Rumi Coffee’s new café features authentic Syrian pastries, specialty coffee and traditional Middle Eastern fare. Photo by Denine Currie
published on July 30, 2026 – 3:08 PM
Written by Ben Hensley
Rumi Coffee celebrated its soft opening Thursday, marking the latest expansion for entrepreneur Hamed Alghazali, whose growing portfolio of businesses has introduced Central Valley customers to authentic Syrian pastries and specialty coffee.
The new café, at 7406 N. Fresno Street, builds on the success of Rumi Baklava and Fabiano’s Coffee, offering a larger gathering space where customers can enjoy coffee, pastries and traditional Middle Eastern fare. Alghazali said the café was intentionally designed as a destination where customers can linger rather than simply stop in for a quick purchase.
“This will be more of a production commissary facility, and there we want people to come, stay and linger, and we’ll have a lot more seating capacity,” Alghazali said.
The café serves coffee roasted by Alghazali’s existing operation alongside pastries prepared from scratch by Syrian pastry chef Anas. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience, Anas prepares a menu of traditional sweets and savory items, including baklava, kunafa, manakish and fatayer.
Alghazali, who spent years working in international policy and with the United Nations before turning to coffee roasting, said authenticity remains central to the business.
“We’re not mixing any two cuisines,” he said. “This is the way you find it in Damascus, Aleppo, Beirut” and other cities throughout the region.
The opening marks another step in Rumi’s expansion in Fresno as the company looks to grow its wholesale and catering operations. Alghazali said the larger facility will support increased production while giving customers a welcoming space to enjoy authentic Syrian food and coffee.