Haraz Coffee House grounds authenticity with homegrown Yemeni coffee
Haraz Coffee House maintains the classic americanized cafe menu with lattes and matchas. But, it also features Yemeni and Middle Eastern classics with ingredients like cardamom, saffron and ginger. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
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Sienna Tarkian prefers her shaken espresso sweetened. But, the Syracuse University freshman finds that many cafes tend to go overboard on the sweet notes, overshadowing the deep and robust richness of the coffee beans itself. At Haraz Coffee House, though, coffee flavor comes first.
“There are some places that I love, but I sort of feel like I am just drinking sugar. I feel like this one still keeps a piece of coffee,” Tarkian said.
Haraz soft opened on Marshall Street in December. The coffee shop offers a mix of traditional Yemeni coffees and teas, consisting of common favorites like lattes and matchas. Starting construction in the formerly owned Shirt World in 2024, Haraz will host its grand opening this Friday.
Opening its Syracuse doors allows SU students and surrounding establishments to taste a different type of coffee many aren’t used to, Haraz cashier and SU junior Maria Ghazaleh said. For New York operations manager Emad Zokari, it gives him the chance to share his Yemeni roots as well.
The cafe’s name comes from the mountainous regions of Jabal Haraz in Yemen where the cafe’s coffee beans grow. While these beans have become rare in the country, Haraz Coffee House gets them imported. The strong bitterness of the beans allows the cafe to be versatile when making different types of drinks, from a latte to a mufawar — a traditional Yemeni coffee blend with cardamom and evaporated milk.
“You can use these beans in different ways, from americanos to lattes. The beans of coffee (allows) for a really rich taste and you can find the organic taste of the coffee,” Zokari said.
Though Haraz maintains the classic Americanized cafe menu, the restaurant also includes Yemeni and Middle Eastern classics, which supplement the bitter beans with ingredients like cardamom, saffron and ginger. By showcasing the cafe’s traditional drinks, Haraz opens an uncharted coffee profile Syracuse locals have never experienced, Zokari said.
The blend of the ingredients stood out to Ghazaleh, especially with her American coffee preferences. Since starting at the cafe in December, Ghazaleh said she now can recognize the difference between American and Yemeni coffee immediately; Yemeni coffee has a more concentrated flavor and stronger caffeine impact.
“I did not grow up drinking Yemeni coffee because I’m more of an Americanized latte girl, but to be honest, I like Yemeni coffee now. It’s really good,” Ghazaleh said.
The newest neighbor on Marshall Street, Haraz Coffee House, brings Yemeni coffee and traditional drinks to Syracuse. After opening its first location in Dearborn, Michigan in 2017, Haraz now has 43 locations across the country. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
In 2017, Haraz opened its first location in Dearborn, Michigan. Its popularity grew in the state with two more added locations, and in 2021, Haraz branched out to New York City with its first location in SoHo. With a big market in New York City, Haraz’s influence spread around the city and the state, allowing Haraz to open its first Syracuse location soon later, Zokari said.
Now Haraz has 43 locations across the country and 180 in development, with over half soon opening by the middle of this year. By opening its first location in Syracuse, Zokari said he hopes to expand more locations in central New York and build relationships with customers to become a stronger company.
Though the soft opening occurred during finals season when many SU students were leaving campus for winter break, Ghazaleh said Haraz was packed with many doctors and nurses from Crouse Hospital and SU students — even a visit from Shirt World owners.
A year and a half since signing the lease and renovating the space, exciting anticipation filled the cafe; many customers were eager to try Haraz and check out something new in the area.
“We surprised a lot of people,” Zokari said. “I’ll be honest with you, everyone was waiting for that moment to come to see Haraz coffee and that was a big moment for us; we spent almost one and a half years to open the shop.”
Haraz Coffee House stands in the former home of Shirt World on Marshall Street. After a year of renovations, Haraz will host its grand opening this Friday. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
During Haraz’s soft opening, drinks like a pistachio latte (Haraz’s speciality), salted caramel latte and pastries like fruit mousses were popular favorites, Ghazaleh said. With the grand opening coming up, Haraz’s soft opening gave time for staff to settle in, while taking a peak into what is to come on Friday, Ghazaleh said.
After returning from winter break, Tarkian and fellow SU freshman Sophia Levin had the chance to try the new cafe. It has already become their go-to coffee spot on campus.
Though Tarkian, a coffee drinker, has easy access to her favorite drinks around campus, Levin, who prefers matcha, said it’s more difficult to find than coffee.
“I feel like coffee places obviously have majority coffee, so when I see matcha, I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna try this,’” Levin said. “I’ve tried so many that I know my favorite, and this one is honestly up there.”
For Zokari, who officially settled in the United States in 2010, Yemeni coffee bridges the gap of 7,100 miles between his native home and the U.S.
“When you drink the same coffee you drink back in the country, you remember a few good reminders about your culture, about your people, about your country,” Zokari said.
