Abu Nader Deli & Grocery
Grocery/Bakery/Deli
Hours
Profile
Middle Eastern/Persian
Palestinian Deli and Grocery
They have tabouli, hummus, stuffed grape leaves and falafel.
Added by v.e.g.a.n. on Feb 13 05 (updated Nov 12)
Reviews
I used to live across the street from Abu Nader, and I miss it.
It's a good place near the St. Paul campus to grab a quick bite to eat. My favorites were the falafel sandwich, with some excellent pickled vegetables to give it zest, the kinafeh, and the definitely-not-vegan-by-any-buttery-stretch-of-the-imagination baklava.
After sundown, the lighting is cold and fluorescent, and the tables plain with standard vinyl chairs, but it's not a bad place to eat and read a newspaper. Otherwise, you're probably better off taking things to go.
The grocery section is pretty tiny, but I enjoyed buying mango juice, pomegranate molasses, rosewater, or a brick of inexpensive cardamom coffee every now and then.
This place has some good vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, although they are a bit on the expensive side - they take a lot of work to make, so that's why. They also have an amazing fava bean dip - my husband said it's like Palestinian salsa and I think he's right on. It's great stuff - really potent, and a small tub will last a couple of days if you are content with a few bites at a time. They also have some okay hummus, and their tabouli is pretty good. They have Baba Ganush - but I didn't try it. The worker knew what was vegan when I asked. They have about five tables that were all full when I was there - but really I would recommend getting your food to go anyway, grab some pita and have a picnic at home. Yum.
The falafel here is unusual and deserves recognition. It's not deep-fried and crunchy like at Holy Land Deli, but it's not cheap either (the falafel sandwich at Abu Nader is $7.98 with tax). Indeed, this was the most expensive falafel I've seen in the Twin Cities so far.
That said, I liked how it had a differentiated taste, with more of an emphasis on herbs. The interior was almost creamy, rather than dry and crumbly, and it seemed to be filled with unusual spices/herbs, though I'm not expert enough to identify what the actual ingredients were.
I wasn't a big fan of the way it was served pita-pocket style (I prefer pita wraps), but that's a minor quibble. A bigger issue was that Abu Nader also includes pickles, which is unusual and doesn't, in my opinion, go well with tahini sauce and fried chickpeas. The other ingredients, which included tomato, lettuce and onion, were a much better fit.
The location is convenient, though the store/dining area is kind of bleak and stuffy.