Sisters Futoon and Noura Qusairy are set to reopen their popular Middle Eastern café and kitchen, Yamama, at a new and larger venue on Wood Street in Liverpool city centre. The move follows the closure of their Baltic Triangle site earlier this summer. The official opening is scheduled for Monday, October 5.
A bigger space and a fresh start
The brand originally launched in mid-2023 on Parliament Street, but that site has now closed. The sisters have upscaled and relocated to Wood Street, just a short walk from Concert Square. Noura, 28, told the ECHO: “It’s took us two months to get here but we are ready and very excited to welcome everyone into the new space. It’s a lot bigger and we’ve changed some of the design aspects. It’s the next right step for us.”
Futoon and Noura both moved from Irbid in Jordan to study in Liverpool, drawn by their family's love of The Reds. Noura completed a Master's in Project Management at the University of Liverpool, while Futoon holds a Master's in Fashion and Art Direction. After graduating, they set up Yamama together.
From art to food and drink
The concept was developed after the sisters worked with refugees in the city. Having worked in refugee camps in Jordan, they initially set up the space as an artistic business to support refugees in Liverpool and provide a creative outlet. They worked with artists to produce sustainable fashion and art, but have now turned their attention to food and drink, while creating a venue to host their creative endeavours.
As well as serving Middle Eastern-inspired dishes and drinks, the Baltic Triangle venue acted as a hub for artists who work with the sisters. The café was modern and stylish, with nods to the sisters' Jordanian heritage. Its name, Yamama, is an Arabic word for a dove found in the region, representing love, freedom and peace.
New menu and community focus
The sisters hope customers will find the same community and authenticity at the new venue. Futoon, 33, added: “The venue is a bit different. We are focusing alot on takeaways and have put a lot into our evening menu. There are new items coming, but the loved drinks - coffees, teas and matchas - are staying.
“I went back to Jordan to learn a few more things from my grandma and see how she makes her recipes, so I’m excited for everyone to see what has come from that. We are so grateful for the customers we have. They have been coming from the Baltic Triangle to here, offering to help and that says a lot. We’ve got a good group behind us, and we want to make it even bigger here.”
Noura first moved to Liverpool in 2015, and Futoon followed to do her Master's degree. Having found communities and spaces which helped them make the city their home, providing a sense of belonging for others who have moved to Merseyside is what drives them. Futoon added: “We're trying to offer the same thing to the city that the city offered to us. It's very diverse, we made friends from all over the world - from Latin America, from China, from Thailand, from Taiwan and we want at the same time to be multicultural. Everyone is welcome, we want everyone to feel at home. We want to help students - when we were students, we knew nothing, it can be lonely.”
