Locations Hookah Belly Dancing Atmosphere Entertainment
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Locations Hookah Belly Dancing Atmosphere Entertainment Special Events Job Opportunity Menu Reviews
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kairo Kafe Reviews
A taste of Egypt in New BrunswickFriday, January 11, 2008 BY PETE GENOVESE Star-Ledger Staff We've all heard those two restaurant adages: Eat where the truckers eat, and stay away from empty restaurants. Like all adages, they should be treated with a grain of salt -- or whatever else you use to season your food. Kairo Kafe was empty when a colleague and I visited on a recent weekday night. But it had nothing to do with the food; our meal turned out to be surprisingly good. Chalk it up to the weather -- bitter cold, wind chill in the low teens. Kairo Kafe, with its atmospheric mix of votive-lamp chandeliers, photos of contemporary Cairo, and what co-owner Sherif Salib calls Middle Eastern-influenced "lounge music," opened in August. "We wanted a place that reminded us of home," Salib, 26, explained. Not New Jersey, where he and his brother, Tarek, were born, but Cairo, where the two spent much of their childhood. Definitely not Houston, where the two opened the initial Kairo Kafe several years ago. "We were there a year; we couldn't take it any more," Salib said, laughing. "We're Jersey boys." Sherif Salib, a Seton Hall grad, and his older brother, a Rutgers grad, closed the Houston Kairo Kafe and eventually resurfaced in New Brunswick. The space was fomerly occupied by a 99-cent store. Denizens of the dollar store wouldn't recognize the place now, but bargains can still be found on Kairo Kafe's menu. The lunch specials are particularly attractive -- a choice of falafel sandwich, chicken sandwich, lamb sandwich, ful (fava bean) sandwich, Classic Burger or Kairo Burger, plus soup, salad, soft drink and dessert -- all for just $7.50.
The lamb sandwich (roasted marinated lamb, lettuce, tomatoes, onins and tahini nestled in good pita bread) and the Kairo Burger (fresh-tasting meat with tahini, tomato and onions in pita) are recommended, as are the stuffed grape leaves ($5.95).
The baba ghanoush and hummus are both first-rate; we couldn't get enough of the latter, a smooth, near-perfect blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Order it as a side dish ($6.95) or a sandwich ($7.95).
The house salads are wonderful: ultra-crisp greens, with tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers and feta cheese, enlivened with the house balsamic dressing. A small side salad comes with the main dishes, or you can order a large salad with chicken ($11.95), lamb ($12.95) or grilled jumbo shrimp ($14.95).
One of the restaurant's more popular dishes is koshary, made with mixed lentils, rice, elbow macaroni, caramelized onions, and choice of marinated chicken ($16.95), marinated lamb ($18.95) or jumbo shrimp ($19.95). The lamb was tasty enough, but the stewed tomato sauce seemed too sweet and ultimately jarring.
The Mediterranean Melt (feta cheese, tomatoes and tangy cherry peppers, $7.95) would have been a success if the sandwich had lived up to its name and the cheese had been fully melted.
Other items include fiteer (thinly stretched filo dough folded to make a flaky pizza, choice of three toppings, $12.95); feta cheese burger ($9.95); the Perfect Shrimp Sandwich (popcorn shrimp seasoned and fried, with lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions, fresh-squeezed lemon and tahini in pita, $9.95). From the sound of it, the Salib brothers want patrons to sit back, relax and enjoy this little slice of Egypt in downtown New Brunswick. "We have people staying here for hours, even after they've finished eating," Sherif Salib said. "That's what we want. That's part of the whole Cairo experience."
Belly dancer display Every Friday and Saturday you can catch the belly dancers at New Brunswick's Kairo Kafe. This ancient Middle Eastern entertainment is rarely seen in its authentic style in Central Jersey. Kairo Kafe is hosting performers who dance in the most traditional manner and in the most contemporary. The menu at Kairo Kafe is Mediterranean with a heavy dose of Middle Eastern favorites such as hummus, baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves, falafel and grilled lamb. Located at 49 Bayard St., Kairo Kafe is open weekdays for lunch and dinner, dinner and late night on Saturdays; it is closed Sundays. Reservations are strongly suggested for belly dance evenings. Call (732) 545-2476. Whenever I think about relaxing, the first thing that comes to mind is Kairo Kafe. The food here is amazing too. As soon as you walk in the door, you are greeted by a lovely host. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual, and the belly dancer well what can I say. See it for yourself. BYOB GUIDE Reviewed on Reviewed on Excellent food, we had a great time. We will be back. written by Great place on 2007-07-31 10:00:14
Very relaxed atmosphere great food and hookah ;) written by John Kurguen on 2007-09-11 08:29:12 Kairo Kafe Review on b4-u-eat.com
MY REVIEW: Small,
new, and very much worth the walk outside the main scene. Kairo Kafe is
a great lunch spot with moderate prices, but its true wonder comes out on
weekend nights with good drinks, beautiful belly dancers, and hookas. There is
a large tobacco "menu". The smoking is pleasant, even for those who don't do
cigarettes because the water pipes make it smooth. I definitely recommend the
experience. AOL City Guide
Dine like Cleopatra at
Houston's first Egyptian restaurant. Located in the far north section of
downtown (directly across the street from Hakim Olajuwon's mosque), Kairo Kafe
offers an authentic experience of Egyptian cuisine and atmosphere, right down to
the burbling hookahs, which are available to for a smooth taste of exotic
tobacco in 30 different flavors (from apple to jasmine to rose). What is
Egyptian cuisine, you say? It ranges from familiar Middle Eastern specialties
like hummus, falafel and baba ganoush to less recognizable offerings, such as
the pickle-and-olive intensive Lotus Salad and fitzer pastries with choice of
savory or sweet fillings, from spinach to honey and raisin. Decorated with
imported Egyptian paintings on papyrus, the long narrow cafe comes alive with
belly dancing on the weekends. During the late-night hours, tables are pushed
back to make room for everyone to shake it. -- Ann Walton Sieber
(Photo: Ann Walton Sieber) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tobacco.org Middle Eastern fare, dance come downtown
Source:
Houston (TX) Chronicle, 2004-02-24 For the un-indoctrinated, the "hookah" is a water pipe that has been smoked in cafés and homes across the Mediterranean for centuries. Tobacco is bonded with dried fruit, which composes 97 percent of the mix, and the mixture is drawn into the lungs by inhaling from a hose connected to the hookah's dark blue glass base. Each hookah at the Kairo Kafe is handmade and imported from Egypt. Hookahculture.com Kairo Kafe
For More Information Contact: |
Send mail to kairokafe@kairokafe.com with questions or comments about this website. www.kairokafe.comWe are located at
: 49 Bayard Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901 T: 732 545 2476
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