On April 16, Baba Nahm — the popular downtown Middle Eastern street food restaurant that closed in July 2024 — posted a reel on social media featuring chef/co-owner Brian Smith skillfully juggling three lemons.
The intent of the attention-grabber was to announce that Baba Nahm is again open for business, relocated from its former 1,400-square-foot spot on the Page Avenue side of the Grove Arcade to a much larger space at 60 Biltmore Ave.
Smith says juggling — a skill he’s had since youth — is easy-peasy compared to what he and his wife and business partner, chef Laura Smith, have been through to get the new site up and running. “We planned on September, but installing a commercial kitchen with a 16-foot hood system in a historic building with tenants above and below us it the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Brian says. “Then there was [Tropical Storm] Helene.”
It’s not the Smiths’ first restaurant rodeo. In 2015, the couple took over ownership of Rezaz, a Mediterranean fine-dining mainstay in Biltmore Village; the debilitating effects of COVID-19 caused its demise in February 2021. They then shifted their focus to Baba Nahm, which they had opened with chef Reza Setayesh in 2017.
“We loved that little space, but the kitchen really limited what we could do, and the seating only worked for counter service and grab-and-go,” Brian says. “It was time for us to get back into a big restaurant.”
In addition to supersized kitchen capacity, the new Baba Nahm doubles the previous footprint, with seating for about 75 at the bar, banquettes, tables and sofra — the custom-made community table that was a focal point at Rezaz.
Full service for breakfast, lunch and eventually dinner is the new protocol; from the bar, expect wine by the glass, local craft beer and Med-style cocktails.
Did someone say breakfast? “This is a new thing for us,” Brian says. “We wanted to ease into it and be sure we know what we’re doing.”
Starting at 7 a.m., diners will find eggs (sourced from Dry Ridge Farm) fried in olive oil, a breakfast laffah wrap (herbed scrambled eggs, Baba fries, crumbled pork sausage, feta and hot or sweet sauce), Turkish bagels (knot-shaped and topped with black and white sesame seeds), Moroccan doughnuts and more baked goods from Laura, who trained in pastry.
An all-day menu runs 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., featuring some of Baba Nahm’s greatest hits, such as Baba fries, build-your-own Baba Bowls, pita sandwiches and wraps. New additions include kebabs (chicken and lamb/beef), a Lebanese pita burger, mezze platters, fish of the day and grilled “piece of cow,” which means a rotating cut of beef.
Eventually, the Smiths will add a mezze platter (like a Mediterranean charcuterie, Brian says), daily specials and, in addition to baklava, more of Laura’s plated desserts, including her famous lemon coconut cake and a chocolate ganache torte.
“We had very loyal diners at the Grove Arcade who ate there a couple times a week,” Brian says. “They have already come by to say hello and welcome back. That’s why we do this, right?”
Baba Nahm is at 60 Biltmore Ave. Hours are 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday; later hours and Saturday service will be added soon. Check for updates at avl.mx/eqa.
