Located in downtown Tempe, a piece of the Middle East has been tucked in the four walls of Laymoon Cafe since its opening on Jan. 17.
As Ramadan comes closer, those doors are expected to stay open day and night to better serve the Muslim community observing the holy month.
Akram Abdallah, who co-founded the cafe alongside his sister Noor, said he wants Laymoon Cafe to be a middle point for different communities to come together. With the different cultures that use the neighboring Tempe mosque and the surrounding ASU community, he hopes the cafe is a place for people to have conversations and to learn about one another.
"It's a part of our mission, to see how we can create a medium, like a location, that is a funnel between different communities," Abdallah said.
During the month of Ramadan, Abdallah said they will be open 24/7 and are hiring seasonal workers to work both day and night shifts.
Ramadan is an Islamic holy month where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and participate in a prayer called Taraweeh throughout the night.
With the mosque next door, he said he hopes the cafe can serve as a space for members to congregate at all hours of the night.
"We want to create a different experience for the Muslim community during this month where there's just more excitement, more joy, more energy, more place to come together," Abdallah said. "With a place like this existing, it really makes that opportunity much bigger for you to develop new relationships and also nurture existing relationships."
When finding a name for the cafe, he said, they wanted it to tell a story and evoke emotion. They settled on the name Laymoon because of one thing every culture has on their table — lemons.
He said lemons are found in every household and across all different countries. In Arabic, "lemon" translates to "laymoon".
"We were very clear on the fact that it's a place that we want to bring a lot of people together," Abdallah said. "Lemon is basically a symbol of community and of commonality and uniformity."
Before Laymoon started welcoming customers, Jude Alshalabi, a sophomore studying biological sciences, said the building was previously home to a restaurant.
Alshalabi said the location was very special to the Muslim and Arab community because it was a place for families to come in between praying at the mosque.
Laymoon Cafe filling in the location holds significance because it is continuing to provide that space for families, she said.
"Everybody's been so excited for them to open, and everyone's been supporting because this is for a great cause," Alshalabi said. "They really turned a new leaf for this place to continue the generations of beautiful memories."
READ MORE: On Tempe's A Mountain, The Ramadan crescent moon shines for all
Iryna Falendysh, a junior studying international relations and French, said she heard about the cafe through social media. She has enjoyed going with friends because of its welcoming and comforting vibe.
Although she does not typically observe Ramadan, she said she wants to support her friends who do observe by participating in fasting.
She said its close proximity to ASU benefits students because they are able to experience cultures while being close to campus.
"Diversity is a really important value and having representation of a lot of different cultures is just really an important concern for everyone," Falendysh said. "This cafe opening is just such a cool opportunity. It's a space for people to hold events, to share their culture, to have a community where people can come together and even share delicious food and drinks."
READ MORE: Muslim students still feel the spirit of Ramadan at ASU
Abdallah said it is important for Muslims and non-Muslims to spend time together to give people a better understanding of the Islamic culture they might have never gotten to experience otherwise.
For people who may not be able to visit the Middle East, Abdallah said they wanted to bring it right to Tempe. He said the menu will continue to evolve and provide a connection to this part of the world.
In the next few years, he said they are hoping to host events to give people a deeper understanding of Middle Eastern culture that goes beyond the food.
"We're so proud of our culture, we're so proud of our religion and we want to share it with other people that may otherwise never experience it in their entire lives," Abdallah said. "It's our opportunity to shed a different light on who it is that we really are."
Edited by Natalia Rodriguez, Senna James, Emilio Alvarado and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at alillest@asu.edu and follow @allylillestol on X.
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Allison Lillestol is a reporter for the community and culture desk. She is in her 3rd semester with the State Press. She also works for the Arizona PBS.
