At Anita Cafe and Bar in Midtown, the menu’s vibrant food and beverage offerings mirror the lush, elegant interior. The casual café opened in June 2023 and features a modern Mediterranean menu with Middle Eastern tones inspired by owner Anita Abdul-Karim’s Lebanese heritage.
For Abdul-Karim, the golden cup and heart-shaped logo displayed on the emerald green wall behind the bar represents sobhiye, a Middle Eastern tradition she grew up with and recalls fondly. “Sobhiye is a morning ritual when we have coffee together before we go about our day,” she says. “Culturally, hospitality is a huge thing for us and I wanted to invite that warm feeling into the space. The mission of the café is to empower and uplift everyone that comes through our door with great energy, great food and great drinks.”
With a background as a registered dietitian, Abdul-Karim has always valued the relationship between food and well-being. The Los Angeles native moved to St. Louis in 2020 and decided to pursue her longtime dream of opening a café after craving a more creative career path.
The career switch was organic
she’s spent a lifetime working adjacently to the industry. Growing up in California, Abdul-Karim helped out at a family business that sources Middle Eastern goods such as produce and nuts to distribute to local and international markets. As a dietitian, she worked with food service professionals in community settings such as schools and hospitals doing everything from menu creation to health education.