New eatery marks First Friday

If you’re looking for fresh flavours on First Fridays, you’re in luck.

The owners of Winnipeg hookah lounge and restaurant Habibiz Café are celebrating the grand opening of their second location today. Situated at the corner of McDermot Avenue and Albert Street, the eatery is opening just in time for the monthly Exchange District celebration that sees shops and galleries stay open later than usual.

“Ever since our third or fourth year in, we’ve been looking for a new spot,” said Ali Zeid, who owns the restaurants with his brother, Sammy Zeid. “The Exchange District is a core hub of Winnipeg.”

The brothers signed the lease for 225 McDermot Ave., formerly the home of Shawarma Khan, on April 1.

They’ve been renovating since then, installing new flooring and equipment, bringing in new tables and chairs, and adding a marbled acrylic wall with a blue neon sign bearing the restaurant’s name.

The 1,500-square-foot eatery will have six to 10 employees and seat around 25 guests, Sammy said.

The menu features the same authentic Middle Eastern and halal food the brothers serve at the first Habibiz Café, located close to Rae & Jerry’s Steak House at 1373 Portage Ave.

There won’t be any hookah — a water pipe that is used to smoke shisha, a mixture of tobacco and molasses, sugar or fruit — in the new restaurant for now, but that might change, Ali said.

His hope for the new restaurant is the same hope he’s had for the Portage Avenue location.

“Just grow and keep serving Palestinian and Middle Eastern cuisine with our Canadian touch,” he said.

Ali, 32, and Sammy, 30, are the youngest of six boys born to Palestinian-born parents. Sammy was a Red Seal mechanic until a 2018 trip to Quebec inspired him to put down his tools.

While visiting Montreal with a group of friends, the youngest Zeid was exposed to hookah lounges. After returning to Winnipeg, he couldn’t stop thinking about these spots where people gathered to smoke, talk and play cards.

“When he came back, he kept talking about hookah lounge, hookah lounge, hookah lounge,” recalled Ali, who was working with newcomers at the time.

Sammy convinced his brother to join him in starting a lounge and restaurant of their own. They named it by taking the word “habibi,” a term of endearment used across the Arab world that means “my love” or “loved one,” and adding a ‘z’ at the end for Zeid.

The first café opened in October 2020. It’s 3,000 sq. ft., employs 10 to 15 people and seats more than 80 guests. The brothers use recipes that have been passed down for generations on their mother’s side of the family, Ali said.

At the beginning of January, vandals smashed the front windows of the Portage Avenue café and left behind a racist note.

It was devastating and hurtful, Ali said. At the same time, he was touched by the community’s response. People from all walks of life stopped in, called and sent messages to show their support.

“We were born and raised in St. James. Never left St. James,” Ali said. “So knowing that the community was there for us and had our backs made us want to strive even more and grow even more.”

Rod Sasaki owns Warehouse Artworks at 222 McDermot Ave. He’s glad the Zeids are setting up shop in the Exchange District, where he’s operated his business since 1979.

“The more (restaurants), the better,” Sasaki said. “It just generates traffic. The more people on the street, the safer it is.”

Ali says that he spent a lot of time in the Exchange District in his 20s, so in some ways, it feels like home. “We want to grow with the community.”

The grand opening takes place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Opening day deals include $5 wraps and any platter for $10, Ali said.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca