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Kosher Mediterranean restaurant Za’Tar on Cypress Street has a new face behind the counter and a refreshed space and menu. Mola Mekonant took over as the general manager in June and is in the process of assuming full ownership over the restaurant.
Born in Ethiopia, Makonant grew up in Israel and originally studied animation and design, but fell into restaurant work during his studies. Over time, food became his art.
The new Za’Tar menu is a pared down version of the previous restaurant offerings, but with Makonant’s own recipes including his beloved hummus, served in sandwiches, atop kebabs, in grain bowls and with mushrooms and fried onions. Makonant estimates he makes about 375 pounds of hummus every week.
“We make the food from scratch every day,” he says.
Located at 10 Cypress Street across from CVS, the previously bare bones space is now painted a deep sage green with warm wood tables and a matching counter. On the wall, black and white photos of Mekonant’s mother and grandmother look out into the restaurant and by the window he displays his favorite vinyl albums, including “Beginning” by the all-female Jamaican group I-Three, “Kaya” by Bob Marley and a best of album by 2Pac.
The revamped interior of Za’Tar, featuring photos of incoming owner Mola Mekonant’s mother and grandmother. Photo by Celina Colby
“In Ethiopian culture, everything is about hospitality,” says Mekonant. “My mom and grandmother are watching me so I have to do it right.”
Because everything is made fresh, Makonant took off some of the more labor intensive menu items, like burekas, Jewish handpies, until he has the capacity to do them the right way.
Flexing his artistic muscles, Makonant plans to add some more colorful accompaniments like a pink tahini made with beets and a green tahini made with mint. These add a flavor boost to bowls and sandwiches as well as an appealing aesthetic.
Some of the most popular items are the sabich, a combination of hummus, eggplant, boiled eggs, warm chickpeas and tahini that can be served as a sandwich in a pita or as a full plate, the falafel and the kebabs. Customers can end the meal with a Turkish coffee brewed in a traditional metal pot over a flame.
Mekonant’s toughest critic is his four-year-old son who would eat chicken schnitzel almost exclusively until a classmate mentioned liking hummus. Suddenly his father’s expertise became cool.
“I didn’t dare ask why,” says Mekonant with a laugh. “I was too happy in that moment, I didn’t question it.”
So far the new Za’Tar has been met with positive reviews.
“Easily the best hummus I’ve had in the US,” wrote Almog Ben Yossef on Google Reviews. “Everything always tastes fresh, and the people and service make the whole experience even better.”
Once he has full ownership, Mekonant plans to rename the restaurant Mola after his first name, which means “satisfied” in the Ethiopian language Amharic. It’s that kind of fullness and satisfaction that Mekonant hopes his customers feel after a meal at the restaurant.
Over time, he wants to add photos of his customers to the wall where his mother and grandmother watch over the restaurant.
“I’m going to ask every customer for a picture and do them all up in black and white on this wall,” says Mekonant. In that way, everyone who comes in will be like family.
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