At the recent soft launch opening of Shibam Coffee in suburban Glendale Heights, customers swarmed in, lined the red-roped entrance area and stared in wonder at the lavishly decorated interior, with marble floors and Arabic calligraphy on the walls. A few patrons started snapping photos even before getting to the main door. A teenager asked an employee setting up chairs if the Yemeni coffee shop was hiring. What used to be a Chase Bank next to a Taco Bell in a busy plaza on North Avenue was now an immaculately designed cafe serving cardamom coffee and pistachio lattes to customers eager to become regulars. “People kept asking (on social media) when we were opening and it took a long time — but we wanted it to be perfect,” said Moiz Baig, co-owner of the newly opened Shibam Coffee, the Dearborn, Michigan-based Yemeni coffee chain’s first-ever Illinois location. “The (Yemeni) coffee business is booming right now — no matter how many there are, people are still excited.” The recent boom in Yemeni coffee shops in the Chicago area, specifically in Lombard and other suburbs with a growing population of modern Muslim communities, underscores the rising demand for a place to socialize that isn’t tied to alcohol, but with a buzzy nightlife ambience. Tap on our bio link to read more. ----- Photo 1: Asher Asif, center, gathers with friends over tea at Matari Coffee on April 18, 2025, in Lombard. Photo 2: An employee pours the Adeni chai on July 7, 2025, at Shibam Coffee in Glendale Heights. Photo 3: Manager Naveed Mirza, bottom left, greets a customer at Qahwah House on April 18, 2025, in Lombard. Photo 4: People hang out among friends and family in the early morning hours at Cafe Bethak in Lombard on March 16, 2025. Photo 5: Groups of families and friends gather for desserts at Cocomelt on April 18, 2025, in Lombard. ? Zareen Syed / Chicago Tribune ?️ John J. Kim and Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / @johnkimpictures and @briancassella
July 9, 2025
At the recent soft launch opening of Shibam Coffee in suburban Glendale Heights, customers swarmed in, lined the red-roped entrance area and stared in wonder at the lavishly decorated interior, with marble floors and Arabic calligraphy on the walls. A few patrons started snapping photos even before getting to the main door. A teenager asked an employee setting up chairs if the Yemeni coffee shop was hiring.
What used to be a Chase Bank next to a Taco Bell in a busy plaza on North Avenue was now an immaculately designed cafe serving cardamom coffee and pistachio lattes to customers eager to become regulars.
“People kept asking (on social media) when we were opening and it took a long time — but we wanted it to be perfect,” said Moiz Baig, co-owner of the newly opened Shibam Coffee, the Dearborn, Michigan-based Yemeni coffee chain’s first-ever Illinois location. “The (Yemeni) coffee business is booming right now — no matter how many there are, people are still excited.”
The recent boom in Yemeni coffee shops in the Chicago area, specifically in Lombard and other suburbs with a growing population of modern Muslim communities, underscores the rising demand for a place to socialize that isn’t tied to alcohol, but with a buzzy nightlife ambience.
Tap on our bio link to read more.
-----
Photo 1: Asher Asif, center, gathers with friends over tea at Matari Coffee on April 18, 2025, in Lombard.
Photo 2: An employee pours the Adeni chai on July 7, 2025, at Shibam Coffee in Glendale Heights.
Photo 3: Manager Naveed Mirza, bottom left, greets a customer at Qahwah House on April 18, 2025, in Lombard.
Photo 4: People hang out among friends and family in the early morning hours at Cafe Bethak in Lombard on March 16, 2025.
Photo 5: Groups of families and friends gather for desserts at Cocomelt on April 18, 2025, in Lombard.
? Zareen Syed / Chicago Tribune
?️ John J. Kim and Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / @johnkimpictures and @briancassella
What used to be a Chase Bank next to a Taco Bell in a busy plaza on North Avenue was now an immaculately designed cafe serving cardamom coffee and pistachio lattes to customers eager to become regulars.
“People kept asking (on social media) when we were opening and it took a long time — but we wanted it to be perfect,” said Moiz Baig, co-owner of the newly opened Shibam Coffee, the Dearborn, Michigan-based Yemeni coffee chain’s first-ever Illinois location. “The (Yemeni) coffee business is booming right now — no matter how many there are, people are still excited.”
The recent boom in Yemeni coffee shops in the Chicago area, specifically in Lombard and other suburbs with a growing population of modern Muslim communities, underscores the rising demand for a place to socialize that isn’t tied to alcohol, but with a buzzy nightlife ambience.
Tap on our bio link to read more.
-----
Photo 1: Asher Asif, center, gathers with friends over tea at Matari Coffee on April 18, 2025, in Lombard.
Photo 2: An employee pours the Adeni chai on July 7, 2025, at Shibam Coffee in Glendale Heights.
Photo 3: Manager Naveed Mirza, bottom left, greets a customer at Qahwah House on April 18, 2025, in Lombard.
Photo 4: People hang out among friends and family in the early morning hours at Cafe Bethak in Lombard on March 16, 2025.
Photo 5: Groups of families and friends gather for desserts at Cocomelt on April 18, 2025, in Lombard.
? Zareen Syed / Chicago Tribune
?️ John J. Kim and Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / @johnkimpictures and @briancassella
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