For the past few years at NYU Abu Dhabi, Tea Break Cafe in Hamdan Street has been the staple location for everything from a quick karak run to the place to catch up for hours, talking over paratha rolls and chai. We could have hardly imagined that we would come across a place that would have us coming back each week. From spicy noodles and kathi rolls to fresh juices and sweet, saffron karak, FiLLi Cafe is an ideal place to unwind, have chai with friends and enjoy the last few weeks of bearable weather.

Nestled in between buildings and with ample and comfortable outdoor seating, FiLLi Cafe is located in the midst of the busy street of Al Karamah, a mere 10 minute walk away from Al Wahda Mall. Easily accessible through the university shuttle and the 170 public bus, FiLLi became our place to debrief about the week every Wednesday.

The cafeteria, which began as a small enterprise, has grown to establish tea joints across the UAE and the Gulf, with stalls and shops scattered from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Ajman, Manama, Kuwait City, and even London. Its colorful walls tell the story of its owner: Mr. Rafih, whose high school nickname became the name of the international karak franchise.

Photo Courtesy of Kaashif Hajee.

Although FiLLi is by no metric a local karak stall, its homely ambiance and relaxed atmosphere still feels accessible to most. On any given day of the week, all kinds of patrons, from groups of friends to people finishing a long workday, can be found at FiLLi, sharing tea, a smoke and a conversation.

More importantly, regardless of its commercialized nature, FiLLi’s menu exemplifies authentic, downtown Abu Dhabi, with a few of the highlights being the desi bun kebab burgers and its assortment of kathi rolls.

The chicken rolls are made out of warm, soft, fresh paratha. The Dynamite Chicken Roll is stuffed with crunchy and spicy chicken, while the Chicken Tikka Kathi Roll, with both egg and chicken, tastes much like a spicy, juicy Bombay chicken frankie. These are our favorite rolls, which we have with the FiLLi Zafran Chai, which, by all definitions, is truly remarkable. The sizes of the chai are considerably bigger than you’d expect: the “small” is actually medium, the “medium” is, in fact, large, and the “large” — well, you get the drift.

Photo Courtesy of Kaashif Hajee.

If you are looking for something refreshing, FiLLi also offers iced chai, only comparable to Shay Madhboot’s deliciously frothy, milkshake-like iced karak. We definitely recommend it.

Finally, FiLLi’s Foodles are essentially desi noodles served with crunchy chips and an assortment of spicy sauces: schezwan, thai, chilli or manchurian. We normally get the chilli chicken or the manchurian foodles.

FiLLi’s also has an all day breakfast — classic Egg bhurji and masala omelette — and melt-in-your-mouth bun maska: essentially, a well-buttered bun of bread, but that doesn’t do justice to how good it tastes with chai. Not to mention, you can also buy their chai to make at home.

Ultimately, while nothing can beat the serendipity of stumbling upon one AED karak stalls after a long walk in the city, FiLLi Cafe provides a space to sit down for tea and talk.

Photo Courtesy of Kaashif Hajee.