by Jennifer Alexander Ruple

The Ismail family is pleased to announce the opening of Zane’s Mediterranean Café, located inside their Sylvania restaurant, Zane’s Lebanese Grill, at 4900 N. McCord Rd. The new coffee bar features espresso, lattes, cold brew coffee, and organic coffee and tea. Specialty drinks are also available such as the Baklava Latte, Mediterranean Latte, Golden Latte, and the popular Adanai Chai, a premium organic tea with milk, cardamom and spices. “All our coffee is organic, single-origin Yemeni coffee beans,” said Ali Ismail. “Our specialty lattes and teas are made with organic spices and honey. No syrups or premix powders are involved in the process,” he added.
The idea for the café at Zane’s has been brewing for a long time. “Coffee and tea have been a supplemental part of Lebanese/Mediterranean culture since the beginning of its creation,” explained Ismail. The Ismails have been working diligently behind the scenes for a while to bring their idea to fruition and are committed to offering their patrons the highest level of customer service. “We take great pride in the food we serve, and now we will bring the same attitude and energy with our authentic, organic, premium coffee and tea,” said Ismail. “Our special coffee and tea will hit the spot after a delicious meal from Zane’s Grill, or as we like to say, ‘It’ll make you dance without music!’”
At the café, customers can choose flavored syrups to add to their lattes including caramel, chocolate and vanilla. There are also alternative non-dairy options such as almond and oat milk. Other features of the café include a separate checkout area, an online ordering system, and a variety of scratch-made items such as baklava cheesecake, traditional cheesecake, rice pudding and baklava. Freshly baked cookies and pastries will be added to the café menu soon.
Zane’s restaurant hours remain 11 am to 9 pm Monday through Saturday; however, the café has extended hours beginning at 8 am. There are also tables and chairs for outdoor dining and sipping as weather permits. “We want the community to know that they can stop here for their morning coffee and pick up sweets as well,” said Ismail.
The Ismails have plans to also open a coffee bar in their Lambertville location which opened in July 2022.