Coffee and pistachios are two of my favorite flavors, so I found heaven at MQR Café, which opened in Falls Church’s Barcroft Plaza in July. The pistachio latte ($6.50) is made with a special syrup consisting of raw pistachios, brown and white sugar, and vanilla beans. Combined with espresso and steamed whole milk, the heady elixir fires all my cylinders.
Owner Nor Powanda, a lawyer who works in international trade, has decorated the 45-seat, counter service café with penny-tile flooring, a pressed tin ceiling and marble tables. MQR is shorthand for Maqur—a district in the Ghazni province of east-central Afghanistan where Powanda was born.
Middle Eastern flavors find their way onto the food menu, too—in breakfast sandwiches and omelets stuffed with basterma (cured, dried beef); sourdough toast with labneh, za’atar seasoning, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and honey; hummus with your choice of toppings; and a mixed greens salad with dates, pumpkin seeds and turmeric-tahini dressing. Everything on the menu is $16 or less.
The pastry choices include an array of croissants and cookies, but the sweet standout is the kunafa French toast ($15)—challah bread with vanilla cream filling, dipped in egg, rolled in kataifi (shredded phyllo) and griddled in butter to golden brown. It’s finished with chopped pistachios and served with whipped cream flavored with orange blossom water.
The menu includes some tempting handhelds, too. Think smashburgers, chicken shawarma sandwiches and tuna salad on grilled sourdough with Kewpie mayo, green olives and spinach-artichoke spread. Given that Powanda moved to the DMV from New York, a chopped cheese sandwich (a bodega classic) was de rigueur. MQR’s version is made with ground beef, Aleppo pepper, onions, jalapenos, American cheese, tomatoes and harissa-garlic mayo on a sub roll.