When Mohib Sadat opened his new restaurant in Concord earlier this year, he decided to name it Mazza, which means “taste” in his native Afghanistan.

The taste of Afghanistan is exactly what he was missing when he moved to the Bay Area in 2019.

Having previously worked alongside the U.S. Military in Afghanistan, Sadat and his family were offered protection and eventually given special immigrant visas to settle in the United States. A civil engineer by trade, he found work at PG&E, where he worked for five years.

But he struggled to find authentic Afghanistan food that made him feel like he was on the streets of Kabul.

Craving the comforts of his homeland, Sadat and his chef, Sami Khwaja, decided to import spices directly from Afghanistan. With the native spices, the aromatic flavors came to life, and Sadat knew it was time to open his restaurant.

Now they’re serving up tikka kebab ($14.99), made with beef and lamb, marinated overnight, seasoned with authentic spices and cooked over charcoal instead of gas, which Sadat believes gives it the taste of his native street food.

Ashak ($8.99), a cherished Afghan dish, features delicate dumplings filled with chives or leeks, topped with a hearty meat sauce or beans, garlicky yogurt, and dried mint, “blending light textures with bold, comforting flavors,” Sadat said.

Whole chicken karahi ($19.99) is a bold and aromatic dish, where a whole chicken is simmered in a sizzling wok with tomatoes, green chilies, garlic, and a blend of spices, “creating a rich, rustic curry that bursts with flavor and tradition,” he said.

And for children who don’t have adventurous palates, Mazza also offers chicken and beef burgers.

The restaurant seats 95 people and has a speaker system to host large celebrations. It also offers catering.

Details: Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., at 1985 Willow Pass Rd. in Concord; mazzataste.com/.

Zorek, a new cafe from Mazra team, has (re)opened

Zorek, the highly anticipated San Bruno coffee and borek shop launched by the brothers behind Mazra, Jordan and Saif Makableh, opened just briefly earlier this month before shutting down for three weeks to refine its coffee program.

It reopened April 22, with a craft beverage program serving up signature pistachio lattes, including variations featuring matcha and oatmilk, plus other drinks like a white chocolate matcha drink, a passionfruit Moroccan tea mint julep and espresso.

On the food side, the shop specializes in borek, a savory pastry made with phyllo dough that originated in Turkey.

So far, the shop has been selling out most days by noon, according to co-owner Jordan Makableh.

They serve their variations — including fillings like beef and herb, spinach and feta, wild mushroom and za’atar and cheese, it with hard-boiled eggs and vegetables, just like they would back home in their family’s home country of Jordan, he says.

The small shop is currently a grab-and-go setup, and doesn’t have seating.

That’s because it’s not currently permitted in the city zoning — but the brothers are working to change that, according to Makableh. In the meantime, people are welcome to linger around the shop and in the parking lot, he says.

Details: Open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m. at 799 El Camino Real, San Bruno; visit their Instagram account at @cafe_zorek for updates.

Send restaurant news tips to Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com, Kate Bradshaw at kbradshaw@bayareanewsgroup.com or John Metcalfe at jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com.