Renata’s Kitchen

This expansive Palestinian restaurant on Baltimore Avenue — with colorful seating in the former Trolley Car Station in front, a private patio, and full bar — is a team effort that’s as sweet as owners Yasser and Kate Aiq’s love for each other. When you enter Renata’s, you’re entering the couple’s second home, whether for platters of shakshuka, labneh, and baba ganouji during Sunday brunch or the 26-hour harissa-marinated chicken and za’atar-crusted branzino with hand-rolled maftool (Palestinian caviar-sized whole wheat pearls) to hold late night conversations over. No matter the meal, the finale is always Yasser’s knafeh Nablusi, the cheese-filled shredded phyllo pastry with sweet syrup that symbolizes the essence of Palestinian hospitality.