The Middle East Cafe is a spinoff from the Middle East Market next door. It has a good variety of Persian dishes, and an airy patio out back (next to their parking lot, entrance on 10th St.)
Inside:
The patio:
Complimentary Persian tea:
Menus:
Ash-e-Rehstah (bean, lentil and pasta soup)Koobideh (beef and lamb kebab), with tahdig. The tahdig wasn’t as crispy as previous ones that I’ve had.
A good lunch, for around $15, not counting the takeout phylo pastries from next door.
It all looks simply wonderful. I would eat the heck out of that!!!
Berkeleyside Nosh reports on the Middle East Cafe.
Really psyched that it’s now open! I’ve been in that market a number of times, as it’s not too far from where my chorus rehearses.
An ad hoc dinner last night: dolmas, tomato & cucumber salad, Ash-e-Rehstah (to keep warm), and a piece of buttery baklava. Lots of seats inside when it’s too cold to sit on the patio. They also have a full bar with happy hour specials.
I’ve been enjoying food at the market for many years. And the new expansion continues to serve the same top quality meals. I always get kashke bahdemjan - a superior roasted eggplant with whey and mint. Yum
I finally made it down here for a long lunch and catch-up with a friend. Between us we ordered: Chicken thigh lunch special (me), which was three smallish boneless thighs in a saffron marinade, plus a dollar supplement to sub Shirazi salad for rice; braised lamb shank (friend); side of kashk eh bademjan to share; saffron lemonade for me (a special; there was also a saffron gimlet cocktail special), and doogh for my friend. They also comped us a couple of pieces of baklava.
We enjoyed everything, although after a conversation while we were waiting for our order about how many Indian restaurants are just serving commercially made lassi, they delivered a plastic bottle of doogh…(the market next door carries the same brand in half gallons and gallons, as well). I was also a little disappointed that the crispy in their tahdig is a lavash layer and not the rice itself. At any rate, I’ll gladly return.
