“The king of the loubia“, becomes the king of Bourek for this sacred month. The owner, Karim, spoke in front of the cameras of the media “El Khabar”, in order to explain this development.
He shows the range of products and explains that he offers different formulas: at 100 DA, 150DA, 200DA or even 250DA. He adds that an entire stand is dedicated to fish specialties, recalling that the rest of the year, he only offers Loubia, sardines and pepper salad but that he converts during the month of Ramadan, in order to offer Bourek with his employee, Hamid, who has accompanied him for 20 years and Mohamed.
To this, Karim adds that his clientele is present, especially foreigners and embassies as well as celebrities. His Bourek, known to all, is quite special according to him because of the diversity of the choice of toppings he makes available to buyers, thus offering them the possibility of tasting new flavors, which change from traditional bourek to minced meat.
He also makes a point of cleanliness, explaining that all the preparations are done within the restaurant, the same morning from 8:00 a.m.
The King of Loubia: a real institution
Ali-Khellil Ammar, known as El Morro, an authentic son of Annaba, came to Algiers at the end of the 1940s. On independence, he settled in rue Tanger, precisely in this small room which had become “The King of Loubia”, he He first tried his hand at the fruit and vegetable trade before the more artistic choice of a record store (mixture of musical genres).
The record store will then become a restorer and, very quickly, the king of the loubia. In just a few months, the fantastic aroma of El Morro-style loubia will go around the capital and establish its reputation as a magician of prepared beans. In the small restaurant, they also served fried sardines, but people came especially for loubia
To relate his journey, a press article is stuck to the wall of his small restaurant where it is written: “I set foot in the dish 50 years ago to offer a bowl of treat to all that Algiers had of workers, civil servants and travelers passing through”.
Ali-Khellil Ammar died at the age of 78 in 2013 thus passing the torch. The restaurant always attracts attention and seduces Algerians but also foreigners, who come to taste the famous loubia accompanied by sardines.
