THE PLACE: Most of the coffee shops along Steinway Street in Astoria have puffs of sweet hookah smoke wafting out of the doorway. Mokafé and a few other new Middle Eastern shops (including one up the street with a very similar name) focus more on the drinks and pastries than the flavored tobacco. My friend, who is an Astoria native, suggested meeting here to discuss our new tour companies. She gives amazing history tours focused on lesser known but super impactful women (check it out!). Mokafé, which has a few locations in the NYC area, is a serene, modern tea café with some very comfortable spaces to sit and a unique tea service, which pairs nicely with the pastries.
THE DISH: My friend Nikki raved about the Yemeni Honeycomb Bread (Khaliat Nahl) and so that seemed to automatically end up on our table and I’m very glad it did. This sweet little cake was a revelation to me. Shaped like a slice of pizza enclosed with pillowy honeycomb shaped dough, this is also stuffed with a tangy cream cheese filling, and topped with savory sesame seeds and a generous drizzle of honey. It wasn’t quite as sweet or decadent as it sounds, but a very satisfying morning pastry that was perfect for lingering over tea and conversation. Price: $11.44
| MOKAFÉ |
| 25-73 Steinway Street (between 25th and 28th Avenue)m Astoria, Queens (718) 489-0242 |
| mymokafe.com |
