Restaurateur Abdul Elenani of Al Badawi and Ayat is planning to open up more outposts of both concepts in New York City and New Jersey in the near future.
He opened his first Palestinian restaurant Ayat, which is a fast-casual concept, with his wife Ayat Masoud in Bay Ridge in fall 2021. A year later, he partnered with Akram Nassir who owns Yemen Cafe in Brooklyn to debut an expanded sit-down concept called Al Badawi, which is set to open up its second and third outposts in the Upper East Side and Somerville, New Jersey, this fall. He also plans to open new outposts of Ayat in the East Village and Williamsburg.
“For me, food isn’t enough to keep me driven,” Elenani told Eater two years ago. “There has to be a bigger purpose and the bigger purpose is to bring awareness to the culture of Palestine. That it’s an actual country, that actually exists and has for thousands of years.”
Al Badawi has Levantine staples such as mezze platters, as well as unique dishes such as malfouf, Middle Eastern-style flatbread pizzas with various regional toppings, fasolia, a green bean and beef tomato stew, bamia, a tomato stew with okra and beef, and ouzi, a rice dish with meat and vegetables. Elenani has said he strives to support Palestinian farms when he can, noting that Palestinians need support while suffering under Israeli occupation. He also owns a farm in Pittstown, New Jersey, where he sources many of his meats.
There have been numerous accounts of the state of Israel setting fire to Palestinian agricultural fields, as well as demolishing homes and villages. Israel also holds economic power over occupied Palestine, often forcing Palestinians to be dependent on their oppressor for social and economic mobility, which is a common feature of settler-colonial regimes.
The Palestinian restaurant has previously received an onslaught of hate because of how it highlights the country’s culture and speaks out against human rights violations committed against its people.
The human rights non-governmental organization Amnesty International released a report last year stating that Israel is an apartheid state that imposes a system of oppression and domination against Palestinians. Prior to that numerous Palestinian organizations, political bodies and activists, as well Israeli human rights groups such as B’Tselem, made the same argument.
Following the Second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israel that lasted from 2000–2005 and led to the death of approximately 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis, Palestinian activists founded Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), which is a non-violent resistance movement that seeks to pressure Israel into making concessions through economic sanctions. Supporters of Palestine are encouraged to stop buying and consuming Israeli products. An ever-growing list is available on the BDS website.
The serial restaurateur debuted a new Italian concept Fatta Mano in Bay Ridge last year, and also founded the coffee shop chain Cocoa Grinder in 2013, which has multiple outposts in Brooklyn.
