Zooba: NYC's Newest Egyptian Eatery

Nov 26

Nov 26 Zooba: NYC's Newest Egyptian Eatery

Opening its first international location, zesty Zooba brings the spice of Egyptian street food to the streets of NYC. Conveniently located in Nolita, Zooba offers the authenticity of delicious Egyptian food, from Spicy Hawawshi to Harissa Cauliflower, to the palettes of adventurous New Yorker’s looking for something slightly outside the mainstream. Zooba offers fresh yet warming dishes that celebrate ingredients and flavors at the heart of Egyptian cuisine. If customers leave their newest location pronouncing “tahini” as “tahina,” preferring fava beans to chickpeas in their falafel, and having Shazamed a couple of independent Egyptian trap songs, then they’ll call that a success.

As its first international restaurant, Zooba NYC has a slightly more restricted menu than other locations. “We’re choosing to focus on a tighter menu that serves equally as an introduction to Egyptian street food for the uninitiated while also showcasing a couple of our signature takes on a few classics,” explains Chef El Refaey. “Falafel and hummus are amazing but also everywhere. We like to think there’s enough room in the city for some taameya and bessara, too.” Taameya is Egyptian falafel made with fava beans as opposed to chickpeas, which lifts and zests the flavor considerably. Bessara is Egypt’s answer to hummus, also further utilizing the fava bean and its fresh, herby profile. My personal favorite, Cheese Hawawshi, a succulent pressed burger, full of Northern Africa spice, paired perfectly with the Dukka Fries, fried and seasoned to perfection, served with an abundance of flavorsome dipping sauces.

Beginning as a collaboration between seasoned Executive Chef Moustafa El Refaey and founder Chris Khalifa, Zooba has been turning familiar Egyptian street food on its head since its first opening in Zamalek, Cairo in 2012. From local success and humble origins, the team has now set its sights internationally, hoping to crack the bustling, and at times, daunting, NYC food scene. Not only did Zooba want to test its chances in the world’s most famous food market, but also Khalifa’s mother is from New York, and he grew up spending his family summers here, making Zooba’s move to the city a literal and figurative homecoming.

To celebrate this next phase in the evolution of their brand, Zooba partnered with renowned NYC design agency &Walsh to revisit a visual identity that hadn’t been updated since they first opened seven years ago. After founder Jessica Walsh visited Cairo to experience the culture and try the food, they decided on new, colorful, vibrant designs that mirror Zooba’s original identity and authentic messaging through patterns and an Arabic alternative logo, which will expand to all Zooba locations. Further aligning with their mission of true Egyptian representation, their NYC space was designed by Egyptian born and award-winning architect Ahmed ElHusseiny of AE SuperLab, a cross-disciplinary creative design and development studio in Brooklyn. Together, they worked to take Cairo’s singular street style and contemporize it slightly, giving Zooba Nolita the perfect Cairo-meets-NYC aesthetic. A large mural on the restaurant’s Kenmare storefront encompasses that, with a huge sloppily painted Arabic logo clearly distinguishing it from the litany of painted walls elsewhere in the neighborhood.

*Zooba interior, inspired by Cario, executed by AESuperlab*

“Opening up shop next door to some of our favorite restaurants and brands anywhere in the world is a privilege for us,” explains Khalifa. “We started out seven years ago as a neighborhood store in Cairo, and we’re incredibly proud of everything it took to finally get to NYC. We’ve always tried to keep that inviting feeling of a local restaurant. Hopefully, we can bring that same spirit to our new neighborhood in Nolita.” If my experience was anything to go by, I don’t think they will have any troubles.