"I always ask people when I tell them, what comes to your mind when I say the word mocha?" Wally Nasr told HometownSource. "And most of the people say coffee, some others, they say chocolate. But only a few know that Mocha is actually a city."
Nasr manages Bayt AlMocha, the coffee house that opened this summer on Club West Parkway. He told HometownSource he has lived in Blaine for 10 years, and he wanted the city to have a coffee shop with a welcoming atmosphere and later hours. His shop is Blaine's second Yemeni coffee house. Qamaria on Central Avenue was the first. That gives Blaine two places built around sitting down with a pot of coffee in the evening, and each one has drawn its own following.
Mocha Is a Port Before It's a Drink
The name comes with some history. HometownSource reported that Mocha is a historic port city in Yemen that once shipped high-quality coffee around the world, and Nasr said bringing that history to Blaine is part of the point. Both Blaine shops serve coffee rooted in that tradition, and both belong to chains that started in Michigan. Bayt AlMocha's Blaine shop is the franchise's first in Minnesota and its 12th nationwide. According to Racket, Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. is one of several Michigan-based chains behind the current wave of these cafes in the Twin Cities.
Two Shops, About 18 Months Apart
Qamaria came first. Co-owner Mohamed Hagi told EPLocal that the Blaine location opened in January 2025. Bayt AlMocha, which also goes by Mocha House, appeared in Bring Me The News' roundup of July 2026 openings.
| Qamaria Yemeni Coffee | Bayt AlMocha | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 8685 Central Ave. NE, Suite 100 | 10950 Club West Pkwy. NE, Suite 166 |
| Opened in Blaine | January 2025 | Summer 2026 |
| Chain's Minnesota footprint | Also Little Canada and Eden Prairie | Blaine is the first |
| Menu items reported | Yemeni coffees with qishr, cardamom, cinnamon and clove; Adeni chai; pistachio latte; honeycomb bread; pistachio milk cake | Chai, Turkish coffee, mufawar, standard espresso drinks, pastries, with honeycomb bread in development |
The two shops serve different parts of the city. Qamaria is on Central Avenue in the southern part of Blaine. Bayt AlMocha is in the Club West area, farther north. Two openings in about a year and a half show the first shop's customers didn't just stay home. A second operator saw enough interest to open in the same city.
Nasr has said he welcomes that. He told HometownSource that more Yemeni coffee shops is a good thing and that Bayt AlMocha plans to set itself apart through its drinks, atmosphere and hospitality.
What to Order When You Have an Hour
These menus are built for staying a while. Racket described the format as one where you can share a pot of coffee or tea, order a single drink, or add sweet and savory pastries. Ziad Alobaidi of Haraz Coffee House in Minneapolis told Racket the drinks "take time to create" and are "meant to be more of an extended sitdown."
If it's your first visit, these items come from the two shops' reported menus:
- A spiced Yemeni coffee at Qamaria. HometownSource listed Yemeni coffees and blends made with qishr, cardamom, cinnamon and clove, plus a drink called marib.
- Adeni chai at Qamaria, for anyone who wants tea instead of coffee. Sahan Journal described it as black tea brewed with evaporated milk, cardamom and other spices, and reported that the pistachio latte is another popular order at the chain.
- Mufawar at Bayt AlMocha, which HometownSource described as a coffee drink made with milk.
- Turkish coffee at Bayt AlMocha, made with the shop's own beans.
- Something sweet. Sahan Journal reported that the Qamaria chain is known for a bright-green pistachio milk cake and for its honeycomb, a sweet bread filled with cheese and topped with honey. Bayt AlMocha plans to serve fresh pastries regularly and is working on traditional items such as honeycomb bread.
For anyone in a group who wants something familiar, Qamaria's reported menu also includes manakish, salads, waffles and avocado toast. Bayt AlMocha serves standard coffee drinks too.
Why the Lights Stay On
The late hours are the main reason these shops are different. Racket tied the citywide growth of these cafes to rising demand for late-night spaces that don't center on alcohol. The same article describes the cafe as a "third space," somewhere to pause, relax, talk and ignore your calendar app. It also notes the pandemic sped up the decline of that kind of cafe. Racket said all three of the Yemeni cafes it profiled keep late-night hours and have seating that suits group work, study sessions and meeting friends.
In Blaine, Nasr connected those hours to families. He told HometownSource that during Bayt AlMocha's soft opening, customers were especially glad to have a place where families could get together later in the evening for coffee and dessert. He also said customers tell him, "This is something different."
Posted hours for both shops run well into the evening, and on weekends Qamaria's listings show it open past midnight. The exact closing times differ from one online listing to the next, so check with the shop before you plan a late visit.
Blaine's evenings get dark early at this time of year. Before Qamaria opened, the late options were mostly restaurants and bars. Now there are two coffee houses where you can sit down late without ordering a meal or a drink.
Where the Rest of an Evening Fits
These coffee houses work best as one part of a longer evening, and several other places have opened in Blaine this year.
- Stella's Neighborhood Grill, 4365 Pheasant Ridge Dr. NE in the Village of Blaine Shopping Center, opened in June 2026 as a second location of the Forest Lake restaurant. The Star Tribune lists burgers, wings, steaks and pasta on the menu.
- Dirty Soda Pop, 10945 Ulysses St. NE, Suite 500, opened in September 2026 as an expansion of a Chisago City shop. Bring Me The News noted a large menu of customizable drinks with Minnesota-themed touches.
- CAVA, the Mediterranean fast-casual chain, is planned for 12351 Ulysses St. NE. As of the Star Tribune's October 5 roll call, it was expected to open "later this year." No opening date has been announced.
Dinner at Stella's followed by coffee and pistachio milk cake at Qamaria is one way to plan a night out. You could also stop at Bayt AlMocha on Club West Parkway after something on the north side of town. Qamaria is at 8685 Central Ave. NE, and Bayt AlMocha is at 10950 Club West Pkwy. NE.
New businesses that stay open later change what an evening in Blaine can look like, and they can also affect how a home nearby is valued. If you'd like to know how the new businesses near you factor into your home's value, Maisa Olson offers a free valuation consultation with appraisal-grade comparisons and plain-language answers.
