Knafeh Cafe — Restaurant in Anaheim

Crunchy or soft? That is the question. Why not both?

Knafeh is a Palestinian dessert, originating in the city of Nablus. Consisting of local stretchy Nablusian cheese, shredded kadayif dough & simple syrup, it is a simple dish that's difficult to master. At Knafeh Cafe, the owner, Asem, makes knafeh the traditional way, from the family recipe passed down generation after generation. Using Nablusian cheese & dough made fresh everyday, customers can taste the history of Asem's family's dedication to their craft & the perfection which came through the refinement of their recipe.

At Knafeh Cafe, knafeh can be made to order in a personal-sized pan for $12, piping hot. Or, it can be purchased by the slice for $5.75. I was lucky enough to arrive when the knafeh na'ameh (soft) was freshly cooked. Wanting to try both the soft & khishneh (crunchy) iterations, I waited 10 minutes for the crunchy version to be ready.

Knafeh- I was pleasantly surprised to find knafeh to be more savory than sweet. I was expecting a very sugary dessert, especially with the drizzle of simple syrup, but the salt & fat from the Nablusian cheese cut the sweetness, in a favorable way.

Knafeh khishnah (crunchy)- Reminding me of the Filipino cheese brioche, ensaymada, the knafeh khishneh had a delightful crunch. Quite messy to eat, this was my preferred version of knafeh, mainly for the texture.

Knafeh na'ameh (soft)- A more refined version of knafeh, the knafeh na'ameh was a touch sweeter than it's khishneh counterpart.

Besides their namesake knafeh, Knafeh Cafe also sells other Middle Eastern desserts, such as baklava, ma'mool & warbat. I knew I had to have an authentic knafeh experience by having Turkish coffee to go with it. The coffee was dark, murky & complex. I found how remarkable the fruit & berry notes shone in the coffee. I never have coffee black. However, I had no problem drinking the Turkish coffee straight up. I later researched the coffee brand, Cafe Najjar, and found the particular coffee used had ground cardamom. That's the secret! I'll now start brewing my coffee at home with a touch of ground cardamom.

Service was great. The owner, Asem, was friendly & hospitable. Currently, there is bar seating inside, with 2 tables outside the establishment. Knafeh Cafe is located in the middle of the Desert Moon shopping plaza

Almost every region in the Middle East has their version of knafeh. While this was my first time having knafeh, I'm almost certain I've had the best & most authentic, seeing how it originated in Nablus, where Asem came from. Knafeh Cafe's knafeh is a lightly sweet, cheesy & filling dessert. Paired with Turkish coffee, I can imagine myself overlooking the sand, desert breeze blowing in my face. Whether it's a tray for an event, or simply a slice with some mint tea, I highly recommend the knafeh at...

This is our first time trying Knafa Cafe. We drove 40 minutes to come here to try knafa nabulsiya. Before we made the drive we called to ask what time they make the knafa fresh, he said he always makes knafa fresh daily. I asked what about made to order knafa? He told me the different size trays that are made to order. I said ok, that’s what I’m interested in and we made the drive. When we got there, I asked for the tray he mentioned on the phone that is made to order, for fresh knafa. He said it’s 16 dollars for the personal tray. We said that’s fine, and we will wait as it’s cooking. He takes the tray out and starts putting knafa from what was already previously made in front of us. It’s not what we just agreed on. I said no, sir we wanted made to order. If that’s not the case, we will only want 2 pieces. This is just for my husband and I. I can tell he got frustrated. He leaves only two pieces of knafa in the tray. An older gentleman comes out from the back and in Arabic says no don’t put two pieces in a small tray, put in the styrofoam to-go plate. The man tells him I know I charged them for it. All this is happening while we are standing right there. Maybe he thought we couldn’t understand Arabic? I find it extremely unethical to charge someone extra 2$ for a tray without first asking them. The only reason we were going to get the personal knafa tray was because he said it would be made to order. He then scoops the knafa out of the aluminum tray and into the to-go styrofoam plate and removes 1$ off the bill. I ask if he’s going to heat the knafa at all? They looked cold. The cheese was not melted at all. He then takes them out and puts them in the microwave. My husband and I are both Palestinian and love to support local businesses, however we were extremely disappointed with the customer...

PALESTINE 🇵🇸 Excerpt from Eat the World Los Angeles: If you ask a Palestinian about knafeh, they will insist that the story begins in Nablus, a city that is referenced when naming of eateries around the world. In the northern part of the West Bank, Nablus is known for food of all ranges and classes and has a culinary history rivaling that of Damascus or Baghdad. Sweets are a big part of Nablus as well, with many vendors spanning generations and preparing their sweets in traditional ways.

Right in the center of Anaheim's main stretch of Little Arabia on Brookhurst lives one of the best places to soak yourself in the rich history of Nablus and knafeh, at the tiny Knafeh Cafe tucked into a strip mall between an Arabic hair and nail salons. Two neon words can be seen in the window from afar, "Pastries" and "Coffee," which explain most of the reasons you will have to come.

Traditionally, knafeh is something purchased for a celebration, or eaten when the daily fast ends during Ramadan. A promotion or graduation will always be rewarded with the sweet cheese-y dessert. Need to reconcile after a tough argument? You better bring knafeh with you during...