Houston’s late-night caffeine scene is getting another jolt. Arwa Coffee, the Texas-born Yemeni café brand, is pushing deeper into the metro area with two new locations moving through state permitting: one in the Westchase corridor off Westheimer and another along Gosling Road in Spring. Both buildouts are filed with timelines that point to late-September completion and fall openings, signaling a bigger play beyond the chain’s North Texas base and tapping into a growing local craving for Yemeni-style cafés that mix spiced traditional drinks with Instagram-ready lattes and desserts.
State filings lay out timelines and costs
State accessibility and buildout records show a Westchase fit-out off Westheimer registered to start March 31 and wrap up September 30, with an estimated $250,000 interior remodel and Hamza Khan listed as the tenant, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A separate filing for a Gosling Road space in Spring details a 3,000-square-foot tenant buildout scheduled to begin June 15 and finish by September 30, with an estimated $150,000 cost and Nidaa Rashid named as the tenant, per the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
From Richardson roots to a growing menu
Arwa Yemeni Coffee opened its first shop in Richardson in December 2022, founded by Susan Shihab, Yazan Soofi and Nora Soofi, who set out to spotlight Yemeni coffee traditions and shareable pot service, according to Eater Dallas. The menu combines classic preparations like Jubani and qishr with signature modern drinks such as the Date Matcha Latte, Sand Dune Latte and the Dragon's Blood Refresher, as listed by Arwa Coffee.
How Arwa fits Houston's late-night café scene
Arwa's first Houston outpost, which opened earlier this year in the Aliana and Richmond corridor, has turned into a late-night hangout with extended Ramadan hours and a dessert-heavy spin that helped the brand quickly find an audience locally, as reported by Richmond night owls. Coverage has noted that Yemeni cafés’ mix of spiced lattes, shareable sweets and long hours has carved out a niche in the region’s dining scene, a trend described by Axios Houston.
If permitting and construction stay on schedule, both Houston-area projects are targeted to finish by the end of September, with openings anticipated this fall, according to reporting by What Now Houston. For exact opening dates and hiring notices, would-be regulars and job seekers will want to keep an eye on Arwa Coffee and local business pages for updates.
