A fast-growing Yemeni coffee chain from Richardson has expanded to Tarrant County for the first time: Arwa Coffee has opened its newest shop at 200 E. Abram St., Suite 150, in downtown Arlington.

Arwa first debuted in Richardson in 2023 as Texas' first Yemeni coffee shop. Since then, the brand has rapidly expanded, adding 12 locations across Texas — including an Addison shop (3725 Belt Line Rd.) that also opened this month — as well as Illinois, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. An additional 15 locations are currently under construction, including three more in the DFW area, with plans to expand into new markets like Florida and Georgia.

Arlington marks Arwa's first location on the west side of the Metroplex.

Arwa is a family business co-founded by Yemen native Yazan Soofi, his wife Susan, his sister Nora, and his brother-in-law Faris Almatrahi. They share a passion for raising awareness of Yemeni culture and supporting local farmers in their home country. To fuel their aggressive expansion, the co-founders shifted to a franchise business model.

Their coffee menu remains consistent across all locations, and it offers a distinct bridge between worlds. Customers can find traditional drinks like espressos, cappuccinos, and drip coffee alongside authentic Yemeni specialties. These include Jubani — a spiced, light-roasted coffee brewed with coffee husks — and Adeni tea, a deeply aromatic black tea brewed with milk and spices.

While they still import all their beans directly from Yemen, their fast growth required a shift in logistics, they say. The original Richardson location featured an on-site roasting machine, but the team has since transitioned to a centralized commercial roasting space to supply all their storefronts.

The food program follows a hybrid model: every storefront serves Arwa’s signature traditional honeycomb pastry — a bubbly, sponge-like sweet bread filled with cream cheese and drizzled with syrup — while individual franchisees select a local bakery to supply additional pastry offerings.

The new 3,500-square-foot Arlington location features a private jalsa room — a traditional floor-seating space designed for communal gathering. A signature amenity that Arwa includes whenever a floor plan allows, the room can be rented out for private events, but is used daily by guests looking to study, chat, or lounge.

“We take a lot of pride in how we design our stores. Everything in our spaces is intentional — the colors of the walls, the cultural details, it all ties back to Yemen,” Susan Soofi says.

Though Yemen is historically considered the birthplace of the global coffee trade, its production plummeted over the centuries due to global competition, civil conflict, and the rise of qat (a highly profitable, water-intensive local narcotic shrub). However, the explosion of Yemeni-owned coffee shops like Arwa around the U.S. has created a direct bridge from farmers to Western consumers. Yemeni Americans are opening these shops not just as commercial businesses, but as cultural hubs that directly fund and sustain smallholder farmers back home.

Another characteristic of Yemeni coffee culture is late-night hours, catering to a traditional Middle Eastern preference for evening socializing. True to form, the new Arlington location will keep its doors open late, operating daily from 8 am to 11 pm.

“Downtown Arlington is growing in an exciting way, with students, professors and local visitors; we have an opportunity to create a space that serves the community all day,” Soofi says.