In Arabic, Yafa means beautiful or pretty and is often used as a girl’s name. So it makes sense that the owner of Natick’s newest eatery named his first restaurant Café Yafa. The 25-seat dine-in or take-out spot is clearly Mo Alghool’s baby, its homemade Mediterranean specialties his pride.
Open since early October at 6A Wethersfield Rd. (off Rte. 9 west), in the same strip mall as Kumon and Well Come Asian Market, Mo says things started off a bit slow but that he’s been getting more customers every day. Those looking for healthy and delicious Mediterranean favorites such as falafel wraps; avocado hummus platters; chicken, beef, or lamb shawarma; baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves; tabbouleh, fattoush, and chickpea salad will appreciate this addition to the area’s restaurant scene. Mo’s cheesy fries have also been popular menu items. He believes in serving healthy foods, but fries just hit the spot sometimes, right?
We tried out the baba ganoush and found that the eggplant dip was made smoky with the perfect amount of paprika, and flavorful with the addition of tahini and a squeeze of lemon. Scooped up and eaten with whole-wheat pita, it made the perfect lunch accompaniment. The leftovers were even better the next day after the flavors got serious and married overnight in the fridge when no one was looking.
The chicken kebab sandwich, wrapped in pita with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, garlic sauce, and hummus was delicious and filling.
You can also stop in for breakfast to grab a cup of coffee and try out Café Yafa’s homemade muffins — pistachio; double chocolate; red velvet chocolate; blueberry, and more. Or try a savory manakish, and make Mediterranean eating a part of the most important meal of the day.
BUSINESS: Café Yafa
LOCATION: 6A Wethersfield Rd., Natick
HOURS:
Mon. – Sat.: 7am – 9pm
Sun.: 8am – 8pm
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