The Yafa Bakery & Café plans an expansion within Somerville, taking over the old Posto restaurant site at 187 Elm St., Davis Square. Yafa, famous for its Mediterranean pastry and the kindness of its customer service, opened in June 2022 at 594 Somerville Ave., Ward 2, in a space founder Abdullah Awad said would stay in operation.
The second location has a storied history as the home of Steve’s, the ice cream shop where Steve Herrell invented the mix-in of candy and other ingredients in 1973, and as a Carberry’s Bakery and Coffee House after its expansion from Cambridge’s Central Square. The space has also served the O’Naturals restaurant company, Boloco burrito and smoothie chain and The Green Tomato, serving seasonal American fare.
Posto served pizza and other Italian food at the address for 13 years before announcing in 2024 that it would relocate to Assembly Square. With its move that November, the Elm Street site has been empty for 1.8 years.
“A big complaint is that we’d love to see our empty storefronts filled, so it’s very exciting,” said Elaine Almquist, president of the Davis Square Neighborhood Council.
Awad was on location Sept. 11 to look at the site and said he appreciated interest in Yafa and its expansion. Staff confirmed Tuesday that the expansion was still happening, but no further details were immediately available.
