New Mediterranean restaurant Zaatar opens in Towson
By Zachary Bandler, Staff Writer
A new Mediterranean restaurant opened this July in Uptown. Named Zaatar, it’s the second restaurant the co-owners have run together.
The current hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. However, these hours might change in the future to better fit customer traffic. The restaurant sits at 20 Alleghany Avenue, next to the THB Bagelry and Deli.
Co-Owners Khaled Shakra and Nidal Sousou took inspiration from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine for the menu. They serve dishes such as crunchy falafel, savory hummus and sweet mouhalabieh, a middle-eastern milk pudding. While the menu has plenty of options, Shakra suggested his favorite item for first-time customers; the chicken shawarma platter, which comes with hummus, a tasty garlic sauce and crunchy pita. He suggested pairing it with a cup of their refreshing ice mint lemonade.
In addition to the falafel and hummus, there is a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian options including babaganoosh, a tabbouleh salad and a fattoush salad. Everything is 100% halal, according to Shakra.
“We stick to principle, which is 100% fresh, nothing out of a can, nothing frozen, everything is prepared daily and offered freshly prepared on a daily basis,” Shakra said.
Shakra and Sousou have been business partners for 36 years. They once co-owned two 7-11’s in Towson. They sold one 25 years ago and closed the other one 10 years ago. They have since put their effort into growing Zaatar into the go-to place for Mediterranean food in the Baltimore area.
That endeavor proved successful at their first location on 1019 Charles St. in Baltimore, which they operated for the last 10 years. Now, they chose to open a restaurant in Towson since it has been their home for the past few decades.
Shakra and Sousou named the restaurant Zaatar because it’s the Arabic word for a herb blend used often by their family.
“This is something like we got addicted to and our family fed this every single day with olive oil and pita bread, because they say it refreshes the brain and I think they proved us right,” Shakra said.