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A popular Palestinian café in Sydney‘s Inner West has had to close up shop following difficulties with their landlord.
Restauranteur Sara Shaweesh announced Khamsa Eatery would close its doors after service on Sunday following an enormous rent increase proposed by the site owner.
The restaurant had been open for eight years, including two years in St Peters, after moving from Newtown in 2023.
Ms Shaweesh told Broadsheet she couldn’t strike a deal with her landlord, who reportedly proposed a 50 per cent rent increase.
She said the challenges became ‘too difficult to navigate’.
‘As we close our doors, we feel it’s important to shed light on the challenges small businesses like ours face,’ Ms Shaweesh wrote in a post to Instagram.
‘Without meaningful government support, places like Khamsa are increasingly at risk.
‘We hope this sparks conversations about the need to protect the diversity and identity that small businesses bring to our community.’
The business owner Sara Shaweesh (right) claimed her landlord had wanted to hike their rent by 50 per cent in Sydney’s Inner West
The venue served traditional Palestinian dishes which the owners said was their form of ‘resistance’ against the troubles in their homeland
Aside from offering a menu littered with flavourful Middle Eastern cuisine, including smoked eggplants, chicken shawarma, and makloubeh, Ms Shaweesh said her café played a vital role in the community.
It hosted cooking classes, cultural workshops, and fundraisers – including one for the Muslim deaf community.
Ms Shaweesh’s final post contained a defiant message that while the restaurant would have to shut down, ‘what we stand for will continue’.
‘Khamsa has always been more than an eatery. Every dish and every drink we served was a piece of Palestine, a connection to our roots, history, and spirit,’ she wrote.
‘In a time when our family in Gaza is enduring unimaginable suffering and being massacred and ethnically cleansed, sharing our food has been an act of resistance.’
‘It is a reminder that even under the weight of vile oppressors, our identity lives on through the flavours, traditions, resilience and an everlasting hope for a free Palestine,’ she said.
Sara Shaweesh (left, with Newtown Greens MP Jenny Leong) has had to close her beloved eatery
The café received well-wishes from the local community after it offered eight years of food, workshops, and charitable work
Ms Shaweesh said she may, however, move her operations to Melbourne in her farewell post
However, for Ms Shaweesh the closure may not spell the end of her time as a small business owner.
It just might not be in Sydney.
‘As a family, I have moved to Naarm (Melbourne), and hopefully (will) start a new project as soon as we have a long rest,’ she said.
Customers were disappointed to hear of the closure and shared their well-wishes for the staff, labelling the events as a ‘huge loss for Sydney’.
‘Khamsa served great food and educated the community all at the same time,’ one customer wrote online.
‘Thank you for the delicious food and the warmth that you brought to everyone’s days,’ another added.
‘I’m sorry we’re losing you and your special place,’ a third said.
‘You brought your dream to life and gave people a place to go.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Shaweesh for comment.
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