Bêkas Cafê
Bêkas Cafê on London Road was Liverpool's first Kurdish café when it opened in 2021. Run by a mother and daughter, it is known for homemade baklava and date-filled kleicha, full Kurdish breakfasts and Kurdish coffee, and it sits a short walk from Lime Street and the Metropolitan Cathedral.
Photos
Zahraa Khalaf
The bakes
Baklava and kleicha are the signatures. Warda, who came to Liverpool as a refugee, bakes them with ghee and pistachios, while Dwen makes the cakes and cupcakes. Kleicha are date-filled pastries with a soft centre and a crisp outside, and they are the thing to try if you have not had them before.
Breakfast and coffee
The full Kurdish breakfast brings eggs, yoghurt, tahini and two cheeses with Kurdish bread. Some British favourites get a twist, such as kaymak cream in place of cream cheese, and vegan ghee is available. Kurdish coffee is made from roasted terebinth, a relative of the pistachio, with evaporated milk: milder and smoother than you might expect.
Why go
The café was set up as a welcoming space, especially for Kurdish women, and as a way to share Kurdish culture with the city. It is in the Fabric District near both universities, so it suits a break between the Metropolitan Cathedral and St George's Hall, or a box of pastries to take away. Most ingredients, including the ghee, are brought in from Iraq, which is part of why the pastries taste so different from supermarket baklava. The decor nods to Kurdish culture, and the logo is based on a sketch of the poet Sherko Bekas.
Highlights
- Liverpool's first Kurdish café (2021)
- Homemade baklava and kleicha
- Full Kurdish breakfast
- Kurdish terebinth coffee
- Family-run, mostly women-led team
Good to know
- Vegan ghee available for vegan options.
- Bespoke cakes and cupcakes made to order.
- Short walk from Lime Street station.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: fabricdistrict.co.uk