Shako Mako — Restaurant in Norwich

Norwich would be a half-hearted city without Shako Mako ❤️ On many mornings, I sit here with a mocha or the rich, cardamom-infused Bedouin coffee, and from the window table I watch the cafe's owner, Maha, whip up some new, beloved recipe from her childhood home in Iraq. Every traditional dessert, ice cream, and sweet/savoury snack you see at the display is crafted by her or her team (I haven't met a sweeter bunch 🌻). I love their dessert, Kahi -- a delicate, flaky pastry filled with pistachios, over which honey is poured lavishly. And the scones here are as big as my face! My favourite is the Pistachio Scone, served with a scoop of pistachio butter + berries.

For lunch, try the Tabsi: aubergine, potato, and beef (optional) simmered in tomato sauce. Or the Bedouin Roast Lamb, served on a bed of aromatic rice, sprinkled with raisins. I also love their Laffa Baghdadia -- bread stuffed with a thick beef patty and slathered with Maha's secret garlic sauce, and veggies. Look around at lunchtime and you'll see at least 3 tables with big, steaming bowls of Seafood Shorba: mussels and prawns floating in a dreamy, garlicky broth with flecks of coriander.

If I'm here in the evenings, I get a Puffak (feta, olives, and basil in a puff pastry), the Baba Ghanoush, or their homemade dip and bread.

Shako Mako reminds me of my mother's kitchen -- that homey whiff of cardamom and tea in the air, soft music, and Maha ever so excited about adding another flourish, another dish, to...

We went here today and ordered 2 X dirty chai The Bedouin lamb The leffa(?) sandwich

The service was friendly and fast. The waitresses were very polite and our order was correct. The lamb was delicious, there was a sweetness to it that complimented the savoury nature of the dish so well. The sandwich was served on delicious, soft, slightly sweet bread and the patty was a mixture of meat and seeds - it had almost a falafel taste/texture to it and it was absolutely delicious. We sat outside where our dog could be with us. We were offered free samples of cake which is absolutely delicious. We would absolutely recommend this as a place to stay, have a cafe, grab some good food and observe passers-by. The food is incredible, as is the coffee, and the service is excellent. The prices are great too, especially when considering it's city-centre location. We will absolutely be returning very soon as there are a few more dishes we would like to try.

One thing that I think could help to get more customers is to provide more information with the dishes - I know providing photos on menus can be a little gauche/tacky, but British people (and people generally) can be quite reserved about new food - especially when they don't know what they are ordering!

Also, with the free samples, labelling them could be helpful as people seemed a bit clueless as to what they were...

I’ve seen that after a flurry of not so good reviews, there’s a sprinkle of “good” reviews. I think someone’s been writing them up to cover up the true reviews. Lets begin… I don’t think we should shy away from the fact that, although the food looks somewhat good and present we well, the flavour isn’t there and the manners of certain staff members (manager) certainly isn’t anywhere to be found. It looks dirty inside and I’ve seen someone mention the fruit flies. They were all over my food and the surrounding tables. When I eat and drink I don’t expect to be flapping my arms around trying to get flies off of me. The manager needs to sort it out because it’s not good hygiene! The cafes in a good location. Let’s hope that if they move to a new location, there’ll be no fruit flies buzzing round and the cafe will accommodate to the seasons. Cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It’s been wayyyyy too hot in the cafe in recent months, so much so we’ve had to leave numerous times. Definitely...