A cafe franchise promising authentic Yemeni coffee and treats may soon fill a vacant space left by Chasin’ Tails in East Falls Church.
Qahwah House, a Michigan-based Yemeni coffee shop, has applied for work permits at 2200 N. Westmoreland Street, which the seafood restaurant left in 2022.
It’s a family-owned franchise
- Ibrahim Alhabani, whose family has farmed coffee in Yemen for eight generations, founded Qahwah House in 2017 to honor his family’s expertise and heritage.
- Today, the shop has expanded from its roots in Dearborn, Mich., to 25 locations across the Great Lakes region, Texas and the East Coast.
- The forthcoming Arlington shop would be Qahwah’s first step into the D.C.-area and its second cafe in Virginia, joining a location in Richmond.
The menu has Yemeni influence
- Qahwah Houses across the United States offer a selection of Yemeni coffee and tea, flavored with spices like cardamom, ginger and cinnamon.
- The shops also serve espresso drinks, Yemeni-style pastries, Turkish dark roast and Arabic light roast coffee.
The shop awaits inspection
- Qahwah House initially applied for a commercial business permit to open at the vacant restaurant in April 2023, public records show.
- The new cafe is awaiting inspections on plumbing, mechanical and electrical work.
