Popular Cafe Near Minnehaha Falls Closes

Arya Cafe closed on Aug. 31, just over a year after opening near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, according to local reports. The cafe operated at 4605 Minnehaha Ave. S., on the ground floor of the Wakpada Apartments, and announced the closure on social media a day earlier. Owners Obsa Mohamed and Munir Ahmed did not announce a reopening date. In the message quoted by Bring Me The News, the cafe thanked “every resident, neighbor, and friend” who had supported the business. ### Which cafe closed, and when did it shut its doors? Arya Cafe was open for a little more than a year before its final day of service on Aug. 31, Bring Me The News reported. The outlet said the closure came one day after the business posted the announcement on social media. The Minneapolis cafe had opened in August 2025 in the former Café Céres space at 4605 Minnehaha Ave. (bringmethenews.com) S. A Bring Me The News report from Aug. 5, 2025, said Arya planned its official opening for Aug. 9 after a soft launch that began July 26. ### Who owned Arya Cafe and what was the business trying to build there? (bringmethenews.com) Obsa Mohamed and Munir Ahmed owned Arya Cafe, according to Bring Me The News. KARE 11 identified Mohamed as co-founder and CEO and said the pair opened the shop at the corner of 46th Street and Minnehaha Avenue, less than half a mile from Minnehaha Falls. (bringmethenews.com) In October 2025, Mohamed told KARE 11 the business aimed to be “more than a coffee shop,” describing it as a gathering place shaped by different cultures and backgrounds. KARE 11 reported that the cafe sourced coffee beans from Ethiopian farms through a partnership with UP Coffee Roasters in northeast Minneapolis and served pastries from Rustica Bakery. (bringmethenews.com) Asia Mohamed, identified by KARE 11 as Arya’s business strategy partner, said at the time that the team saw demand for more community-centered “third spaces” after the pandemic. The station also reported that the cafe hosted entrepreneurs, artists and community events, and that the team had been preparing a second Minneapolis location near Nicollet Avenue and 5th Street, though no opening date had been set. (kare11.com) ### What did the closure announcement say? The closure post, as quoted by Bring Me The News, thanked the cafe’s team and customers and said the support had helped make the space “a warm and welcoming part of the community.” The report said the cafe did not share details about the reasons for its closure. (kare11.com) No public statement located in the reporting reviewed for this story gave a reopening timeline. A Linktree page for the business had previously listed regular daily hours and the Minnehaha Avenue address, but that page does not provide closure details. ### What had been in that storefront before Arya? Café Céres had occupied the same storefront before Arya Cafe moved in. (bringmethenews.com) Bring Me The News reported that Arya took over the former Café Céres space after DDP Restaurant Group closed all four Café Céres locations in April 2025. (linktr.ee) The previous closure had drawn attention because Café Céres workers had voted to unionize with Unite Here 17 months earlier, according to Bring Me The News. Arya’s arrival in August 2025 had been presented as a new use for a high-visibility corner near Minnehaha Falls and along a commuter corridor in south Minneapolis. (bringmethenews.com) ### What happens next for the business? As of Sept. 1, 2026, local reports said only that Arya Cafe had closed and had not announced plans to reopen. KARE 11’s October 2025 report said the team had been preparing a second downtown Minneapolis location, but the closure coverage reviewed here did not say whether that plan was still active. (bringmethenews.com) The next public update is likely to appear on Arya Cafe’s social channels, where the business posted the closure notice. No landlord, city filing or owner statement reviewed in the reporting cited a future opening date, sale process or replacement tenant for 4605 Minnehaha Ave. S. (bringmethenews.com)