Hanneh Habash grew up in the old...

Hanneh Habash grew up in the old city of Jerusalem, and when she migrated to the United States and opened the Habash Cafe in Hermosa Beach in 1969, she brought her family recipes of favorite Palestinian dishes.

The 49-seat restaurant may look like a small coffee shop, but Habash says the similarity ends there. She says everything is made from scratch.

Habash’s lentil soup ($1.50 a cup and $2.50 a bowl) is loaded with lentils and rice. Another starter is the kibbe ($4.50), a mixture of lamb, onions and pine nuts coated with bulgur and served with yogurt sauce.

Shawarma ($4.95), is a sandwich of sliced lamb and beef. The meat is stuffed into pita bread, topped with hummus--a dip made of pureed garbanzos, sesame paste, lemon juice and garlic--and crowned with a marinated green salad.

Falafel--a deep-fried patty of garbanzos and herbs and spices--is available as a sandwich ($3.50), omelet ($5.50) or a single side dish (75 cents).

For groups of two or more, special combination dinners are offered. One such plate, the Super ($18.95 for two, $26.95 for three) is a virtual feast of Palestinian foods: grilled lamb patties, kibbe, shawarma, falafel, hummus, fried cauliflower and lentil soup.

For dessert, baklava--walnuts, sugar and cinnamon between layers of flaky phyllo dough topped with syrup ($1.25)--goes well with the aromatic cardamom-flavored Arabic coffee ($1.25)

Habash Cafe is at 233 Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach, (310) 376-6620. Open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Closed Sunday.