Following the success of Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, Aram is a Syrian café, deli and restaurant from chef Imad Alarnab at Somerset House. This new space focuses on the food stories and flavours of all fourteen provinces of Syria, offering breakfast, lunch and coffee in a warm, welcoming setting overlooking the River Thames. Built around the idea of hospitality, community and tradition, Aram brings a fresh voice to Somerset House’s growing food offering.
Guests enter through the deli, where counters are filled with colourful salads, house-baked breads, dips, wraps and pastries. Zaatar croissants are already proving popular, alongside dishes like hummus salata with sumac and tomato, and cauliflower zahrra salata finished with toasted nuts and herbs. A coffee bar serves strong brews and Syrian mint tea, making it just as much a place to pop in for a drink as for a meal.
Two light-filled dining rooms look out across the River Terrace, offering a calm and elegant space for breakfast and lunch. The menu changes with the seasons but always reflects Imad’s own memories of home cooking. Maarouk donuts filled with cheese, pistachio or chocolate are served alongside comforting dishes with roots in Syrian tradition. To finish, desserts like 1001 Nights chocolates with cardamom caramel offer a sweet, personal note.
In the evening, Aram’s fourth room comes to life as a platform for events. Set in a darker, wood-panelled space, it hosts charity dinners, cooking classes and supper clubs led by refugee chefs and emerging talent. This room reflects Imad’s own journey, offering opportunities to others who are building new lives through food.
Aram is more than a place to eat. It is a celebration of Syrian culture, generosity and resilience, quietly reshaping what a modern cultural café can be.