might go with the most popular offering, the adeni chai — milk chai tea with cardamom, nutmeg and black tea — or mofowar, thinly ground medium roast coffee made Turkish style with cream and cardamom.
Latte aficionados may enjoy the store’s signature latte, which mixes honey, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom with espresso and milk, he added.
Whole beans are also available for sale on the shop’s website.