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Two restaurants surrounding the Mosaic District’s central green space are joining forces to bring shawarma, coffee, cocktails and music to Merrifield after dark.

NAJA Mediterranean and Mom & Pop will hold outdoor shawarma-and-coffee pop-ups at 2909 District Avenue on Saturdays, March 7 and 14. Both events will run from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

NAJA will sell $15 chicken shawarma wraps made with toum, Lebanese pickles and house-made pita bread. Mom & Pop will remain open late for coffee and espresso drinks, with prices varying by beverage.

The collaboration will continue March 21 with NAJA Nights: Mount Lebanon After Dark, scheduled from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. at NAJA Mediterranean.

DJs TEMSA and SAGA will play Arabic and Afro House music during the event. NAJA will offer its full drink menu and a special selection of late-night snacks, with food available until midnight.

The featured cocktail will be an espresso martini made with espresso from Mom & Pop. NAJA has not revealed the entire food menu, but shorbat adas, a red lentil soup, will be among the dishes served. Reservations are available through OpenTable.

Owner Tariq Alaeddin said the event combines his passion for music with an evening centered on food and culture. He described NAJA as many customers’ first introduction to Lebanese, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures, adding that late-night gatherings and nightlife offer another way to share those traditions beyond lunch and dinner.

NAJA Mediterranean opened in fall 2025 in the former Kirby Club space, where Alaeddin had worked for years. The restaurant retained some Kirby Club favorites while expanding the menu with Mediterranean dishes influenced by Alaeddin’s travels and the cooking of his grandmother, Najah.

Neither restaurant has confirmed whether more late-night events will follow the three March dates.