South Paterson Middle Eastern/Turkish

[MJP]

I'm surprised nobody's posted about South Paterson already. This is a heavily Islamic part of Paterson and isn't as unsafe at night as the rest of the city, and it's home to some of the very best Middle Eastern food this side of Dubai. Ranging around a few blocks on Main Street between Madison and Crooks, I believe, there are mostly Lebanese, Saudi Arabian, Turkish and Syrian restaurants with at least two Palestinean sweet shops.

The girlfriend and I really like Toros, a Turkish place. They have two locations with small differences in the menus, one at 489 Hazel Street in Clifton (not far from SP) and one on 1083 Main Street in Paterson. Their kabobs are fantastic, never overdone and very basic. The grilled hot peppers and tomatoes are wonderful accompaniments, and I believe they bake their own borek and pide bread. The one on Hazel Street is a little bit nicer than the one on Main Street, but both have very warm atmospheres, fantastic service, and traditional Turkish food that sets the standard.

Try them with patlican salasi (I believe that's the eggplant salad) and with the cacik (a cold yogurt/cucumber/garlic sauce reminiscent of tzatziki), or if you really want something incredibly tasty, any of the yogurtlu kebabs are delicious. My one complaint is that the yogurtlu kebab involves a little bit too much yogurt, which kills the texture of the pide, but that's easily resolved by soaking it up with the extra bread. Not for the carb-phobic!

Save some room, because a quick walk up the road is Al-Aqsa Pastry Shop. They do homemade pastries whose names completely escape me, but they all revolve around shredded wheat threads, honey, pistachios and walnuts, and for one or two, this delicious sweet cheese that has a texture closer to ricotta than mascarpone. They're sweet and sticky, and a couple could share one or two pastries of each type comfortably. Stay with the stuff on the right, but the basic baked goods look awesome too.

There's a new dessert place that a Syrian co-worker of mine says is better than Al-Aqsa. I believe it's called Mondial, but don't get me wrong.

Finally, tucked in near a supermarket is Istanbul Cafe. Not the place where you want to eat, they do fantastic take-out. It's about five minutes off of I-80, so if you're coming back from work and feel like a different kind of take-out, Istanbul Cafe is a good start.

Anyone else have any thoughts or experiences?

[Adam P.]

I also enjoy Toros at the Clifton location and would recommend it. The food and ambiance are great. I would say the food matches up in quality with Lalezar in Montclair and Samdan in Cresskill.

I tend to stay away from going deeper into Paterson, but there is an excellent Palestinian restaurant just over the Clifton border on Crooks Ave called Assayad, which has alot of interesting items you don't find on many Middle Eastern menus.

[PicnicChef]

Byblos, for Lebanese was terrific, but was sold last year. I haven't been since. Anybody have any info? They used to do GREAT stuff - raw Kibbe; lamb testicles; tons of wonderful stuff. They did a kibbe carpacia - raw lamb, sliced paper thin with a dibble of salt and cumin sprinkled on it. Just wonderful.

[Adam P.]

I recently tried a Lebanese cafe called Alloush on the Paterson side of Crooks Ave. They have a full fresh fruit juice bar and also serve up some pretty tasty panini-pressed sandwiches.

So far I've only sampled a few sandwiches and they have all been really good - especially the Nakanik, which are spicy beef sausage patties laden with pine nuts.

Next time I stop in I think I'll try one of their grilled cheese sandwiches. They serve up a Syrian Cheese w/Mint and a Kashkawan Cheese w/Pasterma (Armenian beef jerky) sandwich. They both sound very intriguing to say the least...

[titmfatied]

Thank you so much for the thread. I've wanted to explore Paterson for a while but I've had no clue where to begin. For anyone who's interested, I performed a search of the places suggested throughout the thread using Google Local. For what it's worth, Google Local is my favorite tool for sleuthing food spots. I love the thought ballloon for directions, links to reviews and references, and I love how you can zoom in and put the map on satellite so you can actually see (from about 500 ft up) the neighboorhood you're looking for.

Toros Website (website is for the clifton location, I'm not sure if the same menu is served in Paterson)

Toros (google Local)

489 Hazel St, Clifton, NJ

(973) 772-8032

(Turkish)

Toros (Google Local)

1083 Main St, Paterson, NJ

(973) 742-6877

(Turkish) suggestions by MJP: kebobs, yogurtlu kebabs, borek and pide bread, patlican salasi, cacik

Istanbul Cafe (Google Local)

942 Main St, Paterson, NJ

(973) 247-0066

(Turkish) MJP reccomends for takeout only

Assayad (Google Local)

341 Crooks Ave, Clifton, NJ

(973) 772-7370

(Palestinian)

Alloush (Google Local)

127 Crooks Ave, Paterson, NJ

(973) 881-8829

(Lebanese cafe) Adam P suggests: fresh fruit juice bar, panini-pressed sandwiches (especially the nakanik)

Pastry:

Can't find any info on the web for Al-Aqsa or Mondial, but I do see Albustan (Google Local) and Nablus (Google Local) on main st. There are no Egullet reveiws for either.

Edited March 1, 2006 by titmfatied (log)

[Carpetbagger]

NOW this thread starts. Just when we're moving our offices up to Montvale. I've eaten at Toros & enjoyed the food plus they have a good lunch special - soup or salad, appetizer, entree and a drink for $7.99. Plus they offer it on Saturdays if you don't work nearby.

I can also recommend Salah Edin at 995 Main St. Paterson. They have takout kabobs & sandwiches in the front, a sit down restaurant in the back. Not many gringos, but I've been treated very nicely whenever I've been. Good food and super cheap

[Adam P.]

Two new restaurant openings that are possibly worth checking out:

Yakamoz - Specializes in Turkish Kebabs, Pide and homemade Doner.

and

Aleppo - Specializes in food from Aleppo, Syria.

[Rosie]

Two new restaurant openings that are possibly worth checking out:

Yakamoz - Specializes in Turkish Kebabs, Pide and homemade Doner.

and

Aleppo - Specializes in food from Aleppo, Syria.

←

When did these open and will they allow you to bring in wine?

[Adam P.]

Two new restaurant openings that are possibly worth checking out:

Yakamoz - Specializes in Turkish Kebabs, Pide and homemade Doner.

and

Aleppo - Specializes in food from Aleppo, Syria.

←

When did these open and will they allow you to bring in wine?

←

I'm not sure when they opened up and about the wine situation. I'm going to try them both out soon and will report back.

[Adam P.]

I'm getting addicted to that little sandwich shop Alloush. Here are some recent pictures:

Syrian Cheese w/Mint (imagine fresh mozzarella with mint instead of basil)

Kaskawan Cheese w/Pasterma (imagine manchego cheese with a mild pastrami)

Chicken Sandwich (turned out to be an excellent shwarma sandwich - roti-like wrapping was really nice - perfect balance of cinnamon)

This was essentially a kiwi-strawberry smoothie with layers of fresh fruit, topped with fresh (not canned) whipped cream and sprinkled with pistachios and slivered almonds on top.

[Adam P.]

For those out there craving arabic sweets, do head over to Mondial. I have to say they were absolutely fantastic. There are literally trays and trays of cookies and pastries and all sorts of desserts. I only sampled the Kadayif (shredded wheat with cheese), and some other cheese pastry and I could not stop eating them.

What's great about the pastries I had there are the fact they are no sweeter than french pastries. Usually, I find the arabic pastries to be sickeningly sweet, but not so there. I also like the fact that the pastries are kept warm on giant heated trays. The place is also impeccably clean.

There are tables were you can sit and order coffee, tea or fresh squeezed fruit juices and enjoy your pastries.

[MJP]

When did these open and will they allow you to bring in wine?

←

Toros is BYO. It's worth calling ahead and asking as one place whose name I forget (Across Main from Toros) does not serve or allow alcohol.

titmfatied

I believe that Nablus might be Al-Aqsa. I think I got the name wrong. This is what happens when you follow the Mideast news and eat the cuisine in the same day. :-P

[Anonymouze]

I go to Aladdin in Hackensack for Middle Eastern when I need a fix and their food is real good and quality tasting... brings me back to the days I lived in Israel oh so long ago!

Also Babylon is real nice too and that's in River Edge. Aladdin has music/entertainment on Fri? and Saturday nights (belly dancers). Babylon isn't anything to really look at but the food is good, service mediocre at best but the folks are real nice... and I often see an Israeli friend of mine there every now and then which is an added perk, he's a nice guy... interesting in a funny way.

I am "assuming" that by Middle Eastern you mean more Syria/Lebanon/Israel/Turkey food not Greece (which is technically NOT the middle east) or am I incorrect? Like Falafel, Hummus, Mohammara, Babaganoush, Tchina - though some of those are also crossover "greek finds".

I rather not go to Paterson myself because of the problem with street parking, I'd rather not park the Mercedes there unless it's a private/watched lot. I hear that new place in Rainbow is becoming more popular too but I haven't been there yet.

[Adam P.]

Some recent snaps of goodies from Mondial:

Fresh Baked Syrian Bread with Pomegranate Sauce - Yum!!!

Syrian Bread Slice

Assorted Cookies

The bakery is coveniently recessed from the rest of the stores on the street and they have a few parking spots were you can park off the street. I still gotta remember to get their address, but the store is about a few seconds drive past the Clifton border.

[Anonymouze]

Man, I haven't had that bread in ages... can you tell us where Mondial is or if they have a website please? Is there an "official" name for the bread (if there is I've long ago forgotten it) or would we just ask for Pomegranate bread? My "kibbutz mother" was from Lebanon and used to bake that for us along with other goodies and so the last time I really had that was 1980. Thanks for sharing your pictures Adam, now I have to wipe the drool off my keyboard!

[Adam P.]

Man, I haven't had that bread in ages... can you tell us where Mondial is or if they have a website please?  Is there an "official" name for the bread (if there is I've long ago forgotten it) or would we just ask for Pomegranate bread?  My "kibbutz mother" was from Lebanon and used to bake that for us along with other goodies and so the last time I really had that was 1980.  Thanks for sharing your pictures Adam, now I have to wipe the drool off my keyboard! 

←

Their street address is 1068 Main Street, Paterson.

If you're coming down Main Street from Clifton, once you pass Crooks Ave, the store will be coming up on the left side. The store is recessed from the street and quite colorful, so you can't miss it. It's an added plus that they have parking in that recessed area from the street.

I asked about the traditional name of the bread, but had forgotten by the time that I posted above. I was also pretty lucky, because they had just brought them out and they are usually snapped up within an hour. Good price too - 3.50! I'm pretty sure you can call ahead and ask when they make it fresh. I'm also sure they will understand if you ask for the Syrian bread with Pomegrate.

I would also recommend their pastries. The butter in them tastes similar to the butter in French pastries and they are not even that sweet.

Their phone is (973) 247-0010.

[MJP]

I took my girlfriend and her brother, who hasn't ever had Middle Eastern or Turkish, to Assayad (341 Crooks Ave) for lunch today. It was probably one of the worst overall experiences I had dining out in my life thus far. We were seated promptly and got our menus, but it was about ten or fifteen minutes before the waitress came to take drink orders. We didn't even get water when we were seated.

We ordered our appetizers (lebneh and kubbeh) and it was another fifteen minutes, which was understandable, since the kubbeh were fantastic. The skin was crisp and not too oily, and the filling was flavorful and not too tightly packed. The pita bread for the lebneh wasn't homemade, though, which was a bit of a minus.

The food was about twenty minutes behind that. I had a kufte casserole in tahini, the girlfriend and her brother had fish and shrimp versions of a dish whose name I forget, but they were something very delicious indeed. The fish and shrimp weren't too overcooked and they were topped with a thick, rich tomatoey sauce that went perfect with the seasoned long-grain rice it was served on. The strings of carmelized onions were a great texture, and the plating itself was very nice.

However, after we finished our drinks, the waitress wasn't around to be seen for the next HALF-HOUR. I even got up and looked around for someone - which is something you really shouldn't have to do in a restaurant - and we ended up without any further service. There were only four or five people around, and they were smoking hookahs provided by the restaurant; we had to wait until they came to refill them until we asked for boxes and a check.

That took another ten minutes.

It ended up well because we went to Mondial afterwards for dessert. Really fantastic. They had these Arabic sodas in their case which were non-alcoholic malt drinks. We had a peach and an apple one, which were great accompaniments to the fresh pastries. The owner even brought out some fresh stuff after we had sat down and gave us a few pieces.

Maybe we just came at the wrong time, but Assayad really has a ways to go if all their lunches are like this. Big thumbs down, despite the unique and delicious food.

[nanyun]

Someone mentioned to my husband that Paterson had some of the best Turkish food in NJ so we've been wanting to go there but had no idea where to start. It looks like from the info in this thread that we'll start at Toros. I'm also looking for a place to get great baklava and those Turkish pastries that are bursting with cream.

What is the atmosphere like at some of the Turkish spots in Paterson? We'd like to combine the Paterson excursion this week with a dinner date with friends, but they won't be happy if we bring them to a hole in the wall.

[Adam P.]

Someone mentioned to my husband that Paterson had some of the best Turkish food in NJ so we've been wanting to go there but had no idea where to start. It looks like from the info in this thread that we'll start at Toros. I'm also looking for a place to get great baklava and those Turkish pastries that are bursting with cream.

What is the atmosphere like at some of the Turkish spots in Paterson? We'd like to combine the Paterson excursion this week with a dinner date with friends, but they won't be happy if we bring them to a hole in the wall.

←

I haven't been to the Toros location in Paterson, but the location in Clifton - which is literally up the street - has some really nice ambiance and really good food (and parking). You may be disappointed with the ambiance at the other restaurants in Paterson, but you probably won't be disappointed in the food quality.

Toros Clifton location website:

http://www.torosrestaurant.com/Index.htm

The Syrian bakery, Mondial, which I mention in a post above has those pastries you seek. It may not be Turkish, but they are really good.

[MJP]

Mucho agreement for Toros in Clifton. The restaurants on Main Ave and elsewhere are great for food but not so great for atmosphere, Toros on Main included. The expanded menu and better appearance really give it a kick upward if you want to show people a good experience.

Mondial is a step up from Nablus, a block or two up Main. I haven't been there during peak hours, but there's only five or six little tables. If you have a good-sized party, you might be able to push tables together. Toros does do some desserts, but I'd put even money that they don't have the cream-filled pastries you speak of. :-(

[nanyun]

Thanks for the info, we're hopefully trying the Clifton Toros tomorrow. We'll probably just take the pastries to go as we'll head over to our friend's place for coffee and dessert.

[ddolly]

There are also two larger grocery stores on Main Street, Fattal's and Nouri Bros. Both are excellent for sourcing ME products and ingredients, and both have private parking lots for when you shop. They also have prepared foods, like stuffed grape leaves, kibbeh etc for take out. I am partial to each for different things so I usually end up shopping at both. Fattal also has a little cafe in the back of the store with decent seating, where you can get delicous fresh made to order flat breads "little pizzas" with a variety of toppngs like cheese, zatar, meat or whatever you want.

This neighborhood is a treasure for anyone who misses the ME.

Also, I agree with the Al Aqsa posts, it is really fabulous for desserts and cookies.

I am getting so hungry right now thinking about it!

Edited August 10, 2006 by ddolly (log)

[MJP]

My mom has reported that if you're looking for a really good Turkish selection, Akmarket on Getty Ave (I think it's Getty Ave) is the place to be at. It's just a few blocks before Main, white sign with red lettering.

[MJP]

Dupe post due to system hiccup... AGAIN... MSIE + corporate network = death.

Edited August 10, 2006 by MJP (log)

[MJP]

Bump for another recent visit to Alloush after a trip to Corrado's. They've remodeled and expanded the menu. It's more than just two or three sandwiches, they now have a very nice line of Middle Eastern stuff. The falafel was good. Not as crispy as I normally like, but very flavorful and inexpensive. Whatever they did with their strawberry banana juice has made it even better than before.