ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For numerous Yemeni cafe owners, their late-night patrons represent more than just coffee, symbolizing hospitality, connection and community — all while celebrating a sacred month of Ramadan.

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For numerous Yemeni cafe owners, its late-night patrons represent more than just coffee. Symbolizing hospitality, connection and community —all while celebrating a sacred month of Ramadan

Layali Coffee House is Rochester’s first Yemeni coffee shop to open in the area. Now making it one of six Yemeni-inspired cafes to upstate New York

Layali Coffee House celebrates one year of its opening and the holy month of Ramadan, attracting hundreds of residents

Even finding a spot to sit can seem like an extreme sport, and that is because for years, Zaka Ansari and his daughters say finding these spaces locally for Muslims was once never an option.  

“I grew up here and was born in Rochester and the community was not that big ever,” Halal Bites event coordinator Wania Ansari said. “And so seeing the community grow over time has been so fun. We’ve never had our own restaurants here in Rochester, like my family would always travel to Buffalo or Canada to have it. And so, luckily, my dad opened up ‘Halal Bites.’ And so once we opened, there’s so many more restaurants that are just developing here. And so it’s good to see that a lot of places are coming together, especially for the Muslim community.”

According to the World Population Review, New York state is home to the largest Muslim population in the county, and a new wave of halal restaurants and Yemeni coffee houses has provided Muslims and local residents a late-night gathering space.

“As I kid I recall maybe one or two of a lot of spots where they were offering a lot of food,” resident Basit Qaderi said. “Being having the ability to have that many options for our community is, it’s quite, quite an amazing feeling, right? Seeing the community grow like that.”

With one of those spaces being Rochester’s first Yemeni shop, Layali Coffee House, as hundreds celebrate one year of its opening and Ramadan. 

“This is the perfect time,” president of the Islamic Center of Rochester and Halal Bites owner Zaka Ansari said. “Everybody can get together and, right before they go for their prayers, they can come and eat together and have fun at the same time. 

“I hope, you know, not just during the month of Ramadan, but throughout the year,” Qaderi said. “Right. We have events like this where we can kind of show the community that we’re here, right? And we’re not going anywhere. We are your neighbors, co-workers and friends.”

As Arab-owned cafes emerge throughout New York state, with at least six confirmed locations as of this year, the nightlife inspired by Middle Eastern culture is creating a “third place” for the youth, nurturing a sense of community and cultural connection outside of their home and workplace. 

“It’s all about getting together and this world when there’s so much going around,” Ansari said. “Having small happy things means a lot.”

“There’s so much more divide and just so much tension, which is that seeing and in these spaces makes me happy and like everyone’s together and enjoying their time,” Wania Ansari said. “So I hope for the world to come to that peace.”