Annandale is getting a new Middle Eastern restaurant

The site of Al Hamra in central Annandale.

Al Hamra, a Middle Eastern restaurant is coming to 7314 Annandale Road in the spot that had been occupied by Parrillas del Sur. The owner, Naseem Siddiqui, anticipates opening in June.

Siddiqui owns the Al Hamra Halal Cafe in Redondo Beach, Calif., and says the menu will be mostly the same, with items like beef, chicken, and kofta kebabs; chicken and beef shawerma; gyros; grilled fish; lamb chops; chicken tikka masala; beef nihari; lamb biryani; falafel; various salads; and traditional mezze items.

“We have great hopes for Al Hamra here in Annandale and are anticipating serving the community in the same great way that we have had the privilege of doing for the past 10 years in the city of Redondo Beach,” Siddiqui says.

Siddiqui

Siddiqui has lived in Northern Virginia for the past 30 years and his youngest daughter attended Annandale High School, “so we feel lots of love for the area,” he says.

He traveled to Southern California for what was to be “a short informative trip on the how-to’s of the restaurant business, but led us to the opportunity to be business owners ourselves.” He’s been traveling between Northern Virginia and Southern California for the past 10 years, and has been “in a constant search to bring Al Hamra to Northern Virginia,” he says. “Finally, the search is over and one of my biggest dreams is becoming a reality.”