It Happens Here: Boston's only Yemeni restaurant is 'about food and culture'
BOSTON - Bab Al-Yemen is a restaurant in Kenmore Square that specializes in authentic Yemeni food and when you walk in, you should be ready for a one of a kind dining experience.
"Bab Al Yemen means 'gates of Yemen' and this is actually a gate that surrounds an old city of Yemen," owner Ahmed Mahmood told WBZ-TV.
"When I actually started this place, I was making sure that it's not just about food. It's about food and culture as well."
This Yemeni restaurant is the only one of its kind in Boston. Mahmood feels it's his responsibility to keep everything authentic, from the decor and the Arabic seating to the vibrant colors and the many pictures that depict life in Yemen.
There's also an abundance of teas.
"Yemen has different types of teas. There is the mint tea, which, everybody has that. The difference is that we add cardamom and different spices to it," Mahmood said.
And then there's the food.
"The most powerful secret I have is my mother," he told WBZ.
Ahmed sat me down for an authentic Yemen breakfast of eggs, beans and fava beans, hummus and pureed eggplant. The beans are his favorite.
"You start with onions, over oil, add the tomatoes and then add the paste. When you sit down, breaking bread together, it kind of brings people closer. They feel for other cultures, they understand other cultures, aside from any other views or any other negative things that might come up in the news. So, I'm trying to show that good side," Mahmood said.
For more information, visit their website.
