Living in Oakland ensures that the gastronome in us never gets bored. We've got restaurants like Commis that would please the most discerning of food snobs. And we've also got an amazing array of taco trucks and dives all around town. What gives Oakland a large part of its culinary character, though, is the ethnic enclave. We've got Chinatown. We've got Fruitvale and Koreatown, amongst others. And now, we're getting a piece of the Middle East on Telegraph Avenue. If you commute between downtown and Temescal, you've seen it. There were originally a few scattered stores near the mosque on 31st Street. But now, there's a Dubai market opening up, and we're starting to see the restaurants and cafes come in.

The most prominent one opened up about six months ago at the corner of Telegraph and 32nd Street -- Zahara Deli and Coffee. With a name like Zahara, you might go in expecting falafels, lavash and tabbouleh. But Zahara, which means "flower" in Arabic, is a sandwich shop.

Its owner, Alex Almogas, prides himself on the Mediterranean sandwiches. The chef, Aisha Ganel, has been making this particular sandwich for 10 years. And yes, they also have the falafel and some Greek, Italian and Middle Eastern offerings. Almogas wants to be authentic, and as far as possible, uses ingredients that are made in the Mediterranean. He buys his olive oil from Algeria, and gets oil and balsamic vinegar mixed with sesame seeds from Italy.

Almogas, formerly a system manager at Safeway, was born in Yemen and came to the United States as a 15-year-old in 1984. He's been living in Oakland for 15 years now and knows the town well. But when he decided to open his own deli, he still did his research to identify the best location possible. "I studied this area before I opened (my deli) here," says Almogas. "In this location, there's no deli sandwiches here."

And with all those medical centers and shops lining his stretch of Telegraph Avenue, they need a good sandwich shop there, which explains why and how he's made it through the recession. It helps that the deli is at a bus stop. "Oh yes, people waiting for the bus rush in here and grab sandwiches,” says Almogas.  He says the biggest sellers are the Italian style veggie, Mediterranean Veggie and Grilled Panini.

Zahara is the kind of place that stays busy as people rush in and out because they're buying food to go. But that isn't a reflection on the ambiance. It's a basic deli. It's clean and the staff is friendly.

Zahara
Open daily: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sandwiches sell for about $6
3201 Telegraph avenue.
 

Ganel’s Recipe for the Mediterranean veggie Sandwich.

1. Cut sweet onions into rounds.
2. Mix sweet onions, garlic and dry bread. Roll them like meat balls to make a Falafel.
3. Cut Ciabatta bread into two slices.
4. Open both sides of the bread and spread hummus on them. Then pour olive on top of both sides.
5. Put four slices of the falafel and add sweet onions on top.
6. Slice tomatoes and add on top of the falafel.
7. Cut cucumbers into small pieces and spread Lettuce on top.
8. Put Feta cheese on top of lettuce and cucumbers
9. Add two olives and Tahini Sauce.

Serve with a cool drink.