Wayne State friends open Rahha, a Yemeni coffee and brunch spot, inside the Hannan Center

Rahha Yemeni Coffee and Brunch opened inside the Hannan Center at 4750 Woodward Avenue in Midtown, a halal cafe built by a group of childhood friends, several of them Wayne State University alumni who grew up in the surrounding neighborhood.

The name carries the idea behind the place. Co-owner Fadel Almarsoumi has said Rahha translates from Arabic to a sense of happiness, joy, and relaxation. Brothers Fadel and Rafid Almarsoumi opened the spot with a handful of childhood friends, including Omar Balawi and Ramzy Aiyash. The founders are first-generation immigrants with roots across Yemen, Iraq, Palestine, and Pakistan, and they describe the menu as a blend of the kitchens they grew up in set against Detroit's brunch culture.

The cafe sits a block off the Wayne State quad, inside the Hannan Center, a longtime nonprofit that runs senior programming and an art gallery. The owners say they built the menu and the prices for the people already moving through that corner of Midtown: students, hospital workers, VA staff, faculty, and the older adults who pass through the building. The dining room seats about 70.

The pricing is the point. "We're not trying to cater to a very extravagant model where prices are very expensive," Aiyash told WXYZ. The owners say students and first responders get a discount, and that the goal is a quick, affordable bite for the neighborhood rather than a destination splurge.

Yemeni coffee and Adeni chai anchor the drink program, both known for bold, spiced flavor. The savory side runs to shakshuka, beef kafta, and other Middle Eastern brunch staples, alongside pancakes and waffles. Everything on the menu is halal.

The owners framed the project as a way to reinvest near the campus that shaped them. "Wouldn't it be great if one day we can come back and reinvest in the heart of Wayne State campus," Fadel Almarsoumi told WXYZ.

4750 Woodward Avenue, Midtown.