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| - The food here is as good as everyone is saying. But let's come back to that.
This humble little Mom and Pop restaurant is on a neglected stretch of Brownsville, near Becks Run Road. It doesn't look like much from outside, but don't be afraid to go in. It also doesn't look that great inside, but don't let that bother you. There's a pizza counter and a dining room off to the left.
The decor is an eclectic combination of dusty items from an earlier Chinese restaurant, a hookah pipe, and needlehook wall hangings of landmarks that cannot be identified. There's a Syrian flag hanging with the name of the family written on it in Sharpie. It smelled of cigarettes when we entered, but I don't know if that's always the case. It is important to note that the men's room was very clean, that's always nice to see. But, this isn't the place for a nice date, unless you're both about substance over style.
The service is understated, but efficient and polite. Pop wasn't a talker, but he seems like a nice guy and regular patrons clearly thought of him as a friend. It's always nice to see immigrants make an investment in a neglected neighborhood. The cuisine is a mashup of pizza/hoagies and middle eastern.
We ordered the mezze platter, lamb kabob salad, spinach and lentil soup, and a gyro. Everything was really good. There was also plenty of it. I bought the mezze plate to take home and share with my wife as a snack later. We fed on it for two days. The lamb pieces were lean, well done and seasoned with the perfect middle eastern blend of sweet and savory spices. The tzatzikis was creamy and the perfect accompaniment to the rich savory slices of gyros meat. The soup was soft and flavorful with a vegetarian tasting base stock. Compliments to the chef, they do it right.
Bottom line...great food, you need to try it. If you go take-out you ain't missing much. But then again, you should enjoy the eat-in vibe at least once.
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