A century-old building near Kerrytown has its first tenant since undergoing major renovations. Bayt Almocha is now the area’s fifth Yemeni coffee shop to open within the past few years. The name translates as “Mocha House,” and it’s not just an allusion to the beverage: founder Abdulla Alysofi and operating partner Rafed Al-Serri grew up near Mocha, the Red Sea port whose coffee exports gave mocha its name.
Al-Serri, of Dearborn, discovered the Catherine St. vacancy while driving around town with his brother-in-law to scout potential locations for the two-year-old Michigan-based chain. It hadn’t been listed online yet, but he came to terms with owner Erik Majcher, the structural engineer and developer whose Atlantes Design office is upstairs in the modernized building.
The ground-floor interior build-out features a striking shade of ink blue, with cushioned seating and sparkly touches on the counters and marbled tabletops.
Al-Serri says the wide-ranging coffee, tea, and smoothie options are meant to appeal to both American-style tastes and those seeking traditional beverages from the cradle of coffee civilization. “We want it to be like an everyday coffee, with signature Yemeni drinks,” he says. Several sweet and savory pastries, along with breakfast sandwiches, round out the offerings.
Raised in a middle-class family as the son of a university professor, Al-Serri immigrated to the U.S. for college. He’s now an engineer at GM’s battery assembly plant in Brownstown Township.
“One thing that’s very, very important is something I can bring from my own experience working in manufacturing: the same latte they tried today, if you came back tomorrow it should be tasting the same, regardless of who is behind the bar,” he says.
Bayt Almocha, 109 Catherine. (734) 492–1700. Mon.–Sat. 7 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–9 p.m. baytalmocha.com
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