DEARBORN — A new local dessert and coffee shop has opened in West Dearborn. PappaRoti, which means “father of all buns”, is an international establishment with more than 500 locations around the world.

Belal Harajli and Ali Beydoun, owners of the West Dearborn franchise location, have ventured into offering the community a different type of cuisine. The products served are Malaysian-based, with the original “roti” bun made by a Malaysian woman in her kitchen in 2002. The first PappaRoti store dates back to 2003 when its first location opened in Malaysia, according to the PappaRoti website.

The newly opened Dearborn location is the fourth spot in Michigan following Farmington Hills, Rochester and East Lansing. There are other locations in the United States outside of Michigan, including Omaha, Nebraska; Naperville, Illinois and Las Vegas, Nevada.

PappaRoti offers a variety of menu items and several different ways to order a bun. Some of the bun options include the ferrero rocher bun, the oreo bun, the mona lisa bun and the nuts for nutella bun. It also serves smoothies, coffee, lattes, milkshakes and its famous karak tea.

Harajli said Karak tea is popular amongst the Indian community and in various countries such as Jordan and Egypt. He said he and Beydoun wanted to introduce products to the Dearborn community unlike anything that presently exists within the city.

“We want to continue to grow and bring this brand into the community and different communities, and we figured to start in our own community and bring something different and then we”ll continue to expand from there,” he said. “It’s also an opportunity for people to become more culturally inclined and learn about the different brands.”

Pictured above are some of the specialty buns and drinks served at PappaRoti as well as the seating area open to customers. Photo Courtesy of Belal Harajli

There is WiFi and space to work, study, hangout, enjoy company. There are also board and card games available to customers. Harajli said their goal is to tackle the incessant phone distractions by offering those games and allowing customers to take some time away from their phones.

“This is an option for people to come in and actually enjoy the presence of others and kind of have that distraction,” he said.

The motto of PappaRoti is “one bite, different expressions.” According to Harajli, this is because the unique experience it offers with every menu item. He also said the array of items served helps satisfy all taste preferences.

“We look forward to being given the opportunity to serve the community and allow people to try what we have to offer,” he said.