Levant book Cafe
Cafe · North Acton
26-28 Standard Rd, London NW10 6EU, United Kingdom
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23646573/parkRoyal093.jpg "Levant book Cafe by eater.com")
Highlights
Syrian cafe with booza ice cream, chess & Arabic books
Syrian cafe with booza ice cream, chess & Arabic books
"Levant Book Cafe is open from 12pm to 12am every day, but it comes to life in the evening. This Syrian spot in Park Royal has trays of baklava and bright orange kunafa whatever the hour, books lining the walls, and what seems like a never-ending supply of strong, steaming Arabic coffee. Wooden chessboards are on every other table inside, and outside on the covered, heated terrace, groups of friends fight for bites of the stringy, cheesy kunefa, and a live band might be playing depending on the weekend." - rianne shlebak
"Levant Book Cafe is open from 12pm to 12am everyday, but it really comes to life in the evening. This Syrian spot in Park Royal has trays of baklava and bright orange kunafa whatever the hour, books lining the walls, and what seems like a never-ending supply of strong, steaming Arabic coffee. Wooden chessboards are on every other table inside, and outside on the covered, heated terrace, groups of friends fight for bites of the stringy, cheesy kunafa, and a live band might be playing depending on the weekend. Come for a cup of coffee, to peruse the Arabic books, or just to hang out by one of the fountains when all the other coffee shops are closed and you don’t want the night to end. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Pause Unmute" - Rianne Shlebak
"Honoring the chickpea and fava bean breakfast traditions of Damascus at weekends, the msabbaha bil sujik is the standout dish here. Translated as “swimming,” somewhat confusingly, in most of the Levant, msabbaha refers to unblended warm hummus, but here it refers to the spicy minced lamb sujik mix that swims on a silky hummus base. Even with a lighter base, there is no denying it is a hearty, sapid dish. It’s only served at weekends, alongside tiseeya bil samneh, a riot of chickpeas and pita chips in a yogurt tahini sauce topped with spices and hot ghee, and ful bil zeit: fava beans in olive oil. The sweets programme, however, runs all week, and it isn’t to be missed. Try the halawat el-jibn, a semolina and cheese skin filled with orange blossom-flavoured clotted cream, ashta; knaffeh nablusyiah (made with semolina, the original version of the dish hails from the Palestinian city of Nablus), and the slightly chewy-textured pistachio ice-cream. One can also go home with some homemade fruit preserves and fermented chilli shatta imported from Damascus." - Joel Hart
"In the courtyard of Levant Book Café, water trickles in a stone fountain. The tables are occupied by customers drinking strong Arab coffee and playing chess on heavy wooden boards with ornately carved pieces. A waiter brings out the cafe’s specialty dessert — booza — a traditional Syrian ice cream made with mastic (a plant resin), that is pounded and stretched rather than churned. Its texture is almost elastic; its taste refreshing, subtly flavoured with rose water, topped with pistachios. Inside the café, shelves are filled with Arabic books, while Arabic phrases are painted across the walls and ceilings. “I live in London and Damascus lives in me,” one states, as if to make explicit that this Syrian café is as much for displaced Syrians to briefly forget their losses as it is for customers to be momentarily transported to Damascus." - Zahra Al Asaadi
Gargi Talukder
The Curl “A K-A” Abroad
Deya
Katia “Katie” Edward
Anzor k
Hana Chaouki
Margarita
Amino1234 Alshek
