Mr. Falafel: A Unique Palestinian Experience in The Center of Prague

After recent renovations, Mr. Falafel came back stronger than ever! Under the new name Palestinian Restaurant, Mr. Ziyad’s flavor oasis, located in Spálená street, now stands as the only Prague-based restaurant with Palestine in its name.

Prague Morning spoke to Mr. Ziyad and his daughter, Klara.

Mr. Ziyad bought the place in 2019. At first, it was just a regular Kebab shop, a fast-food corner like many others in Prague. In 2021, he started to give the place a more unique flare.

Mr. Ziyad comes from Nazareth, Palestine. However, his connection to the Czech Republic goes way back. He first studied in the Czech Republic, then moved back to Palestine, and ultimately returned to Czechia in 2000. His restaurant is his way of bringing his culture to the heart of Europe.

“Palestinian people live all around the world and I want to show the importance of our culture through food,” says Mr. Ziyad. “During history, we’ve lost a lot of our land, but we don’t want to lose our culture.”

Palestinian Restaurant serves a diverse menu consisting of Palestinian and middle-eastern specialties: hummus and falafel, shawarma, Arabic bread, the Palestinian musakhan (a dish composed of roasted chicken, nuts, and other ingredients, served over taboon bread), and more. They also serve sweets, such as baklava and basbousa, and a selection of salads.

Almost everything in the restaurant is homemade and follows the recipes Mr. Ziyad took a long time to perfect.

“I am not a trained cook and it was hard in the beginning because I was doing it all by myself,” he says. “I talked to my family members back in Palestine who own a restaurant and they gave me some tips and useful advice on how to prepare some of the dishes. I would try new techniques and give the food for a taste test to people on the street. The feedback was very positive and I was encouraged to keep trying.”

His efforts paid off. With a large number of regular customers and a constant influx of tourists, Mr. Ziyad’s food is highly respected, while some even referred to his hummus and falafel as “the best they’ve ever tried.” The restaurant currently has seven employees.

And while it started as a small, bistro-sized food corner, Mr. Ziyad recently renovated and opened the doors to a bigger space that truly evokes the Middle East. With custom-made paintings of Palestinian cities hanging on the walls and oriental music played through the speakers, Palestinian Restaurant draws you in with its unique feeling.

Other than just expanding in size, the restaurant also expanded its menu. They got a brand-new grill, and have added grilled meat to their daily offer. They soon plan on adding more meals, such as knafeh, a popular dessert made of pastry, syrup, and cheese, according to Klara, Mr. Ziyad’s daughter.

Quality and trust are of the highest importance to Mr. Ziyad. He placed his falafel machine at the front of his store, visible from the outside, so that people can enjoy seeing not only what he makes, but how he makes it. He wants his food to evoke the feeling of home.

“Some of the things my father makes are foods that are not typical for restaurants, but are something that people serve in their homes, like hummus with eggs and even musakhan” explains Klara. The homemade feeling is one of the restaurant’s aspects Mr. Ziyad is most proud of.

“I started this place from scratch. It is my baby. And I love when people come in thinking that I’ve been doing this for a long time. I haven’t. It’s only been a couple of years! It shows the quality. And I love when people stop by to take pictures of the place” Mr. Ziyad adds.

However, the renovations are not completely over and Mr. Ziyad is still planning on upgrading the front of the restaurant, as well as adding more things to the menu.

As for the future, he is thinking of turning his restaurant into a bigger chain, although that is not his priority right now.

Palestinian Restaurant is open every day from 10 am to 10 pm.