Sana'a Cafe — Restaurant in San Rafael

I had such high expectations. It turned out to be an experience that needed a (mental) palate cleanser. The place is pretty. It's open, a soft open but they seem so have a full pastry display and enough coffee and tea choices up for now. The place smelled weird, like maybe a construction smell, glue???? It did NOT smell like coffee, spice, or food at all, which is sad. I really wanted to be lured by decent middle eastern coffee and spiced brews. At the counter I tried to order two walnut baklava and two pistachio, communication was not great.... I got offered the guys favorite baklava, so I said yes, and gave up on negotiating for walnut. I also love zataar bread so I asked for two, warmed, to go. And he balked. No, warmed zataar bread should be eaten there?! Why --- it's a small flat bread with dry herbs on top, and would have been easy to wear on the way home? I gave up, did not want to order coffee at this point, just wanted to leave. My partner was getting eyeballed by the guy and he wanted to bail, he went outside. We had been looking forward to this in hopes of finally getting a decent spiced coffee, not spiced by a syrup.... Instead, we got a never-again. I hope they figure out better staff and communication, not vacant guys, who I am guessing, have never enjoyed good service or enjoyed going to coffee shops. Oh, the baklava was really gooey on the bottom and just ok. Prepackaged. The zataar bread, holy heck.... Acrid and soooooo bitter, my partner said old spices. About 20 bucks for two baklavas, and one 6" zataar bread, I asked for 2 zataar breads, got one. I sooo didn't not want to go back and even deal with him over miscommunication and or overcharge. So---- Very let down. Will make my own baklava, zataar bread, and...

Oh boy! I just discovered this sweet find so nearby in my town filled with already so many cafes. What drew me to coming here tonight was a school project that I needed the right environment to be in and an after 7pm availability. But what I found over exceeded my expectations! First and foremost: I beg you to try their authentic chai and never return to whatever version you happen to be fond of at the moment. None, I mean NONE will hold a candle. The complex beverage of chai from an ancient culture from the east fails here in any Americanized mass produced version you've ever had. So, just based on your love of chai, please try theirs. Second, the array of Turkish sweets and handmade middle eastern savory hand pies is quite impressive--and is such a nice change from the typical slew of American pastries. Third, the modern, sleek design, nice accents, comfortable seating, with 30 foot ceilings, lots of natural light, and very good artificial lighting have you able to remain alert for tackling any work project and keep tired eyes at bay. Fourth, the middle eastern music playing is actually helpful in focusing--its very rhythmic versus your typical cafe tunes which varies in tone and variation and tends to grab your unwarranted attention. Lastly, but certainly not least, the customer service was outstanding. After beginning to enjoy the delicious chai, and chatting with the mgr/CO owner, I was offered a Turkish coffee on the house from after mentioning I might be here late. And it was just as perfect as the last Turkish coffee I had so many years ago in the home of a middle eastern friend of mine....the only thing missing was someone to tell me my...

This is my favorite place for coffee and tea in Marin. I have been searching for years and Sana'a checks all the boxes:

Food: 5/5 Delicious coffee drinks, tea, and pastries. They have traditional Yemeni coffee drinks with cardamom and cinnamon. If lattes are more your thing, the pistachio latte is one of my favorites! And for a truly special treat, my partner and I ordered their Turkish coffee for two and some sweet treats. They brought out the most gorgeous tray to share with a slice of scrumptious pistachio milk cake, baklava, and Turkish delight.

Service: 5/5 I love the people working here. They are always so friendly and happy to answer any questions (since a lot of things in the case are new to me). Shout-out to Nour, she is so sweet and has brightened a lot of my mornings.

Atmosphere: 5/5 The work the cafe did renovating this space before opening turned out great. It is bright, open, and airy with plenty of seating options. There are nice upholstered booths if you want to cozy up with a book or get some work done. Otherwise there are tables that can seat up to 4, which are actually big enough to fit everyone's orders. It is also worth mentioning, they are open til 10PM. In Marin, it is impossible to find any late night hangouts that aren't centered around alcohol.

So if you've passed by Sana'a on 4th St and been curious, this is your sign to stop in. Even if you're not in San Rafael, it's worth making the trip to...