Zeina's Cafe and Catering

A downtown Utica Lebanese cafe opened in the early 1990s by Layla Zeina, who arrived from Lebanon in 1991. It anchors the Rome Sentinel's global-cuisine series and the paper's feature on Utica's Lebanese community, which named it among the area's well-known establishments. Order the stuffed grape leaves, fried kibbeh, and beef kafta or shawarma, then finish with baklava and Turkish coffee.

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A downtown Utica Lebanese cafe from the Zeina family, profiled in the Rome Sentinel's global-cuisine series, which names its variety of gyros made with beef kafta and shawarma-style meat. Order a beef kafta or shawarma gyro, with hummus and baba ganouj alongside and baklava to finish.

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