New Tempe cafe gears up for 24/7 service during Ramadan

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, is a time that Noor Abdallah always looks forward to. Though her non-Muslim friends sometimes get hung up on what she and her family give up, namely eating or drinking during the day, she sees it differently. 

“Ramadan is the most exciting time of the year,” Abdallah says while sitting on the patio of Laymoon Cafe in Tempe. “It’s not only a time to reset spiritually, it’s also a time where you see your family more often… you give back to the community more, you see people you haven’t seen for a full year. It’s a peaceful month.”

Abdallah opened the cafe with her brother, Akram, in January. Just a month after opening near Arizona State University’s campus, on the same block of Forest Avenue as the Islamic Community Center, Laymoon is expanding its hours for the month of Ramadan, beginning on Wednesday. 

“We’re going to be open 24/7,” Abdallah says. “We’ve been prepping for that.”

Laymoon has hired more than 15 staff members to keep the coffee shop running around the clock for the next four weeks.

Ramadan begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Because it is timed with lunar movements, the beginning date may vary by location. Some Valley mosques will begin observing Ramadan on Tuesday evening, while others will begin on proceeding days. Abdallah has aligned the cafe’s Ramadan hours with its neighboring mosque (which is also the cafe’s landlord).

During this holy month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Restaurants and cafes around the Valley often adjust their hours and offer communal buffet meals for iftar, the meal served after sundown, or suhoor, the meal served before dawn. 

Abdallah recalls hurrying to Dutch Bros Coffee or Taco Bell to get a jolt of caffeine or a bite between prayer or other mosque services that go on throughout the night. 

“It was almost like you’re rushing to go get that next thing and then also make it back to the mosque in time,” she says. “I feel like we’re more of a pit stop on the way. We’re somewhere that is easily accessible and doesn’t take away from the religious activities.”

Abdallah, who has family in Syria, hopes the all-night hours will help make some patrons feel like they’re back in the Middle East, where business hours flip during the month of Ramadan.

“Everyone’s awake at night,” she says. “You go anywhere and it’s open.”

The newly minted cafe owner admits it’s a lot to take on.

“We were like, OK, what can we do to better support the Muslim community during Ramadan?” Abdallah says. She considered taking a few hours off each night but ultimately changed her mind. “It’s a little crazy for sure, but let’s just commit to it and see how it goes.”

Laymoon Cafe to debut seasonal Ramadan menu

Quick service is Abdallah’s top priority during this month of extended hours. She wants to ensure everyone has the opportunity to eat or drink before sunrise.

“It’s very, very time sensitive and we want to make sure everyone’s taken care of,” she says.

Abdallah and her brother founded Laymoon Cafe in the former Phoenicia Cafe, which closed in December 2024 after nearly two decades in business. The building and the block have strong memories for Abdallah and her brother, who grew up going to the neighboring Tempe mosque. Their family would stop into the cafe for a sweet treat after Friday night prayer. It’s a ritual Abdallah shared with friends she made at ASU her first year.

“That was their first time trying a Middle Eastern dessert,” she recalls. “It was cool to show them a little culture and have them actually taste it, too.” 

When she and her brother learned the building was available, Abdallah decided to take a business she’d toyed with starting as a mobile cart at farmers markets, and go bigger. 

“This could be an opportunity to open up a coffee shop versus let some big corporation take it over,” she says. 

Abdallah, 24, worked as a barista while studying to become a physical therapist. Her brother, meanwhile, owns a jewelry company and, along with her other two brothers, who are lawyers, lent support on the operations side. 

The cafe has quickly found a following, attracting members of the Muslim community, ASU students and other area residents. On a recent afternoon, the cafe was bustling, with tables full of people chatting or working on laptops in booths tucked into coved nooks. There’s a warmth to the space, imparted by richly patterned rugs creating a canopy across the ceiling, textured pendant lamps and ornate mirrors.

“We’ve noticed people stay here for a while, and that’s exactly what we intended,” Abdallah says. “I spent all my study time at coffee shops, and it’s really hard to find somewhere that’s open late, that has outlets and that isn’t extremely cold or uninviting.”

The cafe features a selection of coffee and tea drinks, including signature sips with flavors that lean into the owners’ heritage, such as baklava, rose and fig.

Laymoon’s baristas will craft several seasonal drinks in honor of Ramadan. Among those are a simsim (or sesame)-spiced latte and a salted caramel date latte. Dates are traditionally the first thing eaten by Muslims breaking their fasts, inspired by how the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have broken his fast.

Laymoon will also feature a banana-date matcha and a cookie butter matcha. The latter flavor profile isn’t as traditional, but Abdallah says Biscoff cookie-inspired treats have become popular on Ramadan tables over the last few years. 

“I always associate cookie butter with Ramadan,” she says. 

The cafe will offer a caffeine-free mango-ginger cooler made with mango puree and Fever Tree ginger beer. For those who want an energetic sip, but aren’t partial to coffee or tea, the cafe is also pouring Red Bull-spiked pomegranate-lime or strawberry-mango energy drinks.

In addition to its current and special menu of coffees, teas and refreshers, Laymoon’s taut food menu will be available. That includes avocado toast and an array of baked goods. Among those are zaatar bagels from Bagelero, which are served with labneh and garnished with zaatar, olive oil and salt. The cafe also stocks croissants and cookies from JL Patisserie, baklava from Tempe’s Pita Valley and cheese-filled Yemeni honeycomb pastries.

The cafe will add seasonal food options, too, including knafeh made by Abdallah’s mother and sambusas, sweet half-moon-shaped samosas.

“We just want to be fueling people to stay up all night,” Abdallah says.

Mirroring how Abdallah and her family celebrate Ramadan, the cafe owners will decorate Laymoon inside and out with lanterns and crescent moons. In addition to its round-the-clock schedule, Abdallah says the cafe will host community events. That includes a Food for Palestine event on March 7, where a portion of the proceeds benefits aid groups working in Gaza. 

Laymoon Cafe

616 S. Forest Ave., Tempe