The 411 on Sana’a Cafe #
Address: 20885 Mission Blvd
Region: Hayward, CA
Website: https://thesanaacafe.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanaacafe.hayward/?hl=en
Wi-Fi: Haven’t tried it out, sorry!
The Vibe:
Sana’a Cafe is a new Yemeni cafe concept that is expanding so fast, their website can’t keep up with all their locations. That includes the one closest to me in Hayward, right on the border of unincorporated Cherryland.
It’s been open since March, and I’m thrilled to have it nearby because third-space options for late evenings are hard to come by, unless they are dive bars. I LOVE YOU TOO, DIVE BARS! But sometimes, I would rather have a spiced coffee with dessert than a couple Kentucky mule rounds while working on a rough draft.
For decades, night owls have bemoaned how early the Bay Area closes up shop—there is a dearth of places to hang out or work at after 9:00pm. But since 2022, more than 20 Yemeni cafes have opened that often stay open until midnight or later. And none of them are expanding as fast as the Sana’a Café brand. A second Sana’a Cafe already opened in south Hayward in May. KQED recently produced a podcast on of the explosion of Yemeni cafes in the Bay Area, and Voyage LA has an interview with the owner of this particular chain.
This Hayward location, like all Yemeni cafes I’ve been to, is intricately decorated to evoke a Middle Eastern feel. It's welcoming right away but is also quite busy with plenty of folks talking or playing games.
That’s not a complaint, because busy means this spot is staying open! That definitely works for me.
For treats, Sana’a offers a drool-worthy pastry case with varieties of baklava, milk cakes, cheesecakes, and other sweets.
A few savory shawarma and turnovers are usually available. And of course, there’s the cheese-filled, sweet honeycomb bread that they are known for, but I’ve yet to try.
For beverages, spiced chai and other tea options are available, but it’s the coffee that calls to me. Yemen is the first country that cultivated coffee, so they’ve been at this for a long time. I love that several different brews are available, including ones spiced with cardamom or ginger. You can order individual cups to stay, or go for a pot if you’ll be lingering awhile.
If it’s too busy inside, check out the large patio for seating.
I haven’t seen it full yet, so chances are you’ll snag a spot.
My Take on Sana’a Cafe #
The Food: On my first visit, I had the savory satiha fatayer, a minced nut and beef turnover with lots of citrus flavor, either from actual citrus or lively sumac.
The pastry was buttery and yum. Yes, “yum” is a complete descriptor. Then it was time for dessert.
The pistachio cheesecake was delicious, with a light and creamy filling over what I think was a crushed shortbread crust. Lots of lemony tang, and the pistachio flavor, which I adore in dessert, came through nicely. There were rose petal flakes on top, but those were mostly for color. I didn’t taste any rosewater, just in case you, dear reader, are someone who dislikes it.
On another trip, I went for the chocolate milk cake.
It tasted quite decadent, with a strong cocoa flavor throughout. Or maybe a chocolate milk flavor? Probably both! The chocolate presence was robust, and each bite worth savoring. Did it need the gold flakes? No, but they did give it visual pizzazz.
On that trip, my friends had the pistachio baklava. No exclamations of joy, but a solid, standard baklava was their opinion.
The Drinks: Sana’a Cafe caters to two types of coffee drinkers: those who are in it more for the milk and sugar syrups and ones like me that enjoy a cup of black coffee but also think some spice might be nice. The Arabic light roast, no sugar added, was steeped with cardamom and saffron.
It gave me a nice nighttime coffee kick but without any abrasive bitterness. On my next visit, I had a pistachio latte. I didn’t choose it but was given it for free because someone had misordered earlier. So I thought “Why not?” when asked if I wanted it.
Luckily, it’s not overly sweet, but I’d personally hope for a stronger pistachio flavor. Regardless, it’s a soothing latte, with plenty of warm milk.
My companions had a variety of iced and warm beverages on that trip, with few complaints besides the cafe being out of a few flavors—this was also the case on my first visit, so I’m not sure Sana’a has completely worked out the kinks of supplying so many locations yet. But it is improving!
Side note: Sana’a, like several cafes and boba shops I’ve tried recently, are providing quite sturdy to-go cups that seem like they could be reused multiple times. That’s got to be a factor in rising prices, but I can’t deny that it’s nice to hold that high-quality material between my hands rather than a thin paper or plastic cup as has been the standard for decades.
Would I Go Back? Yes, of course. I still need to scope out the outlet and Wi-Fi situation to know if Sana’a Café is suitable for staying indoors for longer than a laptop charge. But there have been seats at the counters or outside when I’ve gone, so I’m not too worried that it’ll be so busy, I can’t get some work done. And the desserts and spiced coffee drinks are a nice reward for accomplishing that!
It is disappointing that their mobile app is only available for iPhones. But having somewhere outside the house to get work done any time of day outranks that small inconvenience, for sure. I am delighted to welcome Sana’a Café and their many new locations to the area.
Reviewed in May & July 2026.
