What’s better than indulging in an all-time favorite classic meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Mana’eesh is one of the oldest food traditions to date. For centuries, people have been enjoying the flatbread-based food, which is essentially a meal covering all four food groups in one sitting! But this little eatery is taking the classic mana’eesh to new heights, offering gourmet and bespoke experiences that are made to share, enjoy, and cherish the historical Levantine food in a different light.
Tucked within the upper corner of 4th Ring Road’s Al-Bahar Shopping Center, this central hub is the perfect spot to grab a mouthwatering manou’sheh (singular) for a quick and easy, yet extremely satisfying meal. While you also have the option for just-as-fresh delivery through Carriage, the ambiance of the restaurant alone makes it worth visiting. It’s quiet and small, yet welcoming, with modern, simplistic décor and hanging testimonials surrounding the room to give you inspiration and an education on what you’ll be enjoying. It’s also the perfect setting to enjoy your food in peace with a stream of gorgeous light flooding the floor-to-ceiling windows adorning the bar tables and a spectacular view of the hustle and bustle of Kuwait’s urban flow.
Additional tables are scattered throughout the room, built in a way to connect to others depending on how big the group of people you’re dining with is. Each table features a hollowed-out ditch modeled to fit the shape of the freshly made mana’eesh perfectly, serving as a built-in shelter to place your manou’sheh. With only a piece of hygienic food wrapping paper placed underneath your pre-sliced manou’sheh, there’s no need to worry about spillage, dirty plates or waste with utensils! (However, if you insist on enjoying this traditionally handheld food with a fork and knife, the staff will happily oblige within your request.) Talk about efficiency, and eco-friendliness!
Now let’s talk about the best part: the mana’eesh. Mana’eesh Inc prides itself in handcrafting each manou’sheh from scratch, and baking it to order. None of their ingredients are ever frozen, and with each bite, freshness and quality exude.
The dough used to make the mana’eesh is executed in a specific way designed to make the base delightfully fluffy and tender. Made daily in the Mana’eesh Inc, it is hand-rolled perfection, and serves as the premium base that is set to make all your mana’eesh dreams come true.
So, how is your mana’eesh going to be made? There are limitless possibilities on their menu, which is divided into two sections: Make Your Own, and Our Favorites. Making your own means endless options from protein to veggies and additional toppings, and they even promote a “why have one when you can have two?” ethos, giving you the choice to bespoke a manou’sheh half-and-half style, with different toppings meeting down the middle.
If you’re short on ideas and would rather opt for one of their favorites, they have a selection of stellar combinations, four of which we’ve tried. The Za’atar and Bulgari mana’eesh, topped with cherry tomatoes and Bulgarian feta cheese, then baked to perfection in Mana’eesh Inc’s specialty electric oven was hands down, as a loyal za’atar enthusiast, my favorite. There’s something about the way quality Palestinian za’atar is spread on dough to make mana’eesh that just hits the spot, and coupled with piping hot cherry tomato that oozes the right amount of tanginess, adding to the earthy flavor.
Another favorite we tried was za’atar’s preferred cheesy counterpart, a simple halloum mana’eesh, made with hand-shredded halloumi cheese and topped with fresh za’atar leaves after being baked. If you’ve never had the extreme pleasure of trying fresh za’atar, then this is a combination I highly recommend.
All of you carnivores at heart will appreciate this one: they have meaty options, with the famous “lahmajeen” base, (otherwise labeled on their menu as “meat”), sprinkled with fresh pomegranate gems on top for maximum indulgence. Pro tip: Mana’eesh Inc gives you the option of sprinkling a little something on top of your finished product for extra seasoning – ask to get some sumac spice on there and you won’t regret it.
And one of the most innovative creations they had on offer for us to sample? A Halloum and Egg manou’sheh topped with mixed peppers! Truly the breakfast of champions, the egg melted into the halloumi cheese perfectly, egg-enthusiasts will find this incredibly pleasing.
Other than handcrafted mana’eesh, Mana’eesh Inc’s menu offers lovely, light salads to whet your appetites, and offer you satisfaction by making use of the Levant’s fresh mixtures of excellent produce to create a wonderfully balanced meal. Help yourself to a Levant Salad, with Bulgari Cheese: the Eastern Mediterranean answer to the infamous Greek Salad, traditional Levantine Tabbouleh salad, or every household’s favorite, a Fattoush salad. All of these great salads truly are the perfect counterpart to your mana’eesh.
Another great appetizer is the addictive mini pita bread bites served with their delicious labneh or homemade hummus. The bread bites, fluffy and light, are a clear product of their signature dough, and provide the perfect consistency for dipping.
These bread bites are also used as a base for their sole dessert, Ushta Honey Bites. Made with the creamiest scoops of fresh ushta cream placed delicately atop each fluffly piece of bread, drizzled with organic honey and dusted with pistachio, these bites serve as the ideal dessert to end your Mana’eesh experience on a sweet and authentic note.
Mana’eesh Inc strives to bring something completely different to Kuwait. This original concept brings a long-loved tradition to gourmet levels and uses only the best ingredients to make their mana’eesh come alive. From pure Palestinian za’atar and sumac, Lebanese dairy products like cheese, labneh and laban ayran buttermilk drinks, to the local produce used as toppings and in their salads, you know that every bite embraces history, quality and freshness that will only make you love traditional mana’eesh even more. Friday morning breakfast, anyone?
Mana’eesh Inc is located in Al Bahar Shopping Center, on Tunis Street in Hawalli. Get your mana’eesh delivered through Carriage. Follow them on Instagram @mana’eeshinc.
