Mokafé, NYC coffee chain, opens in Melville

Yemeni coffee shops are the biggest dining trend of the fall, and now Long Island has its first shop with a drive-thru. The shiny and spacious Mokafé opens today on Route110 in Melville, in the former fast-food spot Cheezly’s.   

The Astoria, Queens- and Paterson, New Jersey-based chain differentiates by asking each customer whether they prefer Guatemalan or Yemeni coffee for each drink. Shops have a plush, contemporary look. The chain has expanded rapidly to include 10 locations, including one in Times Square. 

Mokafé offers a full menu of espresso drinks as well as halal food items like honeycomb bread, pastrami sandwiches and avocado toast.

Co-owner Youssef Mubarez says Yemeni coffee was previously difficult to source due to the ongoing civil war in Yemen. But over the past 10 years, the industry has been built up to support the increasing worldwide demand. The coffee is sourced by co-owner Jorge Riquelme, a trained coffee evaluator who met with Yemeni and Guatemalan farmers.

"Before, they were just selling the beans to companies; nobody knew where it was from. Now we're taking back our narrative," said Mubarez, who originally hails from Yemen. "Now it's a big, booming business. There's a whole coffee export organization. Now it's good for Yemen."

According to Mubarez, Yemeni coffee is fruitier, with berry notes, and is much lighter than typical coffee. Black Yemeni coffee tastes more like juice, some people say even more like wine. Yemen is also considered the birthplace of coffee drinking, with evidence that people have been consuming it there since the 12th century. 

During a recent visit to the Times Square location, I had a robust cup of Turkish coffee with an incredible bar of Dubai chocolate that was made in-house and tasted of quality ingredients. Both stores also sell bags of Yemeni coffee, and I took home the Harazi ($22), which was delicate and sweet.

The Melville shop opens at 11 a.m. Sunday and will stay open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Mokafé, 606 Broadhollow Rd., Melville, mymokafe.com. Open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.