A taste of Dubai has arrived on Long Island — and it’s steeped in saffron.
Step inside the newly opened Filli Café at 350 South Broadway in Hicksville, and the warm aroma of spiced chai fills the air as the international tea brand pours its signature Zafran Tea for the first time in New York.
“I was in Dubai on business and had a meeting inside a Filli over there, and the aroma of the chai was so amazing it made me want to open one here,” said franchisee Sagar Khanna (pictured). “So I did it. We have lattes and milkshakes too, but there is nothing like this place on Long Island — nothing.”
Khanna says Filli fills a different niche.
“We’re a chai shop, not a coffee shop,” he said. “There are places you can go to get chai, but not like this. There’s no competition at the moment.”
— photos by Andrew Rappaport
When Filli officially opened Oct. 4 at the new Soni Center, hundreds of people turned out to get their first sip of the rapidly growing brand. The line stretched out the door, with waits of more than an hour. More than a month later, crowds are still packing the café on weekends.
And it’s not just for the drinks. The menu brings its own distinctive flair, with flatbreads with a Pakistani twist, a new take on the smashburger, and four varieties of club sandwiches that Khanna says can’t be found anywhere else in New York.
“We have one that’s layered with egg, salad and chicken, topped with a signature spicy sauce,” he said. “Our customers tell us they love it.”
Khanna’s personal favorite? A pasta dish called Foodles.
“It has a spicy, tasty twist,” he said. “It’s my favorite, actually.”
Founded two decades ago by Rafih Filli as a small neighborhood tea shop in Dubai, the Filli brand has since grown into a global chain with more than 110 locations across the Middle East, the UK, Canada — and now, Long Island.
“The smell of the saffron in our drinks is like an addiction; it goes right to your head,” Khanna said. “The saffron chai is our most famous tea. Once you try it, you can’t stop coming back for more.”
Filli Café is open seven days a week:
- Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight
- Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- Sunday, 2 p.m. to midnight
