At the heart of downtown Ann Arbor on State Street, newest Yemeni cafe Bun Chai has hit the market.
A recent rise in Yemeni coffee’s popularity can be seen, and I have found myself falling victim to it as well. The wide range of spices and great flavors for coffee have become my newest obsession, turning me from anti-caffeine to a true addict. When I heard about this newest cafe, I knew I had to try it out.
The interior of Bun Chai is great, with an upper and lower floor area. The upper floor has the register and where you can order, with a few tables and great ambiance lighting available. On the bottom floor is a downstairs study space, with even more tables and couches.
While the variety of sitting areas is great and the decoration was beautiful, the one thing this cafe was lacking was charging outlets. There are only two to three tables that have readily available outlets close to them, making it hard to find the perfect table to just sit down and study with a nice cup of coffee.
Nevertheless, the most important part of any cafe is one thing: the food.
I first ordered my usual for every Yemeni cafe, a large pistachio latte with oat milk. The flavor of the espresso had so much depth, and the pistachio cream flavoring added a perfect touch to it. With some milk to help balance out the burst of flavors, this latte is truly one of my favorites forever.
The pistachio milk cake paired perfectly with this latte, with an amazing texture that just melted in your mouth. Even though it is a sweet pastry, it was not overpowering and didn’t leave me wishing to eat something savory to help balance out the influx of sugar. If anything, it was beautifully refreshing and the cream was a perfect touch.
The spinach pie was another great touch, with the soft pastry and delectable spinach filling. For anyone who may be against
vegetables, this is the pastry for you! The spinach was perfectly seasoned and the pastry outside helped balance out the impact of the flavor. While I wish the pastry outside could’ve been more flaky, it was still great.
Overall, Bun Chai has hit the Ann Arbor cafe market, and I am obsessed. While I may not find myself running there as a go-to study spot, I will definitely be bringing friends and family over to try more of their amazing menu.
