PlanetEye

Especially in the heat of the summer, light and fresh Middle Eastern food is a perfect dining choice.   Located on a side street between Newbury St. and Boylston St., Café Jaffa is a rarity in the exclusive Back Bay- a sit-down restaurant with reasonably priced, excellent food. It is a warm, welcoming spot with exposed brick walls, worn wood floors and large modern canvas works on the walls.

At Cafe Jaffa the vegetarian entrees are uniformly terrific - flavorful stuffed grape leaves, lemony hummus and a perfectly smoky baba ganoush.  But Café Jaffa really shines with its kebab sandwiches- chunks of chicken, lamb or beef served in pita bread with pickles , lettuce and a drizzle of tahini sauce.  More adventurous types may want to go for the Shishlik (spiced ground beef kebab) or the Schwarma (shaved chicken or beef/lamb) sandwich.

A daily weekday lunch special for $7.50 attracts a steady stream of students, local office workers and conference attendees from the nearby Hynes Convention Center. In the evening, the inexpensive entree prices, dimly -lit romantic atmosphere and decent wine and beer list make Café Jaffa a great little date night place.