Texas-rooted Arwa Yemeni Coffee is planting a long-term flag in Brooklyn, locking in a 10-year lease for its first New York City café in Williamsburg.
The growing chain has taken about 2,000 square feet at 310 North Seventh Street, part of a new eight-story mixed-use project that stretches along Meeker Avenue.
According to Commercial Observer, Arwa inked the 10-year deal at landlord Joel Schwarzt’s 310 North Seventh Street, with Meridian Retail Leasing representing the tenant. The asking rent was $12,500 per month, Meridian told the outlet. Meridian broker Joaquin Carrillo said in a statement to Commercial Observer that the space originally ran larger than Arwa wanted, so the team reworked the layout to split the unit into pieces that would fit the brand’s footprint.
From Texas: What Arwa Brings
Arwa began in the Dallas area and, on its website, now lists seven locations across Texas, Illinois and California. The concept leans into Yemeni coffee traditions, in-house roasting and a dessert-heavy menu that the company says is designed to introduce more customers to Yemeni culture, per Arwa Yemeni Coffee.
The Space And The Neighborhood
The Williamsburg café will sit at the base of a newly permitted eight-story building at 310 North Seventh Street, with retail frontage along busy Meeker Avenue, according to developer filings. New York YIMBY previously reported on the project’s permits in 2022. Brokers on the deal said that reconfiguring the ground floor allowed the larger retail area to be carved into smaller units, making it workable for food and beverage tenants like Arwa.
How This Fits In
Yemeni-style cafés have been quietly building a fan base in New York, and Williamsburg already has options for spiced, boiled-style Yemeni coffee and pastries. Washington Square News has chronicled the neighborhood’s growing appetite for those traditional brews. Arwa’s Brooklyn lease follows a run of new openings and franchise deals in other U.S. markets, from the Bay Area to Houston, as regional outlets have tracked, including What Now Houston.
For now, the deal adds one more specialty coffee player to Williamsburg’s already busy lineup. Neighbors and caffeine hunters can expect to see build-out work and fresh signage as the 310 North Seventh Street ground floor gets prepped for Arwa’s arrival.
