Serves meat, vegan options available. Palestinian fusion cafe offering an assortment of vegan food from around the world. Dishes include mushroom crepes, tahini cauliflower, stuffed bell peppers, savory bowls, falafel, and zaatar scrolls. Also has a variety of baked goods, including cakes. Drinks include iced tea, mocktails, kombucha, and Arabic coffee. Dog friendly. Relocated from Shop 3, 612-622 King St. Previously fully vegan but added meat to the menu November 2023. Open Mon-Sun 8:00am-2:00pm.
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1/655 King St, Erskineville, New South Wales, Australia, 2044
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 28 Mar 2024 by PotatoesTho
Update business info
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59 Reviews
First Review by veganvirtues
evoontoast
Points +1516
Palestinian Food for the Soul - Edit
With everything going on right now in Palestine, this place felt extra important and meaningful; walls adorned with significant pieces of art and motifs symbolising the Palestinian people’s resilience, and hope for a better future in the face of a genocide. Atmosphere & decor was airy, staff (incl. owner) was super lovely…
Read more…And if you only care about the food - well it’s also DAMN good. Fresh, delicious, unique. We got the Jerusalem Bowl, the loaded Falafel Bagel, a side of hand-cut potatoes, and the best part of all… the ARABIAN FEMME smoothie which tasted SOOOO nostalgic…I couldn’t (and still can’t) quite put my finger on it but it tasted like a nostalgic ice cream/icy pole?
SAD news - they no longer sell vegan knafeh 😩
Support local Palestinian businesses, from the river to the sea…
Pros: Delicious food, Lovely staff, Immaculate atmosphere
Cons: Wish they still had the knafeh
Guest
GuilleCastromanFraga
Points +41
Brunch - Edit
Wonderful place with lots of vegan options. The staff was simply amazing and even gave us some pitta bread to give away to someone in need. Overall great experience and delicious food!
Read moreThank you!!!
Pros: Atmosphere, Staff, Food
Guest
SarahAH
Points +13
Authentic and Delicious - Edit
Such delicious, authentic and fresh Palestinian food. Beautiful service from the lovely owner. Wish I lived closer so that I could have it every day. Must try the falafel...honestly, it's the best in Sydney.
Read morePros: Falafel, Shawarma Baladi wrap, Fattet Hummus
Guest
ellaidagrantham
Points +666
No longer fully-vegan, but still great food! - Edit
The Khamsa cafe is truely a gem. The extensive vegan options, including a delicious falafel wrap, will be sure to leave you satisfied.
Read moreGuest
Unfamiliarnostalgia
Points +1020
No longer vegan - Edit
Very disappointing I don’t know how they can be vegan for so long then add dead animals on the menu.
Read moreGuest
GrayHorwitz
Points +2008
tasty fresh and beautiful - Edit
Really nice middle eastern fare, a bit on the pricy side.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-07-12
Guest
jayemcee
Points +28
Yum - Edit
Had a delicious vegan bowl, served quickly, friendly service, beautiful atmosphere, great fresh juice
Read moreGuest
Itsjustplainallie
Points +689
Nice for light authentic Lebanese snack - Edit
Nice place. Pretty busy so may need a reservation on weekends. I had Just one of the pastries and a juice which was nice, but they did have a lot of vegan options based on the menu
Read morePros: Options , Authentic
Cons: Need reservation
Guest
menzir
Points +240
Great vegan options - Edit
Not too sure why there are so many negative reviews of this place lately, other than people annoyed that this place now serves non-vegan food. Also, from my visit today, the options all seemed to be vegetarian (e.g. cheese, egg, but no meat). There wasn't too long a wait for the food despite us going on a busy Sunday
Read moreI ordered the lunch bagel which was delicious, and the Nablus coffee which was also good, and had the silverbeet fattayah to take away which was nice. My non-veg friends all loved the food.
Updated from previous review on 2024-06-30
Guest
EdYan
Points +2892
Amazing - Edit
Update: Khamsa has moved to its new location (not far from the old) and the menu now has some dairy and eggs but there's still loads of vegan dishes on the menu including all the favourites from the previous location
Read moreWow, I love this place. The staff, all of them, are sooo lovely. The food is delicious AND beautiful. We had the Madani breakfast, the Gypsy Bowl and a passionfruit and raspberry cake. I can't wait to try more from the menu.
Updated from previous review on 2019-09-01
Tiggy
Disappointing ☹️
Read moreGuest
Neridah
Points +431
Good quality - Edit
A bit pricey but always fresh and good quality, some smaller meals available that are more affordable. Lots of seating (inside and outside), staff are friendly and helpful
Read moreGuest
Zouker
Points +62
Sadly no longer Vegan - Edit
Unfortunately, I won’t be returning I would rather support the many Vegan businesses in this area.
Read moreCons: Now serves meat
Guest
MonicaJane
Points +425
Flavourless & pricier - Edit
I can see there’s another negative review and am sad to add to that. I used to love the old fully vegan Khamsa, it was one of my favourite cafes.
Read moreThey now are an Omni cafe and something else much of changes too cause the food was not good. We got a loaded bagel, mushroom wrap & 2 drinks and it was $58.
The bagel itself was a nice texture but other than that it was tasteless despite having multiple fillings. The mushroom wrap was not much better and used to be incredible.
$58 wasted, won’t be going back & do not recommend.
Cons: Pricier, Flavourless
Guest
Elliepp
Points +31
No longer vegan - Edit
This restaurant has updated their details in Happy Cow and social media as they moved to a different place but they serve meat, dairy and fish in their menu. Staff is rude when you ask them about their new menu, and mislead you with their social media where they still feature vegan dishes from their previous restaurant. Really overpriced, and they justify this by saying they use “organic” ingredients. They’re other restaurants like Comeco in Newtown that are not only more ethical but use organic ingredients and their price is more reasonable. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant.
Read morePros: location
Cons: overpriced, unethical business, service
Guest
vegan louise
Points +595
Beautiful food & service - Edit
The Nablus coffee with rose was incredible. The food bowls were delicious, and the pastries were too
Read morePros: So many wonderful food options, The most fabulous Nablus coffee, Served by gorgeous Palestinian owners
Guest
gracebeville
Points +48
Amazing Palestinian vegan food - Edit
This is my FAVOURITE cafe. The food is incredible and very consistent. The coffee is phenomenal. Any non vegan people I bring here absolutely love it also. I strongly recommend the silverbeat pastry.
Read moreGuest
Vix333
Points +768
Amazing cakes and drinks! - Edit
Had the granola bowl which was pretty good but the cakes are unreal!! Had the donut and the cardamom pastry both were excellent! Also has the carob latte which was beautiful!
Read morePros: All vegan, Delicious
Guest
veganvirtues
Points +2834
Khamsa - Edit
Newly opened vegan restaurant with Arabic influence. One of the best vegan places I have eaten in. I had Jerusalem Bowl a fusion of baked cauliflower, quinoa, fattoush, baba ghanoush, hommus, chick peas and tastefully decorated with edible flowers, pommegranate and chia seeds. $17. Was delicious, the best Arabic dish I have eaten and have eaten in many Arabic places even overseas. My Issa Detox a smoothie with spinach, avocado, banana, dates and coconut milk topped with chia and a flower. $11.00 was also delicious. Highly recommend got the Happy Cow sticker.
Read moreThe restaurant is on a corner and has open windows has taken advantage of the fresh air and sunlight. So vegan lovers and newbies on their Veganuary head for Khamsa a must try.
Returned today to see how the food and service was.
I had a dish called Grazing Bowl was a plate of three fallafels, some hommus, advocado mashed, small bowl of foul, grilled cherry tomatoes, a pickle and pink radish, half an arabic white bread cut into wedges and side of mushrooms $17 $4.50. I was disappointed with this visit. The foul was bland, fallafel were over baked and no taste, no garlic flavour. Mushrooms terrible appeared old (the manager did tell me they were delivered today) maybe they were but certainly not fresh.
Had a smoothie Arabian Femme was a frozen smoothie, prefer my fruits blended chilled. Anyway like to see other give honest review.
Popped in had an orange cake with rose tahini $9 was nice and a choc licks (raw cacao, banana, vanilla, dates and almond milk $11was frozen, which took away the flavour of its contents, just taste the bitternest of the raw cacao. Pity.
Came here after some time the Jerusalem Bowl was very nice. Fattet Magdous was also delicious. Arabian Femme was great.
Waiting time was great.
Updated from previous review on 2023-08-27
Pros: 100% plant based, Decor and ambience was great, Food was ok.
Cons: Waiting time a bit excessive., Frozen smoothie
Guest
TonyMacaroniRyder
Points +292
Good - Edit
Had to check it out, and it was a lovely experience.
Read moreThe food is tasty and fresh, but very expensive for what it is.
I had the Jerusalem Bowl with extra flat bread and then purchased two cakes on my way out.
Will definitely come back to try other things.
Pros: Fully vegan menu, Good ambiance , Open early every day
Cons: A little bit expensive
Guest
jess!e97
Points +1243
Love the food here - Edit
Such a lovely, bright and airy cafe.
Read moreAlways delicious food.
Guest
petergms
Points +142
Pleasant, but nothing special - Edit
The restaurant was airy (with one side fully open to the outdoor seating area) and sparsely though tastefully decorated. (The noisy traffic was unfortunate.) The staff were friendly and seemed eager to please. I ordered the fattet hummus, which consisted of (from the bottom up) fried pita bread, garlic tahini yoghurt, roasted pinenuts, parsley, chickpeas (in broth) and vegan mince ($25). I asked for the shatta (chilli paste) on the side in case it was too spicy (as I can't tolerate much chilli spice), which turned out to be a very good decision, as it was blazing hot and would have made the dish inedible if it had been mixed in. To drink, I ordered the interesting sounding Nablus coffee, which included rosewater and maple ($7). My friend ordered the Jerusalem bowl ($27) - like a grazing bowl with small portions of hummus, baba ghanoush, fattoush (a simple salad with fried pita bread), 3 falafel balls (which were a striking bright green inside) and a piece of baked cauliflower.
Read moreI confess that I was underwhelmed. The dishes were not worth the rather steep prices, nor was the small but pricey coffee. Both dishes were room temperature - perhaps they were meant to be? Speaking only for my dish, the fried pita bread underneath everything was soggy, having lost almost all of what would have been an appealing crunch. I would also have expected the roasted pinenuts to have been crunchy, but these too were soggy. All of the ingredients seemed to be rather bland in taste, and not just the quality, but also the quantity, were not commensurate with the price. The coffee, despite a beautiful presentation (I found the combination of cup, saucer, spoon, coffee and rose petals very pleasing to my eyes), tasted indistinguishable from a regular coffee - I couldn't detect any rosewater or maple flavours - but perhaps these flavours were masked by stronger flavours, or perhaps it's just me. The rose petals, though edible, were dry and tasteless.
[edit by staff, see ToS]
Having said all that, although it wasn't special, it was pleasant enough. I don't mean to be unkind (just being honest). I wish all vegan restaurants including Khamsa well.
Guest
ann.leaf
Points +36
Delicious food. - Edit
Too many yummy choices in a fully vegan menu! Great variety of drinks too.
Read moreSomething for everyone. Staff are very helpful.
Pros: All vegan!, Very tasty and wide choice of dishes, Helpful staff
Cons: Tables are a bit small for all the lovely dishes!
Guest
spise01
Points +949
DELICIOUS EGGPLANT TOMATO DISH - Edit
oh my god it was so flavorful. The yogurt and the fried pita too mmm also got a lovely tumeric latte and peanut butter frosted donut, tasted like cake. Everything was DELICIOUS. can’t wait to go back
Read moreGuest
ChristinaLee94
Points +2652
Authentic Palestinian food - Edit
Fully plant based cafe, so many delicious menu items to choose from. Had the fattet hummus, a dish with crispy pieces of flatbread and chickpeas with a tahini sauce. It tasted amazing, only downside there wasn't more to eat. The meals are presented beautifully. Some unique drinks on the menu tried a rosewater latte. Sat chatting to my friend for a while and who I presume was the owner offered us a free cake. Will be back to try all the menu items.
Read morePros: Plant based cafe, Cute interior located in Newtown , Amazing food
Cons: Smallish portions
Guest
IronJuice
Points +1213
Pretty good - Edit
Tried the pasta, and ice coffee. The macaroni comes with coconut yogurt sauce, pomegranate, pine nuts, minced vegan meat, chickpea, sprinkles of Presley and sumac. It’s a unique Mideast blend. I highly recommend this dish.
Read moreI also like how they keep a bowl of water for the birds and animals.
Pasta - 30AUD
Coffee - 7AUD
Updated from previous review on 2023-02-07
Pros: Full vegan, Great taste
Cons: Pricy
Guest
caitlin_rose
Points +117
Scrumptious - Edit
I’ve only had the chance to eat here once and it’s literally my favourite restaurant.
Read morePros: Delicious savoury meals, Scrumptious sweet treats , Great coffee
Guest
zoecampbell26
Points +129
Delicious! - Edit
Incredible fully vegan menu with lots of veganised favourites. We had the Labneh, cauliflower wrap, dumplings, and the knafeh.
Read moreGuest
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