Community is the strength of his restaurants, says Matt Wehbeh, who owns Albury eateries Clique, Downtown Pizzeria and Aida with his wife, Sarah El Kadi. Photo: Supplied.
Matt Wehbeh is sitting outside his latest Dean Street eatery, Clique Albury, greeting the many passers-by who want to stop and chat with him.
A woman, who turns out to be a staffer from a nearby public school, ducks over to tell him the runaway rooster, yes, a real-life rooster, is now safely back behind bars!
The adventurous pet had apparently flown the coop, and somehow found its way into the busy Lebanese cafe and shawarma bar recently.
While locals joked about chicken nuggets when Clique posted a Facebook appeal to find the owner, Matt was quick to point out their bossy visitor was strictly “not on the menu”. Instead, he had been kept safely behind the shop, well fed and watered by the kitchen staff.
It was a minor comical interlude in what’s been a hectic, and, at times, challenging year, for the popular power couple.
Excitingly, Matt, 36, and his wife, Sarah El Kadi, 37, have revealed they are expecting their first child around the end of March next year.
It all speaks to the heart of the community connection they both cherish and actively cultivate at the three restaurants they now operate in Albury’s main street.
They launched Downtown Pizzeria in 2015 before adding the Mediterranean-style Aida Albury to the mix — a deeply personal tribute to Sarah’s late mother, Aida.
They opened Clique Albury at the end of 2025 in the former well-known institution that was Sweethearts Pizza!
Former late-night patrons of Sweethearts would no longer recognise the space. Today, it features an airy, modern decor that makes exquisite use of natural light and earth tones, anchored by a 60-year-old olive tree as the standout centrepiece.
The couple says the tree was chosen as “a symbol of life, generosity and community”.
The branches of community have extended even further with the opening of Downtown Deniliquin on Thursday (24 September) inside The Exchange Hotel, and Matt reveals there are already plans to bring the Downtown franchise to Wagga.
However, he insists the Border city will always hold pride of place.
“Dean Street is home. Albury is home,” he says, recalling he fell in love with the city during a stopover on a trip to Sydney.
In Clique, Matt says he has realised a long-held dream to bring Middle Eastern street food to his loyal local clientele. The venture is already turning heads and in July, the restaurant was recognised in the Australian Good Food Guide.
The breakfast menu features creative twists like a shawarma benedict, kaak pockets (traditional filled street bread) and herbed labneh served with boiled eggs, chilli oil, roast capsicum, tomato, and sourdough. Lunch offers plates, platters and pockets of freshly carved meats paired with sides of tahini, tabouli, pickles, sauces and salads.
Meanwhile, a new dinner menu introduced in September highlights delicacies such as bone marrow served with chimichurri and house-made focaccia. Standout mains include samkeh harra (baked barramundi fillet, chilli potatoes, salad and chilli, lemon and coriander sauce), kafta meatballs and riz a djej (traditional Lebanese chargrilled chicken, spiced rice and toasted nuts). Vegetarian options embrace haloumi, eggplant, falafels and lentils.
After running through this mouth-watering list, Matt sat down with Region for its Five Minutes With series to talk about culture, community and comfort food:
So, how did you and Sarah meet?
We met in Melbourne, on St Kilda Beach. Before coming to Albury, I was managing restaurants in Melbourne.
How long have you been together and what makes you a good team?
It’s 12 years. I think what makes us good together is that I listen and I believe in her vision. I think Sarah would say that I’m very creative and nothing will stop me from growing.
What about if you’re in the kitchen together?
We fight! (Laughs) No, seriously, we see a lot of each other and when we come into work we don’t have any problems. We also have a very strong team in every restaurant.
Is there any rivalry between your three venues, given they are so close together on Dean Street?
They’re totally, totally different — different flavours, different teams and different clientele. It depends on how you feel (as to where you go). When the menus get created, we don’t copy. We go into the kitchen with the chefs and brainstorm ideas after hours. The only thing the same would be our hummus — and even then, we serve it in a totally different way at each place.
What’s one ingredient you can’t live without?
Garlic. Or, 7 spices as well.
What’s a must-try on the Clique menu?
My favourite is the lamb shawarma. For dinner it’s the bone marrow or lamb shank.
Tell us about the new dinner menu?
We’ve brought in a menu that resembles what my mum cooks at home when we have guests over. It’s authentic, home-made food that still looks amazing on the plate. It takes a lot of time to prep the ingredients and cook, but our chefs have done an incredible job, they’ve actually made it even better than Mum’s … I just hope she doesn’t read this!
How important is food to your own background?
I was only 17 when I came to Australia. My parents come and go from here, but every time I go back to Mount Lebanon, not once do we eat without having at least 10 people around the table. Food is about putting people together and sharing … we love that at Clique the sharing platters are the most popular.
What’s one lesson your mum taught you?
Don’t serve food if you wouldn’t eat it yourself … and presentation, presentation, presentation!
Clique recently took the award for Outstanding Start-Up or Side Hustle at the Albury Wodonga Business Awards. What was behind that win?
We never imagined we would receive an award so soon after opening our doors. We are proud of the innovation behind our ”Showii” takeaway boxes (Showii translates roughly to ”grill” or ”barbecue” in Arabic). They are custom barbecue packs that contain a built-in disposable grill base, charcoal, a matchbox, and a disposal bag. Customers get a choice of pre-marinated skewers with fresh sides of tabouli, hummus, garlic dip, pickles and Lebanese bread to enjoy wherever the mood takes them.
Who cooks at home?
I try, but Sarah never lets me (laughs). I really do try, but she’s on my hands trying to fix things. She is a very, very good chef.
Dream food destination?
Japan.
What would be your death-row meal?
Oysters (natural).
What’s the best thing about the Border’s dining scene?
The community is the strength of our restaurants, and I truly love them so much. We are so blessed. You go through a lot of different phases in life, including the highs and lows of business, but this is the best thing I’ve done. That’s why I do what I do!
Clique Albury is at 471 Dean Street, Albury NSW 2640. It is open seven days (7 am to 4 pm) for breakfast and lunch, and now open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. For details, visit the Facebook page.
