Ummah Market to bring global cuisine and a cafe to Bailey’s Crossroads

Ummah Market, an international grocery store in Bailey’s Crossroads, could have a soft opening by the end of July and a grand opening by the end of August, says owner and CEO Jawad Yousufi.

The store, located at 6053 Leesburg Pike in the Culmore area, will offer a large selection of prepared foods, fresh fruit and vegetables, halal meat, pantry staples, packaged items, and a bakery.

Yousufi describes the store as a “Mediterranean version of Whole Foods,” featuring natural and healthy items from Turkey, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.

Ummah Market will also cater to the Hispanic population in Culmore – with items like charcoal chicken – and will have food familiar to mainstream American tastes.

The prepared foods are under the supervision of a chef from Turkey who has experience with international cuisine. Breads and French pastry will be made in house.

A separate café within the store, called Rumi’s House of Love, will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner focusing on Turkish cuisine.  

“Halal meat is not just for Muslims; it’s for everybody,” Yousufi says. Halal is a process for slaughtering animals in a more humane way and draining all the blood out before it can be used. The end product is “purified and clean,” he says.

Yousufi immigrated from Afghanistan on July 4, 2015. He had several businesses in Kabul, involving restaurants, catering, a swimming pool and spa, security guards, rental cars, and outdoor advertising.

He founded Ummah Market in the Richmond area with his brothers in 2020. The Culmore store is the second one, and they’re already considering other locations in Fairfax County.

Interested in a job at Ummah Market? Send a resume and cover letter to [email protected].