ZATTARA GETS CREATIVE WITH LEBANESE CLASSICS

This Cute Café is Not the Place to Count Calories…

The corner of  4th (Muroor) and 31st (Dhafeer) street (in the Holiday Inn block) boasts a growing cluster of cute cafes, and it’s where fusion Lebanese spot, Zattara have wisely chosen to open their second branch.

Eats here are regional nostalgia taken into the hands of new-wave cooks, so naturally it’s a hit with a younger, fairly often Arab, crowd; but to begin with, it was the bright, funky furniture – including chairs made out of barrels – and a smattering of tastefully perched potted plants that drew us to this spot among many nearby.

We dropped in one evening and went straight for the bestselling Waraq Enab. Served in an Instagram-ready glass jar, it’s essentially deconstructed stuffed vine leaves smothered in yummy yoghurt. It’s warm, filling and vegetarian, just like their cracking falafel, which comes in a few varieties. We were recommended the Stuffed Falafel – perfectly textured with a crunchy outer and moist inner, deliciously spiced with sumac and pine nuts. It made us promise to come back for the Falafel Salad.

Don’t worry, meat lovers are well taken care of with indulgent upgrades on, for example, shawarma (Mac n Cheese Shawarma anyone?), and some crazy hybrid burgers where even the buns are coated in cheese and other toppings, or stuffed with fries.

If you’ve ever had trouble deciding between a pizza or burger for dinner, just go here and ask for the Pepperoni Burger. A cheat meal like no other, thankfully it doesn’t come in too intimidating a size.

One classic they haven’t messed with is good old, extra-cheesy kunafa, served hot and ready from a vintage cart in huge helpings for dessert. On the healthier side, you can seek out the dedicated juice bar inside.

Whether you’re a neighbour or not, this is a great spot to drop in in this good weather either for cheap and cheerful weekend egg breakfasts or breezy post-work dinners – just avoid counting the calories.

ZATTARA (Muroor Branch) | Muroor Road, Danat Abu Dhabi | +971 2 222 1214
www.zattara.ae

---