Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

Natick’s top restaurants

by 1 Comment

Happy weekend, Natick.

Natick boasts many choices of restaurants where you can find a variety of eateries, from fancy to homey to chains. From Natick Center to the route 9 area there are dozens of take-out options, dine-in spots, places with outdoor seating and heat lamps, and more. Most recently we’ve checked out recent arrivals Café Yafa located off Route 9 (westbound) at 6A Wethersfield Road, and Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea in Natick Center.

Café Yafa, Natick
Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea, Natick

Natick’s top restaurants

Here’s our list of Natick’s top restaurants, along with our musings of the food scene here in town.

Natick restaurant visit: Café Yafa

by Leave a Comment

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.

Café Yafa, Natick

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.

yafa food

BUSINESS: Café Yafa
LOCATION: 6A Wethersfield Rd., Natick

HOURS:
Mon. – Sat.: 7am – 9pm
Sun.: 8am – 8pm

Subscribe to our free Natick Report daily email

Natick Business Buzz: ALDI opening; CPK survives; Fran’s Flowers moves

by Leave a Comment

Our roundup of the latest Natick, Mass., business news:

ALDI opening

Thursday is the grand opening for Natick’s new ALDI supermarket at Cloverleaf Mall, in between Harbor Freight Tools and Burlington Coat Factory.

ALDI will be open 9am-8pm seven days a week.

Aldi, which has more than 2,000 stores across the country, primarily sells (90%) products under its own label, and boasts big savings.

ALDI opening

CPK Chapter 11 plan approved

California Pizza Kitchen, which has a location at the Natick Mall, has had its Chapter 11 reorganization approved in the courts, and now it plans to carry on with a lower debt load.

So for now, the Natick restaurant continues to operate.

Downtown ballroom do over

MetroWest Daily News reports (subscription required) that an old and long unused 5,000 sq. ft. ballroom in the Clark Building in Natick Center could be transformed soon into office space.

clark's block natick

 

Fran’s Flowers has moved

Fran’s Flowers is moving once again for what the 40-year old garden business hopes will be for good. Let’s hope third time’s the charm for the much-loved plants place, which has been semi-nomadic ever since it lost its long-time spot a few years ago in the former Building 19 parking lot parking lot at the Route 9/27 plaza in Natick.
Fran's Flowers
For a while Fran’s operated out of the “snow farm” parking lot near Shoppers World. Then it was over to the Kohl’s lot in Framingham. Now they’ve transplanted themselves 900 feet down the road, between Shoppers World and Walmart. Some readers may remember the location as being the former home of Walpole Woodworkers.

Got business news to share? Email us the details: natickreport@gmail.com

Subscribe to our Natick Report daily email

Advertisements

 

Natick restaurant visit: Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea

by Leave a Comment

We stopped in to check out Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea to see how the father-and-son team of Gregory Pope and Gregory Pope, Jr. were coming along in the Natick Center spot they opened earlier this fall. Because the Popes got going during a time of pandemic, safety has been the watchword from the get-go. The 2,000 square-foot space has multiple sanitizer stations; 6-foot distance markers; and plexiglass partitions along the bar. In addition, they’ve eliminated the condiments table to minimize frequently contacted surfaces, so all self service items such as cream are prepped by their baristas.

Sweetwater Coffee & Tea, Natick

“Everyone has been really welcoming,” Pope Jr. said. “We’re glad we went ahead with the opening because we’d started all the planning long before coronavirus came along. We’ve got the safety rules in place, and we’re here and welcoming customers.”

Although Sweetwaters was ok’d for 57 seats, they’re down to 20 so as to keep social distancing standards. Customers may take a seat and relax, as many did the day we stopped in.

Sweetwater Coffee & Tea, Natick

The community-minded business started out with a bang by donating $430 to the Natick Center Cultural District, which Sweetwaters raised by earmarking a portion of their grand opening proceeds to the arts group.

As for the coffee and tea, look for menu items like French Vietnamese Au Lait (dark roasted French chicory coffee and sweetened condensed milk); Crème Caramel (caramel coated vanilla latte topped with whipped cream); a collection of classic daily brews; and premium teas from Earl Grey to Dragon Pearl Jasmine. They also have pastries, bagels, filled croissants, and more.

Sweetwater Coffee & Tea, Natick

For the furry crowd, Sweetwaters offers pup cups of house-made whipped cream over a cup of ice. Dogs are allowed to come in to the shop and wait in line with their human friends. They’re just not allowed to stay if you plan on sipping and/or dining in.

BUSINESS: Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea
LOCATION: 19 S. Main St., Natick

HOURS:
Mon. – Fri.: 7am – 6pm
Sat. – Sun.: 8am – 5pm

Subscribe to our free Natick Report daily email