Emma’s Snack Bar

Emma’s Snack Bar sits alone among houses on the border of Enmore and Stanmore. It’s popular with locals who make special menu requests of owner Anthony Sofy. His Lebanese customers ask for traditional dishes such as kibbeh nayeh: a raw, minced-lamb dish and sambusak: half-moon pastries with mince meat. The smoky baba ganoush was taken off the menu but the requests came in thick and strong, and Sofy had to put it back on, along with the famous Moorish chicken, marinated and served with red onion and creamy garlic sauce.

The menu also offers Lebanese street food, such as fish with fattoush and egg and lamb kebab – a breakfast dish.

Bring a bottle of red along or choose a theme-based wine (from floral and friendly to big and heartwarming), beer, pear cider or arak (a Levantine spirit of aniseed persuasion). Make sure to get there early, or alternatively, later – on Friday and Saturday nights the place fills fast with a kid-friendly dining crowd. It does get a little rowdy in the small space but the atmosphere is like eating at a home with all the family invited.