Umm Israa’s restaurant serves homemade staples to support her family

BAGHDAD -– Residents of Zafraniya area, Baghdad, have found a new favorite dining spot in the recently opened restaurant “Rahman Cuisine,” run by a local woman known as Umm Israa. Located on Al-Maahad Street, the restaurant, which opened last week, serves homemade dishes such as dolma, kibbeh, and traditional breakfast items like “makhlama.”

Offering affordable meals, priced at a maximum of 2,000 IQD ($1.3) per dish, the venture helps Umm Israa support her children.

Umm Israa shared her story with 964media, “I decided to start my own project due to the lack of job opportunities and the distance of potential jobs from my home. Although the income is modest and barely covers rent and living expenses.”

She added, “The thing that helped me the most in this project is that cooking is my passion, and I don’t excel at anything else. Since opening 10 days ago, the response has been overwhelming as people prefer homemade meals.”

She named the restaurant “Rahman Cuisine” as a blessing from the names of God and expressed gratitude for the positive start. In Islam, “Rahman” is one of the 99 names of Allah, which are attributes describing God’s qualities and essence. “Al-Rahman” translates to “The Most Merciful.”

She plans to expand her business, hire an assistant, and encourages other women to seize opportunities to work. Her family also helps with shopping and meal preparation to manage the workload.

Ahmed Majid, a costumer, shared his thoughts, “I stop here daily for a serving of dolma. It’s delicious, and the prices are affordable.”