In late 2025, Ziad Halub and Farsin Rabiee opened Logma, an Iraqi-Iranian café located in Hackney, London. Initially unaware of how sandwiches might fit into their menu, the owners discovered a popular new offering serendipitously when haltingly they placed lamb koftas into pita bread amid a shortage of plates. What was intended as a short-lived experiment quickly captured the attention of Londoners, prompting long queues that sometimes stretched hundreds deep within months of opening.

Though best known for its distinctive pitas, Logma operates with a broader mission to serve its local community. On Wednesday evenings, the café hosts a special event called Logma Lates, seating 18 guests for an exclusive dinner service at 7 p.m. Tickets for these monthly dinners frequently sell out shortly after becoming available. The menu changes with each installment, allowing the chefs to explore different regional flavors. For example, in August, the focus was on southern Gulf cuisine, featuring dishes such as crab and rice, shrimp stew, and a stuffed flatbread filled with purslane, garlic chives, pickles, and cheese. Halub noted that this menu choice was influenced by ongoing hardships in southern Iran, where infrastructure attacks have left residents without electricity amid extreme heat.

The two founders acknowledge ongoing creative tension between maintaining culinary tradition and embracing innovation. Halub, who has Iraqi roots, describes himself as a “non-traditionalist,” favoring experimental approaches to recipes. Meanwhile, Rabiee, influenced by his Iranian grandmother’s cooking, takes a more conventional stance. “Ziad is like, let’s rip it apart and try it like this. I’m like, my grandmother is turning in her grave right now!” Rabiee remarked, illustrating a dynamic balance that shapes their kitchen.

At its core, Logma was conceived as a community hub, growing out of early supper clubs that brought Middle Eastern residents of East London together to enjoy familiar food. The founders emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming queer space as well. “We know our customers by name. We know their relationship status. We know their orders,” Halub said, underscoring the café’s role as more than just a restaurant but a social meeting point grounded in connection and familiarity.