De Babel opens its second location in Scottsdale
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De Babel’s new location has about twice the seating of the original.Photos by Alex Medina
After five years in Scottsdale, Arizona, De Babel has opened its second location. The new restaurant debuted in early September at The Edge, a mixed-use development that’s bringing restaurants, retail space, and offices to a high-traffic corridor.
The new location expands on De Babel’s original fast-casual model. It has about twice as many seats when including the large patio, and the environment is designed for guests to relax and stay awhile.
The patio is particularly important to the concept, De Babel founder Marwan Kandeel said. It allows the restaurant to take advantage of the area’s temperate fall, winter, and spring weather, especially during Scottsdale’s peak seasons when visits increase and seasonal residents return.
De Babel follows strict halal standards in the kitchen. The menu features a variety of mezza (hummus, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves), salads, and sandwiches, plus entrées like shawarma, kofte, and falafel with rice. Guests can supplement their orders with warm pita, assorted pickles, and sauces like tzatziki, tahini, and skhug, and add some baklava or dairy-free tahini ice cream for dessert.
Tractor organic beverages are available via six fountain taps, and four bubblers serve iced tea and lemonade.
The patio is designed to draw customers during Scottsdale’s peak seasons when the weather’s cooler.
The Edge location also features a retail market with grab-and-go products like cheese, pickles, seasonings, and packaged grains. It includes select kosher-certified products, which allows De Babel to maintain its halal menu while making additional items available to guests with different dietary preferences.
De Babel waited five years to open its second restaurant.
“The right time came when our original location was approaching its capacity to accommodate growing customer demand,” Kandeel said. This was even without offering catering services, and with limited visibility on major third-party delivery platforms.
“That was our signal to begin searching for the right property — one that would complement our premium offering while allowing us to elevate the overall guest experience,” he said. “Our decision to expand was driven by genuine customer demand rather than a predetermined expansion timeline.”
A market features packaged products, including a selection of kosher-certified items.
De Babel’s expansion goes beyond opening the second restaurant. Its owners have invested in a commissary kitchen that was designed with the infrastructure and production capacity that could potentially support dozens of additional locations.
“We strongly believe Scottsdale and the greater Phoenix metropolitan area can accommodate more premium Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dining concepts,” Kandeel said. “The market continues to offer significant opportunities, particularly for brands that combine quality, consistency, hospitality, and accessibility.”
He noted that De Babel sees opportunities for growth beyond their immediate market, but the team’s priority is to build a strong, sustainable foundation in Arizona before considering expansion elsewhere.
“Ultimately, our expansion is not simply about adding locations,” Kandeel said. “It’s about creating a sustainable brand that delivers the same quality, hospitality, and guest experience regardless of which De Babel location our customers visit.”
