Baytea (112 Foregate street) is one of the latest restaurants to join the city’s booming dining scene . “Baytea” means “home” in Arabic, with the owners the Abdullatif family, who originate from Libya seeking to bring something unique to Chester. The menu takes inspiration from the Middle East and North Africa and influences from Europe, Turkey and Asia. nd Asia.
Amna Abdullatif, who runs the restaurants social media told us that the family business started off as concept: ” trying to bring Arab food to Chester. We were researching the area, and my brother thought there was something missing. We come from a big foodie family , that probably enjoys its food a bit too much at times! We created the menu based on things that people are familiar with as well as bringing in some new, less familiar items. ”
“We are trying to bring our home to Chester and some of the ways in which we would eat and enjoy food. We have grilled meat and kebabs, all marinated daily in special ingredients. We also have shawarma which we do ourselves, its not like the ones you’d get in a takeaway. We want to make sure our products are as fresh as possible so we know exactly what goes in it. We have a host of starters, thing like Baba Ghannouj , which is an aubergine dip, hummus , halloumi fries, buruk (a deep fried pastry).”
Main courses from the Baytea special menu include the bestselling Meatball Tagine. ” We are trying to bring in some of the Libyan influences, its not a taste that people are familiar with. One of the next things is a Libyan couscous , Libyans don’t have it with vegetables the same way Moroccans have it. We have it with a very thick onion and chickpea sauce. As people are getting to know us, we are finding that people are more willing to come and try some new things. Everyone has told us they’re grateful in terms of having some different cuisine.” Baytea also offers a range of pizzas with an Arabic twist.
” Our chef is amazing, 20 years experience…She makes everything daily from A to Z!” comments family friend Farag Saad.
Baytea are participating in the first CH1 BID restaurant week which runs from the 12th to 20th January. Alongside the launch of a new vegan menu, they are offering 10% off on takeaway/collection as well as £14 2 course meal offer.
“Visit us and give us your feedback. We’re interested in trying out some theme nights, Libyan food is very different to Egyptian or Moroccan food. One of the things I wanted to do was to change people’s perspective on the Arabic world. When I think of Libya I don’t think in terms of what the BBC reports on, civil war and unrest…I think about my childhood and all the amazing places, not many people know about because Libya is not the kind of place people see beyond conflict. Hopefully we can be a space to educate as well as enjoying different types of food.”
The Chester blog 