The coffee house that kicked off the Middle Eastern coffee house trend in Rochester has opened its second location.
Layali Coffee House, which opened its first location in Henrietta in February 2025, is now open at 749 Park Ave. It is nestled in the Somerton Park building, which also houses Baker Street Bread Co., F. Oliver's and Pretty on Park nail salon.
The 1,600-square-foot Park Avenue location is cozier than Henrietta, but has a similar chic neutral color scheme, dramatic lighting and comfortable upholstered furniture. Chess boards and other games are available for people to play at the shop.
The coffees at Layali are single-origin high-grade coffees that come from high elevations in Yemen; unroasted green coffee beans are shipped to Rochester,
where they are roasted by a local roaster.
The menu appeals to both Arabic and American palates. Hot and iced espresso beverages range from caramel and cookie butter lattes to the Arabic-influenced iced pistachio and honey saffron lattes. There's also traditional Adeni tea − black tea with Arabic spices and milk. For matcha fans, it serves ceremonial grade matcha, the highest quality green tea powder. For those who don't drink coffee or tea, there are fruity mojitos (of the nonalcoholic variety) and refreshers.
To go with the beverages, Layali serves a variety of desserts; over the past six months it started baking nearly all of its own desserts in house. The Henrietta shop serves sandwiches, which are coming soon to Park Avenue.
Ibrahim Hussein, who was born in Rochester, owns the shop along with three business partners, all Rochesterians. He's proud they took the risk to open the first coffee house of its kind in the Rochester area, noting that many of its customers are not Middle Eastern.
"It's not just a coffee shop," he said. "It's a family-oriented place. You come, you enjoy your time. We're more like a community third space."
Layali means "nights," and it stays open late – until 11 p.m. weekdays and midnight on weekends. That's the case with most Middle Eastern coffeehouses, which provide a place to socialize without alcohol. They originated in Michigan, which has a large Arab population, and are growing in popularity in Rochester and around the country.
Layali Coffee House is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Online ordering through Toast can be found by navigating to the location through Google Maps.
Tracy Schuhmacher has been food and drink reporter for the past 11 years. Notice a food establishment open or close near you? Email her at tracys@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Middle Eastern coffee house opens on Park Avenue
