The Sand Dune latte, with cardamom, honey, and caramel. (Joi Louviere/COURIER DFW)
In this week’s Don’t Sleep On feature, I learned how much I needed cardamom in my latte life.
Welcome to Don’t Sleep On, a weekly series in my newsletter every Monday where I shout out DFW events and businesses I think you should try. Have a suggestion? Email me.
Y’all suggested it, so I tried it. Arwa Yemeni Coffee lives up to the hype!
With locations in Addison and Frisco, the cafes are the first Yemeni coffee shops in North Texas. A family from Yemen wanted to share their culture with the metroplex and bring us brew like we’ve never tasted.
Yemen was one of the first countries to cultivate coffee. Even today, coffee farms sit high in the mountains, and families farm the beans, not big industry. According to their website, the business got their name from Queen Arwa, a prominent figure in Yemeni history that led the country with intelligence and compassion until her death in 1138 CE. As a predominantly women-run business, owners thought the name was fitting.
I went to the Addison location and a friendly staffer helped me figure out the best drink for me. They suggested an off-menu drink called the Sand Dune latte, incorporating cardamom, honey, and some of the best caramel I’ve ever tasted. I like that they asked me what sugar level I wanted, making their drink experience inclusive for all customers—coffee purists and sweet treat people alike.
The Sand Dune was delicious. I yelped a verbal “woooo” as my friend and I locked eyes to agree this was among the best lattes we’ve had. I didn’t know I needed cardamom syrup in my life.
Arwa’s coffee and tea flight is a popular choice for customers, as they give you four hardy glasses, two teas and two coffees, with pastries to accompany each drink.
My coffee shop visits usually involve an investigation of the pastry case, and there were so many options here. I tried a light and fluffy pistachio cake that was a work of art, but admittedly was tempted by the almond mocha cake and the rose cake, which I have got to try on my next visit.
There was also a ton of indoor and outdoor seating and Yemen-inspired decor that makes you forget you’re in the middle of a Southern metro.
This no-reservation hot spot is expanding, with locations popping up around the country, in the near future. Follow Arwa’s Instagram to see more delicious details and plan your visit. You gotta taste it to believe it.
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