Open for four years, the New Deal Café in Greenbelt, Md., a Lebanese eatery, has already won radio station WTOP’s “Top 10” best local music venues list, beating out the D.C.’s 9:30 Club and Jammin’ Java.
Abdul Kmaiha, a Lebanese-American, and his wife opened the café on June 24, 2008 after work, including some weeks with 13-hour days. Kmaiha’s wife would arrive every night to help make the desserts, Kmaiha said.
The New Deal Café is located in the Roosevelt Center in Old Greenbelt, providing residents a place to meet and socialize over Lebanese food and desserts. With a bar and stage in the back of the café, the restaurant hosts live music, trivia nights, belly dancers and poetry readings every month.
The café advertises through publications like the Gazette and Greenbelt Patch, in addition to its website and Facebook group. Most of the buzz is generated through the small community and through musicians who have played at the café posting in their own social media outlets.
Kmaiha stressed the importance of providing fresh and home cooked Lebanese food, and using old-fashioned methods for meal preparation. The baked salmon with shrimp sauce is a popular menu item, according to Kmaiha. A local resident Sarah Rothwell said she often orders the lentil soup, and recommends the “awesome” chocolate mousse.
The New Deal Café is planning on offering cooking classes in the future, as well as trying to expand the kitchen to allow customers to watch the food as it is being prepared.
“This place is pretty awesome, that’s why I like coming here. I like the vibe here,” Izzy Mogelgaard said, a guitar player in his New York-based band Dharma Bumz, a group who has played at the café.
While he said the food can be a little pricey, the “not polished” vibe of the café is what keeps him coming back. With seating outside, and a mix of tables and chairs along with couches and lamps inside the café, this atmosphere fosters the small-town, community feel.
Greenbelt resident Lou Arnold did not approve of his first experience with the café, and said he thought some of the prices were too expensive for the portions provided, but he appreciated the friendly service he experienced on his second visit.
“I probably will go back again,” Arnold elaborated, saying the café was convenient for Greenbelt residents.