Cowley Flavors is a photojournalistic column documenting food and life stories from ethnic restaurants and grocery shops located on Cowley Road, updated weekly.
It might not sound like a real place to many, but, in the heart of Cowley Road, there exists a half-grocery shop, half-shawarma restaurant business. You might know it as the 24/7 store to visit when you need an emergency grocery run or to get some midnight snacks.
Khalifa Super Store, now renamed Khalifa Supermarket, was undergoing some drastic changes when I arrived. The new owner, Mohammed, was busy supervising the installation of new cameras and TVs. On 1 April 2025, Mohammed applied for the transition of the store from a private retail company to personal ownership under his name. This marks the birthday of another successful, individually owned ethnic business on Cowley Road.
[24/7 Khalifa Supermarket on Cowley, Image by the shop owner, used with permission]
Mohammed was in great spirits. “We will change the name, the LED sign, and the entire management team. We will continue selling Halal products and ensure the freshness of our items and a hygienic environment for our customers. We will also have new CCTV for the safety of everyone.” Now a British citizen, Mohammed had previously worked in hotel management in Iraq and had a long history living in the UK. Continuing the tradition of selling a wide range of products at Khalifa, Mohammed is certain that a wide representation of foods and staples from different countries is the key to doing business in Cowley and Oxford. “Customers are from everywhere. People want to buy products from their home countries. This is why we get Iranian juice, Turkish nuts, Ceylon tea, Bulgarian sauce, and Chinese instant noodles.” He pointed out products on the shelf accurately by their label, company, and country of origin in one breath, as if calling the names of his own children.
[Fresh produce is restocked every day, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Halal certified butchery inside Khalifa, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Fresh baklava sold at Khalifa’s shopfront, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Khalifa prepares freshly cut watermelon for summer, Image by Shixin Zhao]
Exploring the interior of Khalifa is like a tour inside the treasure cave of Ali Baba: once you enter and walk down the aisle, your eyes will get lost among the hundreds of riches and favorites from across the world. Even if you had a grocery list, the exquisite illustrations and curious characters on the bottle right next to what you originally wanted to buy might open the world of a new culinary tradition for you. Have you tried the fruity, spicy, and addictive amba sauce made from fermented mango on grilled veggies and meatballs? Or the soothing, thin, and light texture of Ayran as an alternative yogurt drink to accompany a meal? Khalifa has them all.
[Amba sauce has an Indian origin, but associated with the Baghdadi Jews who brought it to Iraq, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Iraqi orange soda Mission and raison soft drink Trabi right next to 7UP, Image by Shixin Zhao]
A challenge for running a grocery store is the preservation of the million jars, cans, tubs, boxes, and pouches on the shelf. Mohammed, however, is not worried. “We only order a controlled amount of things at a time to make sure nothing is left there too long. Vans come on Tuesdays and Fridays so we top up every two to three days, but things like vegetables are daily restocked. Our bread,” he paused to emphasize the importance, “is handmade daily here in the store. We don’t import them.” He put his hands on the industrial stove: “Touch it, you will see it’s still hot from baking.”
[The stove runs every morning since 4 a.m., Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Baked bread sold at 99p, Image by Shixin Zhao]
Mohammed has an infinite amount of great business ideas. Familiar with the strong presence of the Muslim population around Cowley and in Oxford, he has included a variety of Islamic products to serve the religious community. From prayer mats convertible to seats for pilgrimage, to miniatures of Masjid al-Haram, to thick fluffy flower blankets that make up most Muslim childhood memories, Khalifa is there 24/7 for its customers. “I used these prayer mats myself on Hajj. Very useful and comfortable. I liked them very much, so I now want to sell them in Oxford.” Mohammed explained. “We even have Zamzam! It’s very, very difficult to get them, and they sell out very quickly. You have to come back next Friday to see them.” As the only place in Oxford that sells the holy water from Mecca, Khalifa strictly sells five liters a week only and with no profit. Bought and sold at £21, Zamzam from Khalifa is a true blessing for any Muslim in Oxford who wants to benefit from the miraculous water.
[Warm blankets with geometric patterns that every ethnic family has, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[The versatile prayer mat that Mohammed used himself for Hajj, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Miniature of Kaaba and Masjid al-Haram, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Khalifa is the only place in Oxford that sells Zam zam, Image by Shixin Zhao]
Now, if you have ever wondered why a grocery store and a shawarma restaurant are side by side, Khalifa’s model has proven it to be another excellent business idea. Customers waiting for shawarma hear about the grocery store next door, and shoppers often can’t resist grabbing a hot wrap on their way out.
[Between the grocery shop and the shawarma restaurant stands a statue that people call Mr. Khalifa, Image by Shixin Zhao]
The Khalifa shawarma built a reputation in Oxford for its freshly baked tandoor naan bread. Most customers don’t notice that there is a large, cylindrical clay oven seamlessly sitting inside the cabinetry and discreetly radiating warmth to the entire shop. Flipping the dough at lightning speed, the chef swiftly slaps it onto the scorching wall inside the tandoor and quickly repeats the process for the next one. That is the impressive speed of making three fresh, hot naan in under two minutes. Stuffed with fresh veggies and thin slices of lamb or chicken, a thick, hearty, and oil-dripping kebab is now ready to serve.
[One naan bread takes less than one minute, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Naan bread releasing bubbles in tandoor, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Oil dripping from the chicken, Image by Shixin Zhao]
[Customers waiting in a long line inside Khalifa for the shawarma box, Image by Shixin Zhao]
“How do you say thank you in your language?” I asked when the chef handed me the wrap.
“In Kurdish, we say supas (سوپاس),” he replied with a big smile.
I then discovered that Khalifa is in fact one of the largest hotspots for the Kurdish community in Oxford. The Kurds are an Indo-European ethnic group with their own unique language, history and culture. Kurdistan, the homeland for 35 to 40 million Kurdish population, is a stateless nation that spans across Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. Despite having different citizenships, the Kurds share a strong national identity, just like the case of Khalifa.
[The Pakistani employee speaks highly of his Kurdish colleagues: “These guys are even nicer than the people back home.” Image by Shixin Zhao]
The shopfront and the street buzz with life as many young Kurdish men gather around Khalifa and enjoy conversations with great humor. It is a node of life, like many other shops on Cowley Road, that links and sparks the past, present, and future of a transnational community.