Who knew you could smoke a hookah pipe at a pizza joint? Now you can at Beauty’s Pizza in Inman Square, where Jafra Cafe & Lounge has opened as a Middle Eastern patio extension of Beauty’s. The eatery has long been billed as an “Italian Kitchen” (‘za, subs and pastas) that also serves shawarma and gyros after it moved to Inman from Broadway following a 2014 kitchen fire.
The launch of Jafra was the mission of Palestinian-born owner Ibrahim Abuhasan, who took over Beauty’s in January. Under his stewardship, much of the food now meets halal requirements and so the restaurant no longer serves beer and wine. He has revamped how the shawarma and gyros are made in accordance with Levantine traditions. The falafel, too, are now handmade in-house — and there are hookahs.
Boston Globe food critic Devra First recently flagged the alarming trend of independent local restaurants shuttering because of the cost and effort required to keep them going — see Chickadee in the Seaport, and closer to home, Dear Annie. To stay afloat, it seems local eateries need to innovate.
That’s what Abuhasan has done at Beauty’s. The vibe of the cozy outdoor space, blessed with ample trellising, should there be rain, is festive yet intimate. There is a solid selection of finger food that makes for fine noshing with a hookah and conversation and plus larger plates that cover the Levantine basics — shawarma, shish kebabs, and beef and lamb kufta. The griddle-pressed chicken shawarma wrap (a combo that comes with fries) I had was juicy and well-seasoned, and the pita, pleasantly pliable, but those smaller meze plates really shone. The thick, creamy housemade hummus came with a generous floater of olive oil, a tang of lemon zest, and a tart sprinkle of sumac — hearty with a bit of a kick.
Other good choices are the stuffed grape leaves (vegetarian) and the flatbreads — manakeesh, with a za’atar blend (a mixture of dried thyme or related herbs, sumac, toasted sesame seeds, and salt), or a Middle Eastern cheese blend. For meat lovers, there’s lahm ajeen topped with shredded seasoned beef. There’s also lentil soup and fried cheese sambosak, but the menu winner — and I will confess that I didn’t try the hand-rolled falafel — was the Palestinian musakhan rolls: lightly fried, cigar-shaped fingerlings of saj bread, filled with sumac-spiced pulled chicken and onions with a very pleasing tzatziki with strong cucumber accents to dip into.
For drinks, there’s a basic slate of coffee and teas headlined by an iced lavender latte and, in keeping with the eatery’s lean, a Moroccan tea. For your smoking pleasure, flavors run the fruity gamut from apple to watermelon to mango, mint, and more. If you want sweets, Jafra has traditional classics, baklava and a Dubai chocolate cake, but there’s also a mango cake and namora (a semolina coconut cake topped with a Levantine syrup) that pack an “I want it now” wow.
Jafra debuted this past June, and come winter, it won’t move inside (Beauty has limited seating), so heat lamps will prevail. For now, with its starry lights and big-screen TVs showcasing Middle Eastern destinations, the patio’s a rare, alfresco urban oasis, even if you are just feet from the Shell gas station next door. Those musakhan rolls are well worth the trip, and the golden coconut namora demands its own special sojourn.
Jafra Café & Lounge
187 Hampshire Street, Inman Square
$$ (out of $$$$)
Have a favorite dish or dine out spot that we’ve not covered and you think we should? Email Tom at tmeek@cambridgeday.com.
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