Powell Street may be emerging as the next food and drink hot spot—it is home to a number of popular breweries (Andina Brewing Company, Doan’s Craft Brewing Company, Powell Brewery) and new restaurants (Dosanko and St Lawrence).

A new culinary addition, Aleph Middle Eastern Eatery (1889 Powell Street), will soon join the neighbourhood’s food scene.

Owned by husband-and-wife duo Haitham El Khatib and Fiona Hepher, the 22-seat dining establishment will aim to serve as a restaurant, bakery, café, and bar.

Guests can expect to dine in a comfortable and modern atmosphere that draws inspiration from the different culinary regions of the Middle East.

Its menu will embrace the Levant’s mezze-style (small plates and dips) shared eating traditions, featuring items like whipped creamy hummus, baba ghanouj (cooked eggplant with various seasonings), and shakshuka (egg poached in tomato, onion, and chili pepper sauce) and manaeesh (dough topped with thyme, cheese, and ground beef) flatbreads, among others.

The flatbreads will be prepared in-house on a traditional saj oven (a domed or convex metal griddle) imported from Lebanon, and many of Aleph’s food creations will be made with fresh ingredients from local markets and regional suppliers.

“The premise behind our food is that it is unedited and there is not a lot of cooking involved in the process of creating our dishes. If you look at Middle Eastern cuisine, you may notice there are many elements with quite loud flavours,” said El Khatib, in a press statement. “We’re trying to do something slightly different at Aleph by combining these flavours in a new way to embrace authenticity while allowing room for creativity.”

Aleph is gearing up to open its doors in mid-December.