by Shandea Williams
Daily Lobo
You might not be able to say it, but your taste buds won't care.
It is hard to pronounce its dishes, but the Petra CafÇ and Restaurant offers delicious Greek, Arabic and Middle Eastern food at cheap prices.
The outside patio seating is perfect for smoking shisha - Petra rents hookahs for $10 a session - and people-watching. Too chilly? There is also an indoor seating area if you are looking to warm up.
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The restaurant, owned by Mahmoud and Manal Manasra, has been pleasing college students and passersby with its delicious, authentic food since 1993.
As soon as I arrived, I was amazed at how busy the little restaurant was. There were people sitting outside smoking a hookah they had rented and people inside working on homework and reading. If you are a shopaholic, it also sells hookahs in addition to other trinkets from the Middle East.
My friends and I chose a table inside. The menu offered small dishes for a quick bite to eat, as well as full dinners. It didn't take long for me to decide what I wanted to try.
To start our meal, we ordered a cup of the mint tea I had heard so much about. It didn't take long to realize why it was so well-known. Delightfully sweet and extremely minty, the tea was so flavorful and enjoyable that I drank four cups while I was there. When you get to the bottom of the cup, you can see pieces of tea leaves coating the bottom - proof that it is loose-leaf tea, which is far superior to bags of tea.
We also ordered an appetizer of lebana - fresh yogurt cheese served with warm homemade pita bread - for $4.50. I was surprised by its strong flavor and smooth taste. It is a definite buy for anyone who loves cheese.
When it was time to order a main dish, I decided on a few that seemed particularly appealing. I ordered a gyro - beef, lamb, lettuce, tomatoes, onion and yogurt sauce - for $5.50 with a Greek side salad. We also ordered a kibbah and waraq dawali dinner plate. No, I can't pronounce it.
The plate included seasoned ground beef on crust of bulgar wheat served with stuffed grape leaves and a Greek salad. For $8.50, it was plenty of food and had a quality taste. I had never tasted grape leaves that were served warm, but maybe they were warm because they were freshly made. They tasted delicious either way. For vegetarians - or anyone who enjoys fresh veggie fare - you must try the falafel plate. You get six pieces of falafel with a salad and pita bread for just $7.50.
Overall, this restaurant gets an A+ for excellent food and a great comfortable atmosphere. Petra CafÇ and Restaurant is the perfect place to have a full lunch or just a cup of tea. The restaurant is run by just the Manasras, so service is a little slow, but it is definitely worth the wait.
Recommendations:
Mint tea
Falafel plate
Gyro
Lebana
Kibbah and waraq dawali
Anything with pita bread
Petra CafÇ and
Restaurant
115 Harvard Drive S.E.
Open daily
11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Vanessa Sanchez / Daily Lobo
UNM student Darrell Bonn enjoys a pita while studying Monday at Petra CafÇ and Restaurant.
