Yafo: ‘A boozy addition to Bristol’s flourishing falafel scene’ – restaurant review

Anyone who lives in Bristol will know that our city is a mecca for falafel-lovers.

The birthplace of Eat a Pitta, the ever-expanding and much-loved chain of falafel eateries is just one example of the popularity of the herby Middle Eastern delicacies.

Edna’s Kitchen offers an open-air experience specialising in wraps and salad bowls accompanied by views of Castle Park.

Even the humble M&M Kebabs dishes up delicious crunchy falafel burgers for take-away until the early hours on St. Augustine’s Parade.

And now there is one more for the bucket list.

Yafo is conveniently located in the heart of Bedminister, overlooking the Lounge – photo by Betty Woolerton

New kid on the block since December is Yafo, whose smiley staff and vibrant plates of food enveloped two hungry diners into a warm embrace in the face of biting and drizzly Southville on a recent afternoon.

Diverting from most other falafel-based emporiums in Bristol which offer take-away and casual dining, this cafe-cum-restaurant brings the cuisine up a notch by pairing an array of falafel and hummus-based dishes with local craft beer, gin and wines.

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On leaving the bustle of North Street and stepping inside, staff greet diners with New Year pleasantries and offer laminated menus fixed to cardboard clipboards.

With empty tins of pickled cabbage holding the cutlery, exposed red brick walls and yellow light bulbs dangling from the ceiling, the décor is rustic yet thought-out.

Yafo is filled with over a dozen people, but one of the waiting staff comments it’s the quietest day she’s ever worked since its opening last year.

Facing the window overlooking Lounge, a trio of diners sip pints of Bristol Beer Factory’s Independence and share plates so tempting-looking that even their floppy-eared basset hound whimpers with jealousy at their feet.

In another corner, a family of four deliberate over dishes on three menus: authentic shuk menu, morning from the shuk and manot from the falafalia.

The morning menu, served between 8am and midday, is headed by the elaborate Yafo breakfast – labneh, vegan Balkan cheese, tahina, avocado, Yafo salad, olives, slow hard-boiled egg and frena bread (£10.50).

In what for years was DR Butt butchers, the main menu at Yafo offers a myriad of ways to eat falafel (nestled in a pitta or laffa wrap, or accompanied by labneh) as well as serving up fried cauliflower, shakshuka and vegan shawarma.

Small dishes include Arabic olives and homemade pickles (£3.95), fried pitta chips (£4.95) and a Yafo rice bowl (£3.95).

The salad bowl provided the perfect flavour balance of tangy pickles, bitter tahini and salty falafels

Opt for a falafel salad bowl (£7.50) and Yafo serves a wonderfully balanced plate of fried chickpea balls and fresh salads swathed in tahini dressing. The star of the plate is the hummus-  bitter with tahini and impossibly smooth.

“Would you like any more chillies?”, asked one server, lowering a board laden with their zaatar bread with tomato fil-fel h’arr and labneh (£4.95) onto the little table.

The zaatar bread, one of Yafo’s small plates which is messy but worth it

The herbaceous and tangy flat bread drip is draped in sesame seeds and creamy sauces- and designed to be torn apart by impatient hands.

With the waiting staff singing along to the pop music softly emanating from the sound system, there was just enough room in the bellies of two diners for a sweet treat.

A maamoul, one of Yafo’s authentic morsals for dessert

Opting for an authentic maamoul, the delicate date-filled cookie proved to be a nutty delicacy that melted in the mouth and was the perfect companion to a steaming oat milk flat white.

With a well-rounded menu of small dishes, bigger plates, local drinks and sweet treats, Yafo slots in perfectly to North Street’s vibrant collection of cafes and restaurants, and is a welcome boozy addition to Bristol’s flourishing falafel scene.

Yafo, 238 North Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 1JD
www.yafo.co.uk

All photos by Betty Woolerton

Read more: Jack the Falafel: ‘Possibly the best jackfruit curry in Bristol’ – cafe review

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