A new coffee shop is bringing a national trend to Lexington. Here’s what to know
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- Shibam Coffee to open Lexington's first Yemeni-style café in November 2025.
- Shop to offer late-night, alcohol-free space near University of Kentucky campus.
- Menu to feature traditional Yemeni drinks, pastries and richly spiced coffees.
A new kind of coffee shop is bringing a national trend to Lexington.
Shibam Coffee, a Yemeni-style coffeehouse, will open this fall at 535 S. Upper St. in the CenterCourt complex, a block from the University of Kentucky campus.
Yemen is the birthplace of coffee, and Lexington’s first Yemeni cafe is part of a recent boom of shops across cities like New York, Los Angeles and Michigan, where the movement started and Shibam Coffee is based.
The coffee shops bring Yemen culture with its distinctive beans, extravagant decor, late hours and desserts.
Hera Qureshi, one of four family owners of the Lexington cafe said Yemeni coffee is unique because of its historic origin, cultivation and flavor.
“The beans are grown at high altitudes in small, family-run farms without the use of modern irrigation — relying entirely on rainfall,” Qureshi, a Lexington native, said in an email. “They’re naturally sun-dried in the cherry, which gives them complex, fruity, and wine-like flavor profiles.”
What’s the difference between a Yemeni coffeehouse and other coffee shops?
Two big differences between the typical American coffee shop and a Yemeni coffeehouse is the decor and the late-night hours.
Yemeni cafes, popular with Arab and Muslim populations, are filling a demand nationwide for late-hour, alcohol-free nightlife. That’s a trend Qureshi said they plan to follow in Lexington.
“We have long wanted to create a third space (other than work and home) here in Lexington where people could go for community and coffee late at night,” said Qureshi. “Yemeni coffee houses provide that space as they are open until 11-12 at night most days, and sometimes even later on the weekend. We always felt that Lexington was lacking a social space apart from the traditional bar scene where people could meet late and enjoy each other’s company.”
The aesthetics of a Yemeni-style coffeehouse are often lush and luxurious. Recent Shibam Coffee openings include marble floors and tables and gold-plated interiors, giving the feel of a four-star hotel and not a neighborhood Starbucks.
Qureshi said they are still planning the decor of the 2,240 square-foot Lexington location that had a mezzanine when it was Underground Printing. But couches are in the mix, Qureshi said.
“We want Shibam in Lexington to have a luxurious but cozy interior to help cultivate a feeling of community,” said Qureshi.
What’s on Shibam Coffee’s menu?
The menu at Shibam features a variety of coffees, lattes, teas, refreshers and matcha drinks. Qureshi said beans will be roasted at the flagship Shibam cafe and then shipped to Lexington, which is one of 11 upcoming locations for the company to add to the existing 11.
Shibam’s base is a rich creamy blend of light roast Yemeni coffee, qishr, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.
Qureshi said menu highlights include traditional Adeni Tea, Yemen’s famous spiced milk tea, which is brewed slowly with black tea, whole milk, and features a fragrant blend of spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
Other highlights include the pistachio latte, Spanish latte, mango matcha and a Turkish coffee, a bold dark roast Yemeni blend. Cold refresher drinks include Dragon Fruit and Strawberry Acai.
Besides the history, flavor profile, decor and late hours, Yemeni coffee shops are known for their pastry cases full of cakes, breads and decadent treats.
Qureshi said the pastries will all be locally baked, highlighted by the Yemeni-inspired dessert, milk cake. Honeycomb breads are also a fixture of Shibam Coffee menus, the sweet, pull-apart bread buns are often topped with honey, sesame, and nigella seeds.
Shibam Coffee
Where: 535 S. Upper St.
Expected to open: Nov. 2025
Parking: Free on-site parking located in rear of CenterCourt complex
Online: Shibamcoffee.com
