Walk down Fourth Street toward Broadway at around 11:30 a.m. on any given weekday and you’ll likely see the line outside Safier Mediterranean Deli before you see the storefront.
Once you get inside, a huge painted camel on the side wall greets you. It’s one part of an even larger mural depicting scenes from the Kingdom of Morocco. It was a gift, according to Youness El Mesyah, the owner and manager of Safier since 2016.
“I have another customer, he is a very talented guy. He told me, ‘Youness, I want to do a mural for you and everyone.’ He said we'll do it for free.”
El Mesyah immigrated to America in 2010 from Morocco. After spending some time working in the hotel industry, he landed a job at Safier in 2011. Five years later, he owned the place, buying it from the previous owners. Looking back on it, the decision surprised him as much as anyone.
“Honestly, I never had a plan for it, for the food,” Youness said. “I just found myself in it.”
His strategy seems to be working. In a very non-scientific poll, ask anyone who’s lived downtown for more than a month where to get a good meal, and Safier will likely come up.
El Mesyah attributes Safier’s enduring popularity to three points: quality food, generous portion sizes and a reasonable price tag.
“Plus, we … love our customers,” El Mesyah said. “They feel that love, that we love them. That's why they keep being loyal to us, and I really appreciate them.”
Safier offers a wide array of Mediterranean food (the Athenian boiled chicken is a personal favorite). Their best seller is a chicken shawarma sandwich, which will set you back $7.50.
The spot is also popular with Kentucky Public Radio Managing Editor Ryan Van Velzer.
“The chicken shawarma is the move. That's the best dish they have. The chicken is delicious, perfectly seasoned - the rice they use is amazing,” Van Velzer said. “I've been coming here every day for basically six years because it is the closest restaurant to our office. And the food is delicious.”
Upon fact checking, we found that Van Velzer doesn’t eat at Safier quite every day, but is still a frequent face at lunchtime. Full transparency, Safier is a favorite for just about everyone at Louisville Public Media. Reporter Morgan Watkins also swears by the shawarma.
“I almost went kebab today, but I don't know,” Watkins said, reflecting on her order one sunny afternoon. “Creature of habit.”
By 1:30 p.m., the tsunami of people slows to a steady drip.
While El Mesyah says he’s grateful for Safier’s current business, he noted things haven’t quite been the same since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic and protests after the police killing of Breonna Taylor shook the community.
“Now, it’s a little more challenging. There’s more homeless, a lot of businesses have moved out. But we’re still here. We still open our doors, so I love people here,” El Mesyah said. “I hope the city and the people in charge look out for downtown and bring it back as it was before or better.”
