Coffee News

Mediterranean coffee shop brings diverse flavors to Richardson

Coffee and croissant at La Souq.

Photo courtesy of La Souq

There's a new coffee shop in Richardson, and it is quaint, bright, and lovely. Called La Souq, it is located at 150 W. Main St. in Richardson, as one of the retailers in the new Belt & Main apartment complex.

La Souq is owned by Hira Siddiqui and husband Mateen Husain. The couple has roots in Pakistan but met in Dubai, then moved to Dallas in 2021, where they are raising their family. The shop is inspired by their time in the Middle East, with a modern, inviting space, and minimalistic resort vibes.

“We chose Richardson because of its diversity. We knew that we are not going to get one type of crowd," Hira says.

They roast their own coffee, with a small-batch electronic roaster that is displayed in the main area. Their source their coffee mostly from Mexico, Brazil and Guatemala for now, but they plan to expand to offer more single-origin options.

Their coffee menu carries all the traditional drinks, with a few specialty options such as:

Za’atar W’Zeit Latte: with thyme and olive oil
Habibti Latte: with rose and cardamom
Fig and Cinnamon Latte
Halwa Latte: with maple syrup, tahini, pistachio and Arabic cotton candy

They serve specialty tea sourced locally from Chaiwali and made-in-house refreshers such as apricot Amar-El-Dine, Zaher Lemonade with orange blossom and Lemon-Basil iced tea.

La Souq La Souq coffee has a beautiful interior.La Souq

The food menu was designed by Lebanese Chef Ali Zbeeb and it includes a variety of gourmet toasts, from savory like the Alaskan Aurora (brie cheese, smoked salmon, tomato, baby cornichons, capers, dill and fig reduction) to sweet like the Baraka Bites (almond butter, banana, dates, baraka seeds, pistachios and honey).

They offer desserts, including Turkish Cakes, Tiramisu or Labne and Fig Cheesecake, and a pudding called Aish El Saraya. They source pastries from rotating local vendors such as La Casita Bakeshop and Bresnan Bread and Pastry in McKinney, among others.

La Souq also features a market (souq/souk in Arabic, which gives the same to the shop), with an assortment of rotating products, from antique vases displayed on a main wall as part of the design of the shop, to Palestinian olive oil and Yemeni honey, which is used in their recipes. “We try to make it meaningful by supporting women-owned businesses”, Hira says. They additionally support women entrepreneurship with regular events where women can sell their products, or host painting or cake-decorating workshops, among other crafts.

The shop keeps long, customer-friendly hours: Monday-Friday from 8:30 am to 10 pm, and even later until 11:30 pm on Friday and Saturday.

“We had a very clear vision of what we wanted, and it is coming to life very nicely. We love seeing people taking video of the space and spending time here," Hira says.

Shawarma News

Kebab concept Doner Shack comes to Texas with location in Prosper

Doner Shack

A new doner kebab chain is coming to town: Called Doner Shack, it's a quick-service restaurant concept based in the U.K. which is opening its first location in Texas in Prosper. The restaurant has yet to be built, so the opening date is still TBA. But according to a release, it will open in a shopping center at the intersection of Teel Parkway and University Drive, on the northwest corner, kitty corner from the PGA Golf Resort.

Doner Shack says it was built with one goal: to become the world’s leading kebab brand. No mention of the food, but what they're really pushing is franchising. Founders are chef Sanjeev Sanghera and Laura Bruce, who own three stores in the U.K., and who were inspired after an "epic 48-hour trip to Berlin" where the culture and kebabs blew their minds "in the best way possible." Hopefully that means the food is good.

Doner kebab is the dish of Turkish origin made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. It's popular in Germany because there's a large Turkish population there. Competitors — many of whom have expanded to DFW — include Halal Guys, Nick the Greek, The Great Greek, Spitz Mediterranean Grill, Soulard Gyro, and German Doner Kebab.

Doner Shack's menu features the original doner kebab with beef on Turkish bread and salad, and then varieties such as chicken, or beef with chili sauce, or a vegetarian with fried halloumi cheese.

In addition to doner kebabs, there are also chicken tenders served with crinkle cut fries; slider-size sandwiches with fried chicken or with shaved beef; and loaded fries, topped with the same assortment of meats.

Bringing it to Texas is franchisee group Gyro N Philly LLC, led by Hassan Zaman who says in a statement that they're delighted to bring Doner Shack to Prosper.

"With the new PGA headquarters across the street, a high school with over 30,000 students, and the upcoming Universal Kids Theme Park just minutes away, we believe this is a home run location," he says. For good food, one hopes.

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