New KC Mediterranean grocery, bakery, cafe (and sometimes buffet) opens
.jpg "Zaytoona is a Mediterranean market, cafe and bakery.")
The owners of a longtime Mediterranean cafe have opened a new market, cafe and restaurant — all under one roof.
The Olive Zaytoona (“zaytoona” means “olive” in Arabic) opened in a spacious building at 8015 Bannister Road. Jerusalem native Salah Mansi owns the building, while his wife Nijma Mansi owns Zaytoona. They also own Olive Cafe at 9530 James A Reed Road but are looking to sell that space.
Olive Cafe has been around for 20 years. At one time, it had another spot at 3927 Broadway Blvd., which opened seven years after the original James A Reed spot.
On one side, an industrial bakery mass produces pita bread and other goods. (This portion is closed to the public, though customers can taste the products in the cafe.)
The middle section of the building is filled with Mediterranean produce, meat and dry goods. Some of the harder-to-find items that the market carries include imported Palestinian olive oil (Salah insists the one he carries is the purest grade), canned fava beans, date-filled maamoul cookies, grape leaves and a variety of Arabic candies.
Everything is kosher and halal, Salah said.
Then there’s the cafe side. Customers walk up to a counter and order hummus platters, shawarma, kebabs or some of the other menu items. They can enjoy their food inside the seating area or take it to go.
Salah said it’ll have many of the favorites customers loved at Olive Cafe, plus some new offerings. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, it’ll offer buffet-style service.
He’s seeing that side of the space as a relocation of his longtime restaurant.
Photos of his beloved home city of Jerusalem are plastered around the cafe.
He’s hoping his new spot will draw in the high Muslim population nearby. The Islamic Center of Greater Kansas City is nearby at 8501 E. 99th St.
Zaytoona will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
A few more Mediterranean restaurants have opened in the Kansas City metro recently.
Zhoug Mediterranean opened a month ago in the former d’Bronx space at 39th and Bell.
This month, Lebanese restaurant Nour’s opened in Westport at 3855 Warwick Blvd.