A Middle Eastern restaurant Sakib (349 Bedford Ave.) has opened in South Williamsburg at the former home of The Bagel Store.
The “viral rainbow bagel shop” formerly occupied the corner of S. 4th Street and Bedford Avenue until it was seized by the state last summer for back taxes.
Common Middle Eastern favorites like falafel, hummus, and the red pepper dip muhammara at an affordable price of $6.50 each are all on the menu at Sakib, with portions large enough to share.
In the front of the restaurant near the counter is an oven where you can see the fresh dough pies like the lahmajeen pie (ground lamb and beef) and the spinach pie being baked.
Lahmajeen pie
Other dishes like msabaha, a hummus-like dip, offer a more authentic take on Middle Eastern food found in NYC with an emphasis on Syrian flavors.
Chicken shwarma platter with fires and hummus
A NY Times review of Sakib traces the owner Diaa Alhanoun’s journey to opening a business in Brooklyn after seeking refuge from Syria:
Diaa Alhanoun, the chef and an owner, makes the dough for the pies, or fatayer, himself. “Here, not too many people know about the pies,” he said, though different versions can be found throughout the city. Under Mr. Alhanoun’s care, they’re filled with lemony, spiced spinach, or brim with salty, fresh cheese. The leavened, olive oil-moistened dough is remarkably light and just sweet enough to be delicious on its own.
Mr. Alhanoun, 48, opened the restaurant with his business partner, Mohammad Ayasrah, 37, in July. Mr. Alhanoun, who is from Syria, has been cooking professionally since he was 15. In 2012, when the Syrian civil war was escalating, he was in Sudan opening a restaurant. It was not safe to return home, so Mr. Alhanoun moved to Jordan until he was accepted into the United States as a refugee with his wife and children.
Inside Sakib
The restaurant is open 11 a.m – 11 p.m seven days per week.
