Hummus Al-Abed Abu Hamid is situated in Old Acre, nestled at the base of the old lighthouse in the city’s port. In 2015, Arin Kurdi opened the restaurant using the remnants of The Lighthouse restaurant, which has been in her family for 50 years. When her father’s health declined, Arin decided to leave her position working with at-risk youth and carry on the family legacy as a restaurateur, despite her father’s initial reluctance. A few months prior to the reopening, he passed away. The restaurant is named for him.
A native of Acre, Arin also draws from the cuisines of Nazareth and Nablus, where her mother and grandmother are from. Nurit Poran notes, “With the reopening of the restaurant, Arin courageously decided to depart from the Mizrahi (eastern, sometimes translated as ‘oriental’) food that her father served and present the food she grew up with at home — Shami, Acre, traditional. There is no other restaurant like this in Acre, which serves the food that is ‘hidden’ in Acre homes. Arin is also one of the few women in the city (and perhaps in the Middle East) who prepares and serves hummus in a restaurant. In the culture she comes from, it’s considered a business and an institution for men.”

mufarakah. Photo by: Noam Preisman

Among the exceptional dishes featured at Al-Abed Abu Hamid Hummus is the tharidi — an Acre dish enjoyed during the month of Ramadan, consisting of layers of chickpeas, yogurt with garlic, pieces of toasted pita, toasted almonds, and warm samneh (clarified butter). Additionally, the menu includes mufarakah — a dish evoking memories of an Acre breakfast, featuring a crumbled hard-boiled egg mixed with parsley, onion, olive oil, and baharat spice mix; masak’ah — a dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, and chickpeas; and sayadieh — a signature dish of Acre made with fish, rice, and fried onions. The restaurant also offers seasonal dishes featuring wild herbs like hubeza (wild mallow) and wild chicory.