Images: Leah Rolando
The tastiest shwarmas and falafels at a dinky diner.
“No drama, just shwarma” was their motto when they opened their original hummus hatch on Bree Street in 2021. And they’re still singing the same tune two years later, in their new spot, a former motorbike shop, two doors down (still beneath the old St Stephen’s NG Kerk).
The new space is bigger, with seating inside and out, and a pocket-sized courtyard at the back. Stone walls and stone-flagged steps, low wooden beams, café stools to perch on at the sunshine-yellow-tiled counter and at tables lining the wall opposite, make a cheerfully relaxed vibe, in keeping with the authentic Middle Eastern street food dynamic.
Shwarma to the max
It all started when Israeli-born owner Ofer Hollinger couldn’t find the perfect pita. So he set about creating his own, designed to hold generous amounts of filling without tearing. The original hatch on Bree served falafel, hummus and shwarma, all made from scratch daily, and anointed with home-made tahini and Yemeni zhoug (spicy chili and fresh coriander sauce) – the full-on flavours of the Middle East.
With the move to the bigger space, the team has added some banging new menu items – the most intriguing of which are the Lebanese arayes: lamb and beef mince crammed into a pita, quartered and fried to crispy perfection, then drizzled with tahini and amba (a spicy and sour pickled mango sauce). And the dreamy creamy hummus bowls topped with chickpeas, spicy fried mushrooms, or succulent lamb-rump shwarma carved fresh from the spit. Sabich (originally from Iraq) is another vegetarian choice: fried aubergine, boiled egg and salad with amba and tahini in a pita, or plated with pickles. Add a side of fresh and crunchy salad, and crispy potato disks – dipped in spicy mayo – and you have a finger-licking feast to linger over.
Rose-hued spectacle
Finish with a rather gorgeous version of malabi (a Middle Eastern panna cotta of sorts), made with coconut milk and rosewater and topped with raspberry syrup. Or indulge in the chocolate tahini frozen fudge slices… totally addictive.
Good to know You can still get everything on the menu to go. And even buy frozen falafels to take home. They are waiting for their liquor licence, so BYOB or enjoy a glass of the zesty homemade lemonade.
Opening times Monday – Thursday, 10.30am – 8.30pm
Friday, 10.30am – 9pm
Saturday 12pm – 9pm
Contact 063 483 4284, nishnushcpt@gmail.com
Where to find it 100 Bree Street, CBD, Cape Town
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