A NEW Arabic restaurant has opened in York after being targeted by vandals.

Yemen Heaven, an Arabic restaurant on Walmgate, opened yesterday (February 21) after the persistence of owner, Mona Al Maflehi, and her family paid off following several setbacks.

Despite the lockdowns, an act of vandalism at the restaurant in December which resulted in tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage, changing properties twice, and a broken gas oven, Mona was finally able to realise her dream.

York Press:

Mona, who moved to York from Yemen in 2017, said: "I have five children and this restaurant is the sixth one!

“We are so lucky to have a property with all the things we wanted the restaurant to have, including the outdoor seating area for shisha.

“We wanted to bring something different to York, to show people Arabic culture and hospitality - we already had lots of customers in at breakfast time!”

Her daughter, Zeyneb Yafai, added: "My mum is ambitious and resilient, she doesn't give up on her dreams."

Her friend, Rob Fox, said: "This lady is resilient, she keeps looking forward."

York Press:

Mona was previously going to open the restaurant by the Watergate Inn on Walmgate, then opened it on Holgate Road, but during the pandemic they had to close it and search for a new premise.

Then in December, the family discovered that their new Walmgate property, where the Spread Eagle pub used to be, had been vandalised, resulting in tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.

The family had to appeal to the community via a Go Fund Me page, raising £21,000 to try to cover the costs, yet still had to resort to DIY videos on YouTube to learn how to carry out some of the repairs, such as the plumbing themselves.

They completed the finishing touches to the renovations with Arabia-inspired décor, including faux palm trees, framed photographs of Yemen, and playing Arabic music.

York Press:

They plan to host open mic nights and launch a bigger menu to introduce more of the Arabic cuisine.

Mona said that following the vandalism she had trouble sleeping and needed the reassurance of her family that it wouldn't happen again.

Mona said: “It was such a shock to go to the restaurant that morning and find it was vandalised.

“It was like a bomb had just hit it, it was like being in the war in Yemen I couldn’t believe that this happened in the UK.”

 

Mona said that she is now excited about their first weekend and looking forward to a successful future.

Yemen Heaven is open from 10am to midnight seven days a week and they are currently hiring.