Are these the best falafel in Sydney? Palestinian eatery Khamsa opens beside Sydney Park

Family run cafe Khamsa has reopened today in St Peters with an extensive menu of Palestinian dishes, including “the best falafel in Sydney”.

Khamsa originally opened on King Street in 2019 as a plant-based Palestinian eatery, but this move comes with a larger 50-seat space and an extended menu, offering traditional meat dishes alongside vegan favourites.

The new space is modern, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Sydney Park and around 20 seats on the dog-friendly footpath.

Co-founder and chef Sarah Shaweesh says the family (including parents Eman and Issa Shaweesh and husband Fares Hassan) are bringing new ideas to the table, developing dishes such as a herbaceous Palestinian omelette and planning a dinner service (set to begin mid-December).

But the famous falafels will remain the same: crunchy on the outside, fluffy and verdant green on the inside, made with a secret family recipe.

“I’m trying to be humble but really, we do have the best falafel in Sydney,” Shaweesh says.

“All of the recipes are passed down from people in my family.

“Culturally, food is a very important part of our lives. Our grandmothers teach us, our aunties teach us, and my mum [Eman] is here with me in the [Khamsa] kitchen.”

“I’m trying to be humble but really, we do have the best falafel in Sydney.”

Co-founder and chef Sarah Shaweesh

Community demand for specific Palestinian dishes encouraged the family to include animal products such as eggs, meat and milk on the new menu, though it remains mostly vegetarian.

“I want to share more of our cultural food and to be more accessible to the wider community,” Shaweesh says.

“[Palestinian cuisine] is very much farmers’ food, so there are naturally lots of fresh vegetables, everything is homemade every day, and we use a lot of herbs and spices like sumac, zaatar, cinnamon, coriander and garlic.”

The menu features home-baked Palestinian bagels (with labneh and zaatar, or falafel, tahini and pickles); a selection of pastries (like musakhan fatayer, a hand pie stuffed with silverbeet, herbed salsa and sumac) and wraps. There are also share plates, with options like coconut labneh with house-made shatta (Middle Eastern hot sauce).

The drinks list is similarly extensive, offering their signature Nablus coffee (with rosewater, milk and maple syrup) alongside house-blended chai, made-to-order juices, teas and smoothies.

Open 7.30am-2.30pm Mon-Sun

Shop 1/655 King Street, St Peters khamsa.com.au