"Chef Suher Masri and husband Nidal Hajomar escaped civil war torn Syria in 2012 and began opening restaurants in Anaheim. They started with art-lined Aleppo’s Kitchen in the back of a strip mall, which features a spacious patio and a sizable Syrian castle mural. They specialize in kibbeh, a beef and cracked wheat preparation that’s big in Syria. Aleppo’s Kitchen bakes, grills, and fries five different preparations. They also serve silky raw kibbeh, an olive oil-topped tartare that’s great on its own or loaded into pita. Kibbeh mishwiyeh is another must-try version featuring char-grilled “dumplings” stuffed with ground meat, onions, and nuts, served with a cooling yogurt cucumber sauce. Aleppo’s Kitchen also grills kebabs, makes surprisingly light, donut shaped, sesame studded falafel and serves a terrific borek, fried phyllo dough rolls filled with a mint-flecked molten cheese blend. For dessert, nammoura is a substantial semolina cake soaked in honey and sprinkled with crushed pistachios. The same owners recently launched shawarma focused Layali El Sham café next door and also run Mangal at the nearby Anaheim Packing House." - Joshua Lurie
