by JohnMakin on 1/4/25, 2:05 AM
My active hours are typically very early AM, 2-4AM, until 10AM, and there is definitely a space for this in the market for individuals that just want a place to relax and/or work outside of their home outside of normal working hours. Starbucks used to fill this niche where I lived (they would open at 3,4AM to accommodate students in the area trying to study for finals. Nowadays, most of these starbucks/coffee shops have closed or shifted to an in-store hostile setup of a drive through plus a lobby that is mostly intended for delivery drivers, walled off laptop plugs and won't tell you why, removed all charging stations, and just generally made it a shitty experience to sit inside and do anything at all other than get the hell out. This is almost universal now where i live, a college town with multiple colleges, and I wouldn't even begin to tell you where to find a coffee shop where I could gather with 3-4 other grad students and bang some crazy project out in a few hours anymore, and I have many, many big colleges near me. There's a demand the market isn't meeting, but, that demand didn't rake in the most dollars so here we are and this is some kind of novelty. These kinds of spaces existed basically everywhere in my area circa 2012-2018. They weren't tied to any particular ethnicity, just was a need people apparently had.
by xrd on 1/4/25, 3:16 AM
My general takeaway from a bunch of comments is that there were two death waves for these late night places. But, I have a great fix.
First, Starbucks committed coffeeshopicide by targeting local hangouts that were successful, and then spraying their own burnt grounds, driving up real estate and making it impossible for a small, less efficient shop to survive. I saw this happen at several great places in Portland. Then, obviously a career climbing executive at Starbucks tried to get promoted and tightened up hours.
The second wave of late night coffee shop deaths occured with COVID and homelessness (really McKinsey and Purdue opioids, read "When McKinsey Comes to Town") because of safety. No one, big or small, can offer a space and decide which hipster can stay and which has to leave because he is now addicted to drugs and not just Instagram dopamine.
The solution: cities should offer a tax break to a coffee shop that stays open late. And, cities should offer a match where they create a space nearby for homeless people to congregate late night. I'm sure there is a correlation between the number of homeless and soon-to-be homeless creative types.
I'm saddened late night coffee shops have largely disappeared, these Yemeni shops look terrific. And, they bring the social back to meeting places, and I don't mean social media and laptops.
by ilaksh on 1/4/25, 2:26 AM
Are coffee shops just the answer to having social spaces that aren't alcohol fueled like bars and clubs? For quite a while I have had a rough idea that there could be something along the lines of a bar but with no alcohol and some kind of structured activities for breaking the ice.
by bsnnkv on 1/4/25, 12:46 AM
I'm definitely the target audience for alcohol-free spaces that open late - hopefully this makes its way to the PNW!
by jcul on 1/4/25, 1:17 AM
I used to go to a late night coffee shop in Dublin sometimes when I lived there and read a book. Was a really nice space with comfortable couches and good ambient music.
Couldn't remember the name but managed to find a reference to it, it was called Accents. Seems like it's shutdown now.
by alephnerd on 1/4/25, 1:03 AM
It's the only silver lining about the Yemeni Civil War. There is a fairly large Yemeni American population now due to displacement from the war.
There's a fairly large community in SF in Tendernob near the Yemeni consulate and the Yemeni mosque.
Highly recommend trying the Masoob and Mandi at Yemen Kitchen in Tenderloin.
by idlewords on 1/4/25, 2:39 AM
I'd be shocked if you can't find qat at these places. It's worth a try; I'd describe it as amphetamine salad. It's at about the midpoint between a strong cup of coffee and adderall.
An odd thing about qat is that despite being a stimulant it fills the role of alcohol in Yemeni culture—it's what men blow their salaries on, go on benders with, sometimes even destroy their families over. It's fascinating to see a drug with completely different physical effects exhibit so many of the same social pathologies as alcohol.
Don't chew it too often or it will stain your teeth.
by ilaksh on 1/4/25, 2:13 AM
by Jarwain on 1/4/25, 2:22 AM
In Florida there's this growing trend of kava bars filling a similar niche. Alcohol-free spaces open late serving up kava, kratom, and other teas!
by lobochrome on 1/4/25, 3:42 AM
In Japan, most specialty coffee shops limit customers to a maximum of one hour to accommodate as many people as possible. This is partly because people can enjoy a cup and a cake very slowly. Some shops even ban laptops.
Due to the small size of apartments, finding places to work, study, or read outside the cramped family home is a significant challenge. This is also why love hotels exist.
Starbucks, however, has no such policies, making it extremely popular for these activities. I always wonder how they manage with such low spending per occupied seat.
Additionally, Starbucks service quality in Japan is exceptional. The staff is friendly, and regular customers receive incredible attention to brighten their day with a smile.
by tra3 on 1/4/25, 2:35 AM
Curious how this works. I generally don’t drink coffee late..do people come in for coffee and stay a while? I never really thought through the business model.
by asadm on 1/4/25, 1:43 AM
I def love this trend. There are a few in Bay area too, check out Qamaria in fremont.
by m463 on 1/3/25, 11:51 PM
I've noticed this becoming popular, but funny enough they don't do decaf.
by anu7df on 1/4/25, 5:08 AM
May be I am an aberration, but I actually seek out coffee shops for good coffee. A nice espresso, cappuccino and on occasion black drip or pour over. I will never be as comfortable at a coffee place as I am at home, so why bother. But yes, I definitely like a comfortable place to sit while I am drinking my brew. Don't really care for another conversation at the time -- My coffee an I are having one. Also, for anyone in Houston try out Catalina coffee on Washington. The coffee shop I judge all other shops by. Best espresso drinks ever. Also, in Seattle, the starbucks reserve (I think that was what they were called. Its been a few years.) had some really good beans and well made drinks, way way better than the usual starbucks swill.
by YoungGato on 1/4/25, 9:15 PM
I work morning to night and don't have an office. It's really nice to be able to get out of the house and the yemeni coffee shops provide a way for me to get out and stay out for a while.
by the__alchemist on 1/4/25, 2:52 AM
Do people drink the coffee late? I would never get to sleep after doing that!
by teleforce on 1/4/25, 2:29 PM
Fun facts, the word coffee come from Kahve, the bastardization of the word Kahwa meaning coffee in Arabic since Turkish lacks "w" and normally replaces it with "v".
Another related fun facts, the now universal European word cafe also come from the same word originally meaning coffee drinking place or shop [1].
[1] Coffee and qahwa: How a drink for Arab mystics went global:
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22190802
by aprilthird2021 on 1/4/25, 4:41 AM
My city (Oakland) has like 3 Yemeni coffeeshops within 10 min of me, and every time I go at night they're usually packed.
There's just nowhere else open late at night that isn't a bar, period.
by shihab on 1/4/25, 1:37 AM
First part is true here in Michigan too. Wish they stayed open late.
by cbxjksls on 1/4/25, 1:39 AM
I wonder how significant of a source of revenue the coffee shops are for Yemen, both from bean exports and remittances from immigrants.
by throwawayk7h on 1/6/25, 2:04 AM
What most appeals to me is the lack of music. Most music in stores, restaurants, and other public places is very irritating to me. (Misophonia.) I would be thrilled if more places made the decision not to play music.
by buzzert on 1/4/25, 4:02 AM
If anyone's looking for one of these in SF, my favorite place is Delah Coffee[0] near Yerba Buena. They're open until 11pm. Try the Kunafa Cheesecake!
[0]: https://delahcoffee.com/
by trgn on 1/4/25, 2:29 AM
Claimed two abandoned storefronts after covid killed our downtown. Also more yuppie primped clientele, compared to most other coffeeshops in my area.
by theendisney4 on 1/4/25, 11:50 PM
I use to live next to a trucker restaurant that opened at 4am. It was a great place to go after a party or a night out.
by meltyness on 1/4/25, 6:48 PM
Hey this is brilliant thanks for the tip
by etothet on 1/4/25, 2:20 PM
by CMCDragonkai on 1/4/25, 7:41 PM
Austin has bennu coffee places which open 24 hrs, and taco shops that open 24 hrs too.
by TheSpiceIsLife on 1/4/25, 7:51 AM
The best coffee I’ve was a Turkish Green from, if I recall correctly, Jerusalem Sheshkebab House - 131B Hidley Street, Adelaide. Now permanently closed as a result of the corvid lockdowns. Basement level, red booths, open late, no dickheads, nicest proprietor.
Also the best hummus, falafels etc.
by giantg2 on 1/4/25, 2:35 AM
A younger me would get it. The older me wonders why people can't be content alone. Do I really need to go socialize at 2am? Probably not, and even less so without alcohol. But I get that others are different.
by nobodywillobsrv on 1/4/25, 8:15 AM
What is it like for women?
by guyfromfargo on 1/4/25, 2:10 AM
I wrote the entire 2nd version of my SaaS between midnight and 6am at a coffee shop in Austin. It was so peaceful to crack open an IDE, and sip on a hot cup of coffee at midnight, and code until I could barely keep my eyes open.
Unfortunately Covid completely destroyed all of these spots. I’m really excited these are making a come back.
by ChumpGPT on 1/4/25, 3:20 AM
On a tangent....I remember the only place you could get a coffee in Texas was Waffle House or Denny's. In the early 90's the DFW area didn't even know what an espresso was. Starbucks finally came around 1995 and it was such a joy. Now there are some amazing cafes serving amazing coffee, especially in college towns like Denton.