Al Wadi Coffee House ‘Where Coffee Meets Culture’ on Milwaukee’s South Side

Photos by Cherrie Hanson

Mohamed Musaitif, a healthcare administrator turned entrepreneur, was inspired by Dearborn’s Yemeni coffee scene and Milwaukee’s growing demand. Instead of franchising, he launched his own shop, blending Yemeni coffee with Middle Eastern flavors.

Alluring notes of Middle Eastern coffee ensnare the senses at Al Wadi Coffee House, 200 W. Layton Ave., on Milwaukee’s South Side. Opened in March, Al Wadi’s motto is “Where Coffee Meets Culture.” The shop’s name, meaning “the valley” in Arabic, reflects the wonderful landscapes, flavors and cultural accents of Middle Eastern countries. Al Wadi is open until midnight six days a week and until 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Customers of Al Wadi enjoy their favorite coffee or tea drink in a refined ambiance. Its walls are decorated with beautiful murals of Yemeni, Palestinian and Syrian societies. Imported tea and coffee pots sit on a shelf by the pickup counter. Artificial olive and fig trees are placed up front. Couch seating embroidered with intricate Turkish patterns lines the room. Owner Mohamed Musaitif says, “The theme wraps around this whole area in a way that tells a story.”

Al Wadi coffee beans come straight from the Port of Yemen. The shop offers all the traditional coffee drinks that one would find at other coffee shops, like lattes, cappuccinos, Americanos and cortados, but the distinctive twists Al Wadi puts on its drinks certainly help it stand out.

Couch seating in a relaxed, beautiful environment at Al Wadi makes it a draw for meetings or socializing.

Musaitif grew up in Milwaukee with his family roots in Palestine. He has a background in healthcare administration, but Musaitif considers himself ‘business-minded,’ and he noticed the influx of Dearborn, Michigan-based Yemeni coffee shops opening in Milwaukee over the last few years. 

“I’m a coffee guy, and I wanted to have my own coffee shop one day,” he recalls. “When the first and second of these coffee shops opened in Milwaukee, this was an opportunity.”

The cultural richness and hospitality of Middle Eastern style coffee shops served up at locally owned Al Wadi.

While visiting his brother in Detroit, Musaitif acquainted himself with the different Yemeni coffee companies (Qamaria, Azal, Haraz, Qahwah, etc) based in Dearborn. Rather than franchising an existing company, Musaitif ultimately decided to create an original concept for a Middle Eastern coffee shop, featuring Yemeni coffee along with specialties from countries such as Turkey and Morocco.

“We focus a little more heavily on our specialty lattes than the other stores do,” Musaitif explains. “We wanted to fit in that mold but have our uniqueness.”

Starting a store from scratch comes with its perks but poses its own challenges. “Opening was very tough,” Musaitif attests. “We got the space in January, so we had a very quick turnaround just to be able to have a soft opening in March. It was Ramadan, and people wanted a place to go to break their fast.”

After a few months being open, Al Wadi continues to roll out new menu items and upgrade its setup. Musaitif affirms, “We’re still learning all the time.”

Latte varieties such as Banana Bread, Ube, Red Velvet, Chocolate Cracked, and Nutella give customers enough choices to try something new with every visit. More offerings range from golden brown and honey cinnamon shaken iced espressos to Baidhani white Yemeni coffee made with cascara and sesame to Muffawar boiled dark roast coffee. 

“I want to have something that other places don’t necessarily have,” Musaitif explains. “We did two story posts about our new drinks, and people were ordering them before they were even on the menu screen.”

In terms of tea, there are hot and iced options, including Adeni Chai and chamomile. Unique to Al Wadi is a matcha latte that can be infused with flavors like strawberry, mango, vanilla, and lavender.

As summer starts, Musaitif reckons that the shop’s many iced refreshers and virgin mojitos, which come in exclusive flavors like Redbull and Vimto, will become particularly popular items.

“We’re focusing a lot on cold drinks,” he mentions. “I’m proud of our Midnight Citrus refresher, which is coconut water-based and mixes different colors like orange, blue and purple.”

Colorful, restorative fresh-fruit smoothies on Al Wadi’s menu come in layered flavors like Lemon Mint, Mango Pineapple, and Strawberry Banana. Frappes of Vanilla, Mocha, Caramel, Cookie Crunch and Taro varieties are available for those who would like a richer blended drink.

Al Wadi sources pastries and dessert items from Pita Palace and Al Asalah down the street. Sweet treats for sale include tres leches cakes, cheesecake, Biscotti and muffins, while savory items such as meat pies, bagels and mini-pizzas are also served. Gluten-free options are available.

“They make breads and savory pies every single day fresh, so we don’t have to get a whole bunch and store it,” Musaitif notes about the local bakeries. “We’ve also got two people who don’t have brick and mortars – one from the Arab community and another from the Hispanic community – that we get stuff from.”

Musaitif thinks about whether Al Wadi will become a coffee franchise of its own. “We’re definitely open to it,” he contends. “That’s a big goal, of course, so we want to take steps and solidify everything here.”

He has also thought about installing a drive-thru window for Al Wadi, which would make Al Wadi the first drive-thru Middle Eastern coffee shop in Wisconsin.

Mohamad Musaitif and his sister, Talah Musaitif, Al Wadi’s manager