Petra Mediterranean Restaurant
When Mike Sajaja first opened his restaurant more than a decade ago, it“ turned out to be an excellent adventure.”
Petra Mediterranean Restaurant, formerly Aladdin’ s Mediterranean Cuisine, is a family-owned restaurant serving Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes in downtown New Albany. Mike and his wife Zein, who are originally from Jordan, have operated the business for about twelve years with their family.
“ I had never run a restaurant before,” he said.“ I was always an employee. I spent the last 20 years before this working for Chevron Oil in Texas.”
The business idea was inspired by Zein, who often cooked for her family and catered food. After moving to Southern Indiana from Dallas, Mike said he“ took a chance” and opened a small cafe on Market Street in downtown New Albany in 2013.
“ When I moved into New Albany, there were no Middle Eastern restaurants,” Mike said.“ The restaurant scene was very limited.”
The business grew quickly, and the family decided to move into a bigger location at Underground Station in New Albany. It opened the existing restaurant at 27 Bank Street in 2016.
Petra offers Mediterranean and Middle Eastern classics such as shawarma, kebabs and falafel. The gyros and freshly made hummus served with pita are among the top favorites at the restaurant.
“ We just offer our authentic food,” Mike said.“ Everything is authentic.”
The Sajaja’ s adult children play an active role in the restaurant, including their daughters Dima, Nancy and Ala. Ala is the restaurant’ s baker, making sweets such as baklava and varieties of cheesecake. Recent additions include Dubai chocolate pastries with pistachios.
This year, the restaurant rebranded as Petra, named after the ancient city in Jordan.
Mike never expected the business to become as successful, but the New Albany community has been supportive over the past decade.
“ I wish I knew then that it was going to be this good,” he said.“ I would have opened it much bigger and much better from the start. But you never know.”
MAI’ S THAI
Mai Meyers is proud to serve authentic Thai cuisine at her Jeffersonville restaurant, which has been in operation for 24 years. Mai’ s Thai Restaurant at 1411 E. 10th St. has been a staple of the city’ s culinary scene since 2001. Meyers enjoys sharing her cuisine with the community, and she cooks food the way she likes to eat it, she said.
“ I’ m not Americanizing my food,” she said.“ That’ s why it’ s good. Some [ Thai ] restaurants... they Americanize it.”
The menu at Mai’ s Thai includes dishes such as pad Thai, fried rice, stir-fry and a variety of curry dishes. Her restaurant has earned the Thai Select distinction, a mark of certification issued by the Thai government to restaurants offering authentic Thai cuisine.
Meyers grew up near Bangkok, Thailand, where she attended school at a Buddhist temple. She learned how to cook traditional Thai food from her father.
After marrying an American soldier at age 18, she moved to the United States in 1969. Before opening Mai’ s Thai, Meyers ran an Asian grocery store in Louisville, but she sold the store to focus on the restaurant. Over the past two decades, she has built a dedicated customer base at Mai’ s Thai.
“ Everybody knows my food,” she said.“ I’ ve got really good customers. Customers love me. I love them. They are like a friend, not the customer.”
She holds cooking classes at the restaurant, and over the years, she has used the money for donations, which supported the renovation of the temple in Bangkok where she attended school. Meyers has also supported a Buddhist temple in Louisville, and she supports charities in Thailand.
“ That’ s what I did for the Thai people,” she said.
But at age 73, she is getting close to retirement. She hopes that someone
July | August 2025 DIVERSITY 7