Milwaukee is home to a growing number of Yemeni coffee shops. These spots offer drinks made with Yemeni coffee beans and much more, and are open late into the night. Most of them are part of national franchises, but Al Wadi, near Mitchell International Airport, is independent and family-run.
Yemeni coffee in Brew City: Haraz Coffee House | Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co.
Our third coffee shop visit — Al Wadi Coffee House
Inside Al Wadi, there’s a color theme of black, white and gold. Antique-looking light fixtures emit orange glows on the dark ceiling and white floor. There are shelves with elaborate gold coffee pots. There’s Turkish-style seating with decorative cushions against the walls. Murals depict landscapes from Yemen, Turkey Palestine and Saudi Arabia.
The owners are brothers Mohamed and Mohanned Musaitif. With such similar names, Mohamed told us they usually go by their nicknames Zaeem and Mo.
Mo describes a couple of popular drinks: "We have the famous banana bread latte right here. And then on the right, we have the Adeni chai, or some people call it karak. It’s a very smooth black tea with milk and it has spices infused in it like cardamom and ginger."
The brothers are big into coffee. So when Yemeni coffee shops started popping up, Zaeem and Mo felt it was time open one.
Representing the Middle East
They thought of opening a franchise, but decided to start their own business. The menu includes traditional Yemeni recipes, but the brothers consider Al Wadi to be more of a Middle Eastern coffee house. Zaeem says that allows them to better serve the diverse Muslim and Arab community in the area.
Zaeem and Mo were born in the U.S. Their parents emigrated from Palestine in their 20s. They wanted that background reflected in their shop, which is one reason why they decided not to join an existing franchise.
"But yeah, just because we didn’t have to be confined to those kind of rules and regulations by a specific entity or franchise, we just liked the idea of going broadly with the Middle East," Zaeem says. "We also wanted to show our Palestinian heritage especially with the things going on over in Palestine and Gaza. We just really wanted to make sure we put that all out there and displayed some of that."
Family business
They’re happy with the result, but not having franchise oversight means it’s up to them to solve problems. They rely on family to overcome those challenges. Their mother and sisters help when the shop gets busy. Mo has a background in construction.
Zaeem describes what the brothers bring to the table going into business together: "I mean, it’s easy — I’ll talk for him. He’s super handy. So that’s always super nice. He can do a lot of the stuff that we need to do as far as that construction and renovation, something just needs a quick repair he steps in with that. He’s also better with technology than me, I’ll admit it. So he helps me out that a little bit as well."
Mo agrees and elaborates: "He’s more organized and structured and that kind of stuff than I am, to be honest. The things I lack in business, he picks up the slack and vice versa."
Al Wadi is continuing to evolve. They recently added a drive-thru. Now, they’re serving fall-themed drinks like the pumpkin pie horchata latte and salted maple shaken espresso.
