The bake our reviewers order first: our own dough filled with spinach sauteed with onion, sumac and lemon, layered with melting cheese and baked until the crust turns gold. Tangy, savoury and vegetarian — and impossible to order just one of.
Spinach fatayer (fatayer sabanekh) is a staple of Palestinian home baking, and the trick is the seasoning: spinach cooked down with onion, then sharpened with sumac and lemon so the filling stays bright instead of flat. We add cheese for a version that pulls when you tear it open.
Everything is baked in our kitchen through the day, so what you pick up is fresh rather than reheated. One reviewer's first two orders from us were the spinach and cheese bread and the chicken shawarma — a pairing we still recommend to anyone ordering from Yafa Café for the first time.
The tang is deliberate. Sumac and lemon lift the spinach so the bake tastes fresh and savoury rather than heavy.
Dough is made in house and baked through the day, which keeps the crust soft with a crisp golden top.
Cut into pieces, it works as an appetizer, a light lunch or part of a vegetarian catering spread.
Order it with a chicken shawarma — the combination our guests recommend — or build a vegetarian table with falafel and za'atar and cheese manakeesh, then finish with Knafeh Nabulsi.
Yafa Café has served homestyle Palestinian street food from 1785 Portage Ave since November 2017. We are open every day from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM for dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering, and we regularly serve guests from Polo Park, the West End, Wolseley, St. James, Silver Heights, Woodhaven, Sargent Park, Daniel McIntyre, Minto, Weston, Brooklands, Deer Lodge and Sturgeon Creek. Order Spinach and Cheese Bread online, call (204) 221-1636, or see the full Yafa Café menu.
Verified diner review
“The first and second order I made was the spinach and cheese bread and the chicken shawarma. This restaurant gets a 5 star without a doubt!”
Regular guest, Winnipeg
“The staff and owners are super friendly and wonderful, the place is super clean and you will always get the best quality of food.”
Verified diner review
“Every time I have eaten food from Yafa Café, I've been blown away by how fresh, delicious, and well portioned the food is. 10/10 restaurant.”
It is a Palestinian-style baked bread — fatayer sabanekh — filled with spinach sauteed with onion, sumac and lemon, plus melted cheese, baked fresh in house.
Yes. It is vegetarian, and like everything in our kitchen it is prepared halal.
Yes. We bake through the day and serve from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM, seven days a week.
Yes. It is one of our most popular vegetarian catering items. Order online or call (204) 221-1636 to arrange trays.
Order online for pickup or delivery anywhere in Winnipeg
Order Online View MenuYafa Café sits on Portage Avenue between Polo Park and Assiniboine Park, with easy parking and quick access from the West End, Wolseley, St. James, Silver Heights, Woodhaven, Deer Lodge and Sturgeon Creek.