A few decades ago, Karam Abdo came to the United States from Lebanon for new opportunities. He later married his lovely wife, Maha, and together they have three children: Mohamed, Maher, and Malak. Maha & Karam always had a love for their mothers’ homemade Lebanese food. They have fond memories of helping their mothers pick vegetables from the garden as well as walking to the market and waiting in
line for the butcher’s freshest meats. They recall helping prepare batches of hummus and reminisce the nostalgic feeling of gathering around the table to enjoy the fruits of their labors with their families. Maha & Karam inherited their families’ passion for cooking & brought the techniques with them from overseas. In August of 2009, they set out to establish Ya Halla Restaurant. With the help of their three children, they bought an old fast food restaurant, stripped it down to its core, and established a fine-dine Mediterranean restaurant. The Abdo’s wanted to provide an elegant, welcoming, home-like atmosphere, and there was no better name to portray their vision—Ya Halla Restaurant. In the Arabic speaking world, “Ya Halla” are the first words you hear when entering a friend’s or family member’s home. It’s a greeting meaning “welcome” and “make yourself at home”. Here at Ya Halla, we want you, our friends and family, to do just that—come on in and make yourselves at home while indulging in the best Mediterranean cuisine Toledo has to offer. We use only the finest of ingredients, the freshest of vegetables, and most tender of meats. Everything prepared in our kitchen is fresh and from scratch…just like home. So we invite you to take part in the Ya Halla experience. Take a seat, make yourselves at home, relish in conversations with friends, family and loved ones all while enjoying a delicious homemade meal. From our family to yours, Ya Halla!
-The Abdo Family
