Baba's Pantry Is One of America's Best New Restaurants | Bon Appétit

"A light-filled Palestinian American café in Kansas City run by the Kamal family that radiates a deep familial warmth and an unapologetic embrace of Palestinian identity. The hummus is rich and velvet-smooth, crowned with a luscious mound of aromatic shaved beef and lamb, and other staples like falafel and bread are prepared as they would be in Palestine; preserved lemons are even sold by the jar. The menu blends reverence for tradition with playful adaptations—examples include plainly labeled items like “yogurt sauce” instead of tzatziki and a jackfruit shawarma developed to honor local vegan culture—while the team emphasizes sourcing the best ingredients and engaging, welcoming service. The space itself is personal and homey, filled with plants, sun-faded and family photos, and antique radios salvaged from the family home, and the operation was made possible by community support (including a successful GoFundMe) as the father, who immigrated from Palestine in 1979 and had run multiple food ventures, finally opened the first restaurant he could truly call his own." - ByAmiel Stanek