For al fresco dining experiences, it’s tough to top the wraparound patio at Cafe Arazu, where guests are enveloped by Newburgh’s quaint Downtown setting on West Jennings Street, lush gardens, a fountain’s gentle flow, and the Ohio River nearby. Fresh, authentic Mediterranean food and drinks have been the main draw, but the inviting outdoor space makes you want to stay awhile.
Owner Cathy Webb wants visitors to feel like her family, whether they sit outside or in the dimly lit, cozy interior. Webb took pride in being an approachable, nurturing educator during her first career as a Warrick County public school teacher. Since she and her partners bought Cafe Arazu nearly four years ago, she’s run the business in a similar manner.
“I love talking to people,” Webb says. “People say it is the way the staff feels at Cafe Arazu that makes them feel welcome and at home. I know a lot of people who walk in the door. I’ve lived here for 65 years.”
Webb was new to restaurant management upon taking over Arazu in July 2022, but she’s the first to admit that lots of help eased the transition. Her son-in law, Andrew West, was hired in 2017 by former owner Penny Nejad to handle marketing; West now is part of the ownership team. It was West plus Webb’s son, Matthew Towler, who approached her with the idea of investing in Cafe Arazu when Nejad wanted to retire.
Chef Partner David Holmes, who developed the menu when Cafe Arazu opened in 2010 (“I arrived with the furniture,” he jokes), stayed on with the new ownership group. Nejad also remains involved, tending to the landscaping.
The Persian roots of Nejad’s husband, Ben, continue to influence Arazu’s menu via dishes like falafel and gyros, but Holmes describes the restaurant’s fare as “new American,” with nods to multiple nations. “I actually consider it truly American food because it’s cuisine that’s come to our country, and then we’ve done our thing with it.”
A prime example is the Korean kalbe ribeye, a savory slab that tastes as good as it looks. “We serve it with … we refer to it as sticky rice — short-grain Asian rice similar to what you would use for sushi — and the marinade is Korean,” Holmes says. “The treatment is all authentic. It’s just applied to a popular American steak.” The ribeye is topped with caramelized onions and pickled daikon radish, with garlic sautéed green beans joining the rice.
For more than a decade, customers have dined at Cafe Arazu for entrees such as Polynesian chicken and bistro steak medallions. “It’s on the verge of being adventurous, because it’s not just your simple steak and potatoes,” Holmes says of the latter. “But it’s a solid go-to. It’s one of the few items that’s been on the menu since Day One. For a very, very short time we tried to take it off, but it came right back.” Persian influences remain in the lamb chops and beef and chicken kebabs. Salmon lovers have two flavor-packed choices: a Thai style, and the Old World mustard-crusted variety.
Holmes recommends a salad with fruit, goat cheese, and flaky, pecan-crusted chicken. It started as a special, and “we’ll probably move it to our main menu,” he says. The “J Street” Newburgher, with its thick, blended patty, also draws raves — pair it with the Greek potatoes or Asian napa slaw.
Another big seller has been a Buddha-style bowl with chicken shawarma and Cafe Arazu’s original hummus. “Traditionally, a Buddha bowl is vegetarian and comes from an old story where Buddha would walk through a village with an empty bowl,” West explains. “As he went, people would add small amounts of their own food to his bowl. Little by little, his bowl would become full. So, it was a community meal. That’s kind of what it represents to us.”
The Cuban cigars (egg rolls filled with beef and sour cream, with a yellow mustard drizzle) came about by accident. “We’ve always been big on cross-utilizing our products and using everything that we could,” Holmes says. “When we trim our beef and boil it down for broth, the scraps are what we use to make our Cuban cigars. … We ran our Cuban beef sandwiches one day, and we had some left over … so we put it in an egg roll. We thought we’d be clever.”
Longtime Arazu fans know to leave room for dessert. The carrot cake is a secret recipe belonging to the Nejads. “It is all made from scratch, in-house daily, twice a day sometimes,” Holmes says. How beloved is it? “There are several folks whose reservation hinges on whether or not we are out of carrot cake,” he adds.
Many Cafe Arazu ingredients are supplied by CRS OneSource of Owensboro, Kentucky, and West points out the March addition of a Sunday brunch — the breakfast bowl with Irish bacon is one item to try. Cocktail specials are changed up seasonally. In summer, Cafe Arazu offers a strawberry martini and strawberry mojito, but “we can make just about anything a customer would want,” says front of house manager Debbie Karczewski, another original team member. Cafe Arazu has several bourbons and puts its own spin on the old fashioned, splashing in an apricot liqueur. Alcohol-free drinks include hot teas; one is blended by Newburgh’s Mulberry Jean’s Accents.
Cafe Arazu’s sister location in Downtown Evansville had a four-year-plus run before closing in 2021 after struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Newburgh spot, though, continues to thrive. In addition to the food and al fresco option, diners love its historic building that, according to the Newburgh Museum, dates to 1878 and originally was used as an ice house.
Cafe Arazu prioritizes giving customers value for their upscale meals — many entrees are under $20 — as well as a quality atmosphere. “People are very finicky about where they’re spending their money,” Holmes says. “If we can turn dinner into an experience, then we can kill two birds with one stone.” (By the way, if you are wondering how to correctly pronounce the restaurant’s name, here’s a helpful method — “we are a zoo,” Webb says with a laugh.)
Webb credits her family members — including husband Dennis — for assisting with Cafe Arazu in various capacities. Her grandchildren Evelyn, Eloise, Kingston, and Emi lend a hand when they visit the restaurant, too. “It’s been an adventure,” she says. “We just happened to come into an opportunity that was already well-established, and we’ve continued it and had lots of help doing that.”
