Should we start calling the pocket in West Philly around 45th and Walnut “Little Beirut” or maybe “New Lebanon”? The corner is anchored by the Association of Islamic Charity Projects mosque on the northeast corner, Saad’s Halal Restaurant on the southwest corner and now Manakeesh, a Lebanese bakery and cafe, in the old bank building on the southeast corner.

After much anticipation, Manakeesh, named after its most popular dish, opened this week with a dazzling interior and vast assortment of Lebanese fare. The menu is built on the manakeesh, a Lebanese flatbread sandwich that is made to order in front of you. The standard manakeesh features zaatar, a mixture of thyme and olive oil spread on the bread before it is baked. Other traditional favorites are the cheese manakeesh, which includes an assortment of vegetables, and the lahm bajeen – minced lamb.

These are just three of the nearly 20 different kinds of manakeesh made to order. Some have a distinctly American twist, like manakeesh with pastrami or sausage, egg and cheese. But as vital as the manakeesh is to the menu, this place has a lot more to offer, including several kinds of baklava, cakes, salads and coffee. Oh the coffee. Perhaps the most prominent feature behind the counter at Manakeesh, besides the exceedingly friendly staff and the brick oven shipped over from Lebanon, is the Mac Daddy of espresso machines – the Excelsior. It’s orange and chrome and looks like something that might have come out of a Detroit auto factory in the 1950s.

Yunis Ali works the Excelsior.

The general manager of Manakeesh, Abd Ghazzawi, essentially grew up in the neighborhood. He attended the mosque school across the street from Manakeesh and has invited some of his old friends to work at the cafe. The result is an inviting atmosphere with a lot of chatter. That, he said, is the point. Ghazzawi hopes that Manakeesh becomes more than a cafe and bakery, but a “community centerpiece.” You can hear much more on his thoughts about the neighborhood around Manakeesh and the cafe itself in the interview below.

So stop by and give Abd and the others a hearty mabrouk (congratulations in Arabic). It’s been a long wait, but it was worth it. Here is the full menu.

Interview with Abd Ghazzawi:

Most of us have seen the Lebanese bakery and cafe take shape for the past several months at the old bank building on the southeast corner of 45th and Walnut. It appears the wait will be over on Monday. We don’t have a lot of details yet, but the Manakeesh is scheduled to open at 6 a.m. lunchtime (1 or 2 we’re told) on Jan. 17.

A “manakeesh” is a Lebanese flatbread sandwich and is the featured food item on the menu. There will be 14 kinds of manakeesh, both vegetarian and meat (halal, of course). A variety of soups, coffees and sweets (baklava!) are also on the menu.

Here is the full menu.

There are still a couple of hours left to catch today’s winter edition of the Clark Park Farmer’s Market. Several hearty vendors have braved the snow to offer some fresh vegetables, bread, eggs and the like. The market runs until 2 p.m. today.

Markets/Bakeries

Milk and Honey Market (4435 Baltimore Ave.)
Dec. 24. – Close at 4 p.m.
Dec. 25 – Closed.

Supremo Shop ‘n Bag (4301 Walnut St.)
Dec. 24 – 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Dec. 25 – 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Mariposa Food Co-op (4726 Baltimore Ave.)
Dec. 24 – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Dec. 25 – Closed

Fresh Grocer (4001 Walnut St.)
Dec. 25. – Regular hours (24 hours)

CVS (4314 Locust St.)
Dec. 25 – Store – Regular hours, Pharmacy – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Pubs, restaurants and cafes

Local 44 (4333 Spruce St.)
Closed Dec. 24-25

Green Line Cafe
Baltimore Avenue and Locust Street locations • Dec. 24 – Close at 6 p.m., Dec. 25 – Closed.
Powelton • Dec. 24 – Close at 2 p.m., Dec. 25 – Closed

Cafe Clave (4305 Locust St.)
Dec. 24 – Close at 1ish
Dec. 25 – Closed

Satellite Cafe (701 S. 5oth St.)
Dec. 24 – Close early afternoonish
Dec. 25 – Closed

Koch’s (4309 Locust St.)
24 – 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
25 – Closed

Beer, Wine and Liquor

Wine and Spirits shops
Baltimore Ave
Dec. 24 – 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Dec. 25 – Closed

Market Street
Dec. 24 – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Dec. 25 – Closed

Brewer’s Outlet (309 S. 48th)
Dec. 25 – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

University City Beverage (4300 Walnut St.)
Dec. 24 – Regular hours
Dec. 25 – “I don’t know, maybe we’ll open for a little bit.”

Tom McCusker makes some damn fine tacos and now Channel 10 knows it too. Oooo, and he wants to make and bottle his own hot sauce. Bring it on Honest Tom.

Mill Creek Farm (4901 Brown Street) will hold its annual fundraiser today from 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center (640 Water Works Drive) – behind the Art Museum. The farm is “an educational urban farm dedicated to improving local access to fresh produce, building a healthy community and environment, and promoting a just and sustainable food system,” according to its website. A non-profit, the farm is an important part of West Philadelphia and it relies on this annual fundraiser for a substantial chunk of its budget. In addition to growing food, the farm conducts community workshops and youth employment programs.

The fundraiser will include the debut of West Philly Grown, a documentary about the farm. A silent auction will also be held (holiday gifts perhaps? hmmm?). Live music will be provided by The Bro’s Perspective, a jazz fusion trio, as well as by violinist Carlos Santiago and harpist Mary O’Malley. As if that isn’t enough, there’s also going to be food and drink from Philadelphia Brewing Company, Dock Street Brewing Co., Art in the Age, Bar Ferdinand, Beau Monde and Honest Tom’s Taco Shop. That is a substantial line-up. Holy smokes, I’m salivating just writing this.

Now, it’s a fundraiser so it ain’t free. Tickets are $25 (cash/check) and are available at the door.