El Harissa Market Cafe is located at the back of a strip mall just north of the intersection of Maple and Miller in a space formerly occupied by Mercado Sabor Latino. The El Harissa website describes its offerings as "soups, salads, dips, appetizers, meats, teas, and gelato." Food is mostly sold by the pound. One exception is lamb shanks, which are sold by the shank. The website describes the food as inspired by North Africa and Mediterranean Europe.
The name of the market derives from "harissa": a hot sauce or paste used in North African cuisine, made from chili peppers, paprika, and olive oil.
The cafe is owned by Khaled Houamed and Susan Thomas of Ann Arbor. Houamed is a former professor at the University of Chicago and faculty member at the University of Michigan. Thomas is a former teacher at a local charter school.
Website: http://www.elharissa.com
(734) 585-0686
1516 North Maple Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Timeline: El Harissa
- 2015 October 7: WikiWednesday editing session held at El Harissa.
- 2013 November: Deli counter of El Harissa opens. (MLive November 15, 2013)
- 2013 October: Gelatto counter of El Harissa opens. (Ann Arbor Observer, December 2013)
