Yemeni Coffee Shop Mocha Point Opens Its Doors in Overland Park

Omar Abdelmoity remembers finishing finals at 8 p.m. and heading straight to Mocha Point. "It was, without a doubt, 'OK, we're going to Mocha Point,'" he said. "It was a lot more than the product. Us going there was about having a hangout spot." After graduating this past December, he brought that experience back to the city where he grew up, opening Mocha Point at 8641 W. 135th St. in Overland Park this February.

The space had previous lives as a jeweler and then a dentistry office. Abdelmoity wiped the slate clean to build his vision of a community hub, resulting in a rust and sand-colored interior that drew dozens of customers to its soft opening. Co-founder Addel handled the rush behind the counter, bouncing between handing out drinks and whisking matcha while the crowd kept coming. "I know people are very, very excited about it, and we see the feedback online," Addel said. "We get texts, calls, DMs all the time: 'When are you gonna open up?'"

The menu is built around beans sourced directly from Yemen, a country historians consider the birthplace of coffee as a beverage. Mocha Point's Yemeni beans are often dried by farmers on rooftops, a traditional method Abdelmoity says produces fruitier, nuttier flavor profiles. From there, the drinks lean into cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pistachio. "There's a lot more to coffee than what we have been exposed to up until now in Kansas City," Abdelmoity said. "These are flavors that are not typically seen in this area paired with coffee. That was intentional, wanting to bring out the earthy notes of the beans and pairing them with these spices that give a very unique and flavorful taste."

The Yemeni latte, built from cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, and honey, is already the shop's best-seller. The pistachio latte and banana cream latte round out the standouts, joined by spring menu offerings including a tiramisu latte and yuzu ginger refresher. For dessert, the case holds Biscoff cheesecake, strawberry tres leches cake, baklava cheesecake, and kunafa cheesecake. At the soft opening, customers also ordered Adeni chai alongside cakes and bread.

Customer Lena, whose family is from Egypt, sat inside during the soft opening with an iced Spanish latte and offered a pointed verdict: "We've had it in Dallas, but honestly, this is the best Yemeni coffee shop I've tried. I'm a big coffee connoisseur. This is the best coffee shop in the KC metro area, honestly." Her cup was mostly drained by the time she said it.

Abdelmoity's stated hours plan puts the shop open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and as late as 1 a.m. on special occasions. The goal, he said, is straightforward: "Having a place that's going to be open late at night, that people can come and just enjoy the company of friends and family, and have a place to relax. A safe, family friendly place for individuals of all ages to kind of meet up and just have a good time, get a snack, get a nice little treat." The shop, near the intersection of 135th Street and Antioch Road by Overland Park's B&B Theatres, first launched the Mocha Point concept near St. Louis in 2024 under the branding Mocha Point Coffee, a Yemeni coffee company established in 2023.

Mocha Point is the first of three Yemeni coffee shops set to open in Johnson County. Turath Coffee is coming to 9916 College Blvd. in Overland Park, and R. Qahwah Coffee will take over the former Mud Pie Bakery location at 95th Street and Metcalf Avenue, with that opening expected sometime this spring. Abdelmoity also noted that Mocha Point plans to stay open through Ramadan, a distinction from many coffee shops that reduce or pause service during the observance. By summer, Overland Park may well be the region's most concentrated address for Yemeni coffee.