New cafe on Bradenton Beach brings all-day breakfast, Middle Eastern flavors to AMI
At Tahini Beach Cafe, which opened this week at 103 Gulf Drive North, it’s all about the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine served in a relaxed, seaside setting.
It’s a family-owned-and-operated restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch anytime of the day. Tahini, named for the sesame seed paste that is used as an ingredient in some of the dishes, was already getting noticed soon after opening.
Maggie Henry, visiting from Boston, found Tahini Beach Cafe online and came for the crabcake with Fattoush salad (romaine, tomato, sumac, onion, cucumber, mint, olive oil and pita chips).
“It was all amazing. I am really excited to find this place online,” she said.
Joining her for lunch was family member Maura Henry.
“Everything was so fresh. The vegetables were crisp and had a nice snap,” Maura said.
Chef Emad Al-Masri was in the kitchen making other meals and could not hear what his guests were saying. But he would have been pleased, putting his reputation for fresh, made-from-scratch meals on the line with each meal.
Al-Masri, who has been a chef for more than 30 years, is joined in the business with his wife, Betsy Hughes, and their daughter Jasmine Al-Masri.
Prior to moving to Florida, the family owned and operated the Buckley House Restaurant, a fine dining establishment in Marietta, Ohio, between 2008 and 2020.
With the pandemic, the family decided to make a lifestyle change and move to the Bradenton-Sarasota area, which they knew well through yearly vacations.
When they learned that Marieke and Christophe Celis had The French Table restaurant on the market, Emad and Betsy knew that they wanted the business.
“We wanted something small — not too large,” Hughes said. And besides, there was the beach, the sea breezes and the Gulf of Mexico just a few feet away on the other side of Gulf Drive.
Tuesday marked the third day of operation for Tahini Beach Cafe, which has 40 seats inside and two tables on the sidewalk.
The family brightened up the decor a bit, and brought in all new kitchen equipment.
While Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine is at the heart of what Chef Emad does, he is a gracious host, as are Betsy and Jasmine, and strives to give guests whatever they request.
The all-day breakfast menu includes shakshuka (diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, eggs your way topped with feta cheese, served with house hash browns and pita or toast), avocado toast, pancakes, French toast, tofu scramble, two-eggs-your way, the Tahini Beach Omelette, smoothies and the oatmeal bake of the day, usually vegan.
The all-day lunch menu includes the falafel sandwich, spinach or cheese pie, chicken or beef shawarma sandwich, lamb burger, Tropicana chicken salad, the Chef’s Favorite Crab Cake, and Mediterranean Fusilli (pasta with broccoli, eggplant, artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and basil garlic olive oil topped with feta.
The appetizers, all-day also, include fattoush salad, Tahini Beach Platter (hummus, baba ghanoush and tabouleh served with pita, French fries with tahini ketchup, watermelon salad, and lentil soup.
Beverages range from mango juice to house hot or cold coffees and teas, Turkish coffee, kombucha and more. Of special note, Tahini serves Boston Stoker Coffee, a bit of Ohio that the owners wanted to introduce to Florida.
The dessert menu includes baklava, rice pudding, mango custard, flourless chocolate torte and crème brulée.
Although it is a little early to say what the bestsellers are, contenders might be the stuffed French toast, the Moroccan-style lentil soup, the Shawarma sandwiches and the smoothies, Hughes said.
Betsy, a career counselor, and Jasmine, an artist, a pilates instructor and intuitive healer, are the faces that customers see in the front of the house. Some of Jasmine’s art is also displayed on the restaurant’s walls.
“We see food as art, and that carries over with Jasmine’s art,” Betsy said.
How does Jasmine view working with family?
“It’s fun. We all bring different strengths and points of view,” Jasmine said.
Tahini Bach Cafe is sensitive to vegan or vegetarian dining needs and to any food issues, just ask, the staff says.
Tahini Beach Cafe is open 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday though Sunday, closed Monday. The restaurant also offers catering and to-go ordering.
For more information, visit tahinibeaccafe.com or call 941-251-4022.
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
CORRECTION: Tahini Beach Cafe is at 103 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach. A previous version of this story contained an incorrect address.
