Kamil Taleb didn’t expect to feel so at home in Lawrence, Kansas.
But there he was on a Friday afternoon, seeking refuge from the Midwest humidity, enjoying a mezze platter from Lebanese Flower Cafe with his brother and father. A basket of fresh pita bread sat on a large wooden platter nearby, surrounded by colorful bowls of pickled vegetables, hummus and falafel.
“We were expecting to eat McDonald's,” Taleb said with a laugh.
Taleb and his family were the only customers at the restaurant, tucked into an alleyway off Lawrence’s bustling Massachusetts Street. It was early in the afternoon, and the television in front of them was tuned to World Cup coverage.
“We feel like home here,” Taleb said. “The people here are really nice.”
The family was visiting the U.S. from Montreal to follow the Algerian men’s national soccer team in its first World Cup appearance since 2014. They watched the Fennecs play in San Francisco against Jordan last week, then traveled to Lawrence for the team’s final group stage match against Austria, which ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw. This marked their first opportunity to explore the team’s home base for the tournament.
Taleb’s family isn’t alone. Since the tournament kicked off, this charming college town has welcomed Algerian visitors and fans from around the world, and signs of Lawrence’s infatuation with Algeria — a World Cup phenomenon that has gone viral on social media — are nearly everywhere. Along the main commercial thoroughfare, Algerian flags are hung in window displays, and chalkboards display red and green drawings supporting the Fennecs.
Being able to welcome these Algerian visitors with familiar dishes and flavors has been a point of pride for Lebanese Flower Cafe and other food establishments, and it’s presented an opportunity for Lawrence restaurants to open their doors to new faces and make connections over shared bites of food.
“Food is the universal language,” said Lawrence journalist Fally Afani, who wrote The Arab’s Guide to Lawrence for the Explore Lawrence website in May. Afani, who is Arab American, has lived in Lawrence for more than two decades.
“The fastest way to someone's heart is through their stomach,” she said.
As such, Lebanese Flower Cafe plans to highlight Algerian dishes throughout the tournament. Today’s special was chicken tagine, a hearty stew made with olives.
“We are halal, so we're finding that the Middle Eastern clientele are able to come here and enjoy the ambiance, their friends, their family, the games in an alcohol-free environment,” said Nouhad Captam, who has worked at the cafe since it opened in October 2025.
The term halal refers to food or other items that are prepared and consumed under specific conditions, as outlined by Islamic laws. Halal meat, for instance, can include lamb, beef, and chicken, but not pork.
“It's few and far between to be able to sit down somewhere and kind of feel that you're in a safe space,” said Captam, who sported an Algerian soccer jersey.
Embodying ‘radical hospitality’
Other restaurants and local spots followed suit in their own way.
At Red Lyon Tavern, the premier soccer bar in Lawrence, owners traded the usual alcoholic beverages for Algerian sodas, teas, and coffees to host fans during the Algeria-Jordan game on June 23. At the Lawrence Farmer’s Market, customers can pick up recipe cards to make traditional Algerian dishes at home using local produce.
At the local favorite Mass Street Fish House, owner Laura Klein said the restaurant cut nearly all the pork dishes they served to make the menu halal-friendly.
“The goal was for us to stay really true to our concept and true to ourselves, but also incorporate some things that might make visitors feel really comfortable,” Klein said.
Mass Street Fish House also offered a special dish that weekend: whole fish with couscous and harissa, a North African chili paste.
“I would say that any amount of hospitality efforts that we've made have been matched or exceeded two times fold,” Klein said. “The Algerians that have come in here have been absolutely wonderful, and it's been an amazing experience.”
Klein, also president of the Lawrence Restaurant Association, said, ahead of the World Cup, a representative from the University of Kansas spoke with restaurant and bar owners about Algeria and what to expect from visitors. Klein said one key piece of advice was to avoid dramatic changes, and opt for smaller tweaks instead, like staying away from pork dishes and having a halal option.
The goal, Klein said, is “to embody radical hospitality.”
“So when someone comes in that hasn't been to your restaurant or been to Lawrence before, really taking the time to guide them through the menu,” she said, “make them feel comfortable, and ask them questions about what they need from their experience.”
Lawrence writer Fally Afani said she was particularly impressed by the Red Lyon’s decision to not serve alcohol during its watch party for the Algeria-Jordan match.
“Do you know how incredible it is to watch a bar not serve alcohol for Muslim visitors?” Afani said. “Here, they're just going all out, which is really nice to see. So we're kind of having this summer love affair with our Algerian visitors.”
A mini Middle East in Lawrence
Algeria’s presence in Lawrence also offered a chance to spotlight longstanding Middle Eastern establishments in the area. In addition to Lebanese Flower Cafe, Afani’s online list includes Aladdin Cafe, The Fresh Mediterranean Co., Shawarma Press and Mediterranean Market & Cafe.
“Wouldn't it be nice if we just kind of had a mini Middle East in Lawrence?” Afani said. “Big cities have Chinatowns, and so we have Arabic restaurants and grocery stores.”
Lebanese Flower Cafe has served Lawrence residents for two decades primarily through pop-ups throughout town. The family opened the cafe space late last year. The timing of the World Cup, eight months after they opened, was impeccable, Captam said.
“We tell people: ‘Welcome to Little Lebanon in the heart of Lawrence,’” Captam said. “It's fun for us to see people get excited about it, because that gets us excited about what the potential is, because now we're having customers trying pretty much everything on the menu.”
Afani said she’s enjoyed seeing Lawrence locals and Algerian tourists come together in recent weeks. Meeting visitors has even provided her opportunities to practice Arabic.
“Lawrence is, like, the picture of how to engage with culture in a positive way and make friends across the oceans,” she said. “People have a very narrow view of folks from the Middle East, and this has been really nice to see their worldview expanding.”
Back inside Lebanese Flower Cafe, Kamil Taleb and his family finished up their meal, with eyes locked on a TV as France played their last group stage match against Norway.
Later that day, the family planned to attend a meet-up for Algerian fans at a flag installation by local landscape artist Stan Herd outside the Lied Center.
“We are enjoying it,” Taleb said, “and we hope we will also leave a good impression.”
Lawrence’s romance with Algeria may continue a little longer, though the team may not continue to stay in Lawrence through the end of the tournament. Their next match is against Switzerland on Thursday night in Vancouver.
