Yemeni Cafe Opens in Harbor District

Azal Coffee, 1318 S. 1st St. Photo taken April 21, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.

Azal Coffee opened its doors in Milwaukee’s Harbor District last Friday, April 18. By the following Monday, the cafe had already welcomed a number of repeat customers.

“It’s been a lot busier than we expected,” a representative of the business told Urban Milwaukee. “So far, everybody seems to be happy.”

Located at 1318 S. 1st St., Azal is the area’s newest Yemeni coffee shop, featuring beans sourced from one of the world’s oldest and most storied coffee regions, along with teas, refreshers and desserts.

Yemeni-style cafes — a growing trend across the country — are perhaps best known for their specialty lattes, which come in unique flavors like pistachio, Biscoff and Nutella. The menu at Azal features all three, along with Turkish coffee and specialty drinks such as adeni tea and qishr, made with coffee husks, ginger and cinnamon.

Azal also serves traditional espresso, cappuccinos, americanos and cortados. Caffeine-free options include ginger milk, hot or iced chocolate and refreshers in flavors like hibiscus, mango dragon and strawberry.

A food menu currently features mini pancakes and waffles, with additional sweets — including tres leches cake, Dubai cheesecake and more — displayed adjacent to the register. The cafe plans to expand its offerings with lunch items in the coming weeks.

Still in its soft opening phase, Azal has welcomed a steady stream of guests throughout its initial days. While food and drinks are available to-go, many choose to linger, settling in at a booth or table with a book, laptop, colleague or friend.

The cafe space, formerly home to Tribeca Gallery Cafe & Books, now has a modern feel, featuring white tables, gold accents and an idyllic mural of Sanaa. Azal is part of Freshwater Plaza, a larger, mixed-use building that’s also home to businesses such as Momo Mee and Jimmy John’s. Apartments occupy the upper floors.

Mike Testa of Ogden & Company, Inc., which helped broker the lease for Azal Coffee, said he’s happy to see a new business in the space. “We are always excited to see innovative concepts entering our market,” he said in a statement. “The ownership team and I are proud to have played a role in bringing Azal to this storefront, reactivating a key corner in the Harbor District. Their presence will undoubtedly contribute to the vibrancy of the neighborhood for years to come.”

Michael Scaletta, director of asset management at Bender Companies, the building’s owner, also praised the new addition.

“Azal Coffee is a fantastic addition to the prime corner space at Freshwater Plaza,” he said in a statement. “We’re excited to have them as part of the community, offering a great new gathering place for both our residents and the surrounding Walker’s Point community.”

The Milwaukee cafe is the first franchise for Dearborn-based Azal Coffee, which launched in October 2023. The company is growing quickly, with future locations in development for New Jersey and New York.

Azal joins a growing list of Yemeni cafes across the Milwaukee area, including Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. in Greenfield and Qahwah House in Oak Creek. Haraz Coffee House, another Michigan-based chain, opened on the East Side in March.

The cafe is currently open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Photos

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