Atlantic Avenue and surrounding blocks in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and Boerum Hill are home to one of New York City’s most vibrant hubs of Arabic culture. From longtime Lebanese and Syrian bakeries to Yemeni cafés, Palestinian restaurants, halal butchers, perfume shops, and historic mosques, this stretch offers a rich mix of food, culture, and family-run businesses. Whether you’re stopping in for fresh pita, browsing imported spices and fragrances, or exploring community institutions that have anchored the neighborhood for decades, this area reflects generations of immigration and enduring Arabic traditions in Brooklyn.
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Restaurants, Bakeries & Cafes
Diljān Bakery | Brooklyn Heights
The team behind Little Flower Cafe in Astoria and Blue Hour in Bushwick opened an Afghan bakery at 330 Hicks Street. They will make flatbreads using Afghan ingredients such as saffron, cardamom, pistachio, and apricots. Diljān will also serve samosas with ground halal lamb and beef, a pastry called Saffron Shah, filled with saffron pastry cream, and the sheer pira, an Afghan milk fudge topped with custard.
El Cedro | Cobble Hill
al Badawi | Brooklyn Heights
Al Badawi on Atlantic Avenue is a Palestinian restaurant known for its family-friendly atmosphere and shareable spreads. Standout dishes include the towering mixed grill platters, slow-roasted lamb shank, whole branzino, chicken musakhan, and an abundant array of mezze like creamy hummus, smoky baba ghanoush, and crisp falafel, all served with fresh-baked pita.
Tripoli Lebanese Cuisine | Cobble Hill
Tripoli Restaurant on Atlantic Avenue—located in the basement below Swallow Cafe—has been serving home-style Lebanese cooking since 1973, when the Salem family first opened it across the street after emigrating from Tripoli, Lebanon. Known for its extensive menu and welcoming, old-school feel, the restaurant offers everything from hummus and babaganouj to shawarma, shish kebabs, lamb sausage, stuffed dumplings, and vegetable dishes.
Photo: Kelly Carroll, Executive Director of Atlantic Avenue BID
Hadramout | Cobble Hill
The Yemeni restaurant Hadramout is 100% halal, serving authentic Yemeni dishes and more Middle Eastern cuisine. The menu features fahsa stews, a mezze platter, haneeth, and baba ghanoush.
Yemen Café | Cobble Hill
Yemen Café was the first Yemeni restaurant in the United States when it opened its doors in 1986. They serve authentic Yemeni food and are known for cultural and a warm, casual atmosphere. Dine indoors or eat in their outdoor pavilion. Don’t miss out on their most popular dish, Lamb Haneeth (slow-roasted lamb).
Photo: Kelly Carroll, Executive Director of Atlantic Avenue BID
Oriental Pastry & Grocery | Cobble Hill
Oriental Pastry & Grocery is a Syrian bakery established in 1967. For over 50 years, the pastry shop has served pastries, sweets, plus a wide array of spices.
Photo: Kelly Carroll, Executive Director of Atlantic Avenue BID
Mocha Hookah | Brooklyn Heights
Mocha Hookah is a hookah bar and café on Atlantic Avenue that stays open all night, until 5am. They serve herbal (tobacco- and nicotine-free) hookahs alongside Yemeni dishes, meze, milkshakes, gelato, and bubble tea. With no alcohol, Arabic music videos on TV, and a diverse crowd lingering for hours over tea and smoke, it’s a laid-back community gathering spot.
Boutros | Brooklyn Heights
Named after Chef Allen Dabagh’s father, Boutros blends the flavors of Lebanon and Syria, drawing upon the chef’s Middle Eastern heritage. The space was designed by Dabagh himself, and the menu features shareable dishes, a seasonal “Min Eediyé” chef’s tasting menu for groups, and lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch service.
Damascus Bread & Pastry Shop | Brooklyn Heights
A neighborhood institution since 1930, Damascus is a family-run Syrian bakery known for its pita, spinach and meat pies, and huge selection of pastries, including their famous baklava. They also sell cold prepared foods like falafel, hummus, and baba ghanoush, as well as a selection of spices.
Yummy Picks Deli | Boerum Hill
This halal and vegan deli opened at 101 Smith Street this year. The Cobble Hill spot offers Middle Eastern bits like shawarma, alongside bagels, burgers, and wraps. They also have a vegan menu.
The Soul Spot | Boerum Hill
The Soul Spot is a small, counter-service halal spot serving Southern and Caribbean. The menu features fried chicken, curry goat, and chicken dumplings, with sides like plantains and okra. Enjoy a casual meal meal in their space or take lunch or dinner to go.
Bedouin Tent | Boerum Hill
Bedouin Tent is a family-owned Middle Eastern restaurant established in 1989. They serve individual pitzas, falafel sandwiches, leg of lamb, and more soups, salads, and mezze starters. There is a backyard that is open for dining in the warmer months.
Ruhani Cafe | Boerum Hill
This Pakistani cafe serves coffee, tea, and pastries, but specializes in homemade chai. Open 7am-10pm daily.
Kemo’s Hot Kitchen Bites | Boerum Hill
Kemo’s is a halal cafeteria serving an assortment of Middle Eastern dishes, from falafel to chicken kebabs, schwarma, and much more.
Markets & Shops
Malko Karkanni Brothers | Cobble Hill
The family-owned Malko Karkanni Bros. sells imported nuts, candy, oils & syrups, and much more. Run by two brothers, it’s a neighborhood institution that’s been on Atlantic for over 40 years.
Photo: Kelly Carroll, Executive Director of Atlantic Avenue BID
Sahadi’s | Brooklyn Heights
Sahadi’s, a multigenerational Brooklyn landmark on Atlantic Avenue, began in 1895 when Lebanese immigrant Abrahim Sahadi opened the first A. Sahadi & Co. in Manhattan’s Little Syria before moving to Brooklyn in 1948. Now in its fourth generation, the store offers bulk nuts, dried fruits, spices, imported cheeses, sweets like halvah and baklava, and prepared deli foods. Open seven days a week at 187 Atlantic Avenue, Sahadi’s is both a beloved grocery destination and a piece of NYC history.
MS Halal Meat Market & Grocery | Boerum Hill
The no-frills Hall Meat & Grocery at 304 Atlantic Avenue sells lamb, goat, and chicken, as well as other goods and sacks to go.
Fertile Crescent | Boerum Hill
Fertile Crescent is a halal butcher shop with meats and poultry, including goat cut to order. They also sell imported groceries from Egypt, North Africa and the Middle East, including spices, canned and jarred foods, pastas and rices, cured meats and cheeses, dried fruits and legumes, as well as perfumes, oils and scents.
Madina Industrial Corporation | Boerum Hill
Madina sells natural fragrances, soaps, and herbal cosmetics, with their own line of products that contain no alcohol or animal by-products–body oils, skin care, hair care, and more. They also carry African natural products, black soaps, incense, and religious items.
Shops
Maktaba Dar-Us-Salam | Boerum Hill
Darussalam is an international Islamic publishing house headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with branches and agents around the world. It publishes authentic Islamic books based on the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith in multiple major languages, offering clear, affordable, high-quality works by respected scholars that promote understanding and address the needs of modern Muslims. They sell books for both adults and children.
Jewelry Home | Boerum Hill
Jewelry home sells imported North African and Middle Eastern 21k/18k gold. They also sell diamond jewelry–including necklaces, bracelets, engagement rings, and wedding rings—as well as watches. You can buy and sell jewelry, or ask for repairs.
Treasure Islam | Boerum Hill
Treasure Islam has been located on Atlantic Avenue for more than 15 years. They sell clothing, fragrance oils, and body products.
Legendary Palace Perfume | Boerum Hill
Legendary Palace specializes in all types of Arab fragrances, perfumes, and oils. They also sell Arabic Bakhoor (a traditional incense), Bakhoor Holders, Attars (natural perfumes), Mists, and more.
Health & Beauty
Anwaar Co. Health and Beauty Shop | Boerum Hill
Anwaar Co. is a family-owned health and beauty store, specializing innatural products for skin, hair, and overall wellness. The shop carries raw ingredients, perfumer-grade essential oils and traditional attars, body butters, black soaps from Africa, and creams and soaps sourced from artisans in France, India, Africa, and the U.S. Anwaar Co. also offers superfoods and a range of herbal remedies.
Cultural Centers
The Arab-American Family Support Center is a nonprofit that provides culturally and linguistically accessible, trauma-informed social services for immigrants and refugees in New York City. Open to all, it has special expertise serving Arab, Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian communities, offering family-centered support across all stages of the immigration journey. Services include mental health care, English literacy classes, citizenship preparation, and other holistic programs delivered by multilingual staff.
Al Farooq Mosque | Boerum Hill
Islamic Guidance Center | Boerum Hill
The Ahlul Bayt Mosque, or Islamic Guidance Center, is located in a two-story building across the street from Al Farooq Mosque on Atlantic Avenue. The building was constructed around 1900, and the Center has been in the building since 1996. The Guidance Center has an Islamic library and a prayer hall.
Daoud Mosque | Boerum Hill
The Islamic Mission of America, also known as Daoud Mosque, is a historic mosque founded in the 1920s or early 1930s by Sheikh Daoud Al Faisal. Housed in a three-story brownstone at 143 Court Street, the mosque holds five daily prayers, a large Friday congregation, Quranic lessons, and special Ramadan services and community iftars. Open daily, it serves as a welcoming and inclusive center of faith and community engagement.
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Updated: February 12, 2026. Main Image: Malko Karkanni Bros. on Atlantic Avenue, photo by Kelly Carroll, Executive Director of Atlantic Avenue BID.
