What was there before?

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There was another cafe before Cafe Palestina moved into the unit in 2017, so “it's been a hospitality venue for a while.”

What’s the story behind the restaurant?

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Cafe Palestina is a social enterprise. Nandita set it up to support another charity called CADFA, which promotes awareness about the human rights situation in Palestine. This is a cause close to Nandita’s heart as, “I've been married to a Palestinian for a long time. My family is Palestinian. My food at home is Palestinian.”

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Opening the cafe was an opportunity to raise the profile of Palestine on the high street with  food and products: “We wanted to bring the name out there and let people come in to talk about it. It's a normal part of the world with normal people in.” 

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What’s the best thing on the menu?

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Maqluba 

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It’s a very famous Palestinian rice dish whose name translates literally as “upside down.” Traditionally, it is made by cooking meat and vegetables and putting them in the bottom of a pan. Then, rice and spices are put on top and the whole dish is cooked through with broth. At the end, it is flipped over and served! 

Any fun facts? 

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Cafe Palestine is far more than somewhere to eat, it is also “a bit like a museum, well a modern one, because there's a showroom” of Palestinian cultural items. School children sometimes come to look around and learn more about the human rights issues in Palestine.

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What’s your favourite thing about being in KT?

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“We love it around here! There seems to be quite a warm feeling. And we noticed once we opened again after the pandemic, people were waiting for us to open again.”

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How can people in KT support them? 

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Can come in and eat, and see what else we do! How about Arabic classes, supper clubs, Saturday morning kids clubs and more.