Fodor's Expert Review Mina Kouk

Armed with her Algerian grandma's recipes and an artist's spirit, Mina Kouk abandoned advanced studies in chemistry to try her hand at something closer to alchemy. Now the smell of mint tea and pastries warm from the oven mingle with the exotic spices of her couscous, spiced chicken tagine, and savory lentil soup that perfume the air at this cozy, bright salon de thé. Everyone is welcomed like a neighbor here and no one leaves without a little pink-and-green box of pastries redolent of pistachio, almond, honey, and rosewater. A nonstop stream of regulars, children (Mina's pastry classes for kids are a big draw in the neighborhood), and local hipsters drop in for lunch, tea, a glass of Mina's famous lemonade, dinner (come early; usual closing time is 7 pm), or that most ephemeral ingredient of all—love.