Safta’s Table by Chef Alon Shaya is a casual Mediterranean restaurant that opened recently in Lakeview. This spot mixes the Mediterranean style that other Shaya locations are known for with Southern influence and quicker options, like pita sandwiches and grab-and-go snacks. Open at 7 a.m. each morning, Safta’s Table also serves coffee and bakery items. With a name that translates to grandmother’s table from Hebrew, I visited hoping to leave full and happy.
Neha Chand
Shaya is a James Beard Award–winning chef and founder of Saba, a modern Israeli restaurant in Uptown New Orleans. He also operates Miss River and Safta in Denver through his hospitality group, Pomegranate Hospitality.
Located in a shopping center and next to Robert’s Fresh Market, Safta’s Table has a prime set up for grabbing and going. The exterior is painted with flowers, giving a homey vibe with bike parking and outdoor tables available. Inside, you must order at the counter and take your number to your table. There is more focus on breakfast and lunch options than at Saba, so I decided to go for brunch.
I ordered a small iced chai for $4.50, a small iced cold brew for $4 and a tahini chocolate chip cookie for $3. The iced chai wasn’t great, with a rather mild chai flavor that tasted watered down, even on my first sip.
The tahini chocolate chip cookie was the star of the show for me, with a bit of sea salt on top and a great texture, and, most importantly, loads of chocolate chunks in each bite. For people who like a crispy outer layer without sacrificing a gooey interior, this is a cookie to try.
For main dishes, I got the boreka — a savory pastry — for $12 and the breakfast hummus for $12. Even just a few days after their opening, I found the service to be fast; the food came out just few minutes after ordering.
Neha Chand
The hummus came with pita, topped with a poached egg, tomato, mushroom, tahini and spicy chili zhoug. I thought that the hummus ended up being very wet, with the tahini, tomato, olive oil and egg yolk all combining. Unfortunately, this meant that the texture of thick hummus I love got lost in the sauce — literally. The spicy chili zhoug wasn’t very spicy or flavorful at all, which would have helped the dish.
The boreka was an exciting addition to this menu, as this isn’t a dish I normally find at spots in New Orleans. Unfortunately, it had similar flavor issues to the hummus. This flaky puff pastry was covered with sesame seeds, stuffed with spinach and feta and served with a side of grated tomato and spicy chili zhoug. The tomato had no salt — which was an odd choice for a sauce — and the spicy chili zhoug had the same flavor issue I found in my other dish.
Overall, I thought the bakery items and the grab-and-go options were the most worthwhile. Located a short walk from Bucktown Marsh Boardwalk and Lakeshore Park, I would stop by Safta’s Table to grab some snacks and enjoy the sunset. However, I think I’ll generally be sticking to Saba’s happy hour or other Mediterranean spots for my hummus fix.
Dining and Cooking