The Ma'lawah Bar

Palo Alto's only Yemenite-Israeli cafe, kosher-certified, specializing in handmade malawach flatbread, slow-baked jachnun, tahini shakes, and sabich sandwiches.

The Ma'lawah Bar cooks Yemenite-Israeli food in Palo Alto from recipes owner Doreet inherited through her family. The namesake ma'lawah is a flaky flatbread fried until puffy and topped with grated tomato, hard-boiled egg, and schug, or with cinnamon and honey on the sweet side. Other breads include kubaneh, a yeast-based pull-apart loaf, and lachuch, a spongy flatbread whose air pockets soak up sauces and stews. Condiments run to schug, made with green peppers, garlic, cilantro, and cumin, and fenugreek hilbeh. The shop is kosher certified.