Sana’a Cafe, the San Francisco-based Yemeni coffee chain, is planting deeper roots in Southern California, with new shops on the way in Downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach. The brand, already a fixture around the Bay Area and with a Hollywood outpost in the mix, has built a following for its cardamom-forward Yemeni brews, qishr, and a spread of Middle Eastern pastries. Real estate listings and fresh storefront signage point to a broader California buildout now kicking into gear.
Commercial brokerage URBANLIME has publicly congratulated Sana’a Cafe on securing a direct lease at 1050 Wilshire Blvd in Downtown Los Angeles, while Longbeachize has documented signage for a second location inside the Resa residential complex at 300 Pacific Ave in Long Beach. WhatNow has also reported on the pair of new storefronts as part of the chain’s ongoing expansion across the state.
Longbeachize notes that the Long Beach cafe is slated for the northeast corner of 3rd Street and Pacific Avenue in downtown Long Beach, describing it as Sana’a’s first Long Beach location and the planned anchor for Resa’s ground-floor retail row.
Where Sana’a will sit
Sana’a Cafe lists a growing footprint that already includes a flagship at 199 New Montgomery Street in San Francisco, two Oakland locations and a Hollywood cafe at 6290 Hollywood Blvd, along with sites in Sacramento, Lake Forest and Elk Grove. The company pitches the concept as a sit down, late night friendly coffeehouse that centers Yemeni brewing traditions and hospitality rather than quick-hit counter service.
Across reporting and the cafe’s own menu, drinks like qishr and Adeni chai sit alongside familiar espresso standards, plus sweeter options such as biscoff lattes, cinnamon dolce lattes, baklava and biscoff milk cake. As WhatNow points out, the offerings lean into spice driven flavors and shared plates more than grab and go coffee runs.
Retail churn and real estate context
Across major downtowns, landlords have increasingly been handing over former chain counters to independent operators, a shift that has already seen some Starbucks units in San Francisco replaced by local concepts. In one such example, Yemeni coffee upstart moves in on Starbucks turf coverage of Sana’a’s San Francisco leases framed the brand’s move as part of a wave of culturally specific coffeehouses filling chain sized footprints in dense business districts.
Brokerage posts further back up the Los Angeles deal. Los Angeles firm URBANLIME announced on LinkedIn, “Just Leased! Congratulations to Sana’a Cafe on securing a direct lease at 1050 Wilshire Blvd.” The note highlights a direct landlord tenant transaction for a former Starbucks unit, giving the chain’s Los Angeles push a clear paper trail in the property market.
Opening timeline
Neither Sana’a Cafe nor local outlets have posted firm opening dates for the Downtown Los Angeles or Long Beach locations. With permits and build outs still in progress, the company has not shared public timelines, so for now the exact arrival window remains to be announced.
What this means locally
For downtown Los Angeles office workers and Long Beach residents, Sana’a Cafe is set to offer an alternative to mainstream coffee chains while adding another layer of cultural variety to the local cafe scene. We will be watching permit filings, leasing notes and neighborhood chatter for word on opening dates and full menu details as the new spots move toward launch.
