A New York City export that serves up Palestinian street food called Ayat is making its Texas debut in Richardson.
The restaurant officially opens its doors for service on Monday, February 9, at 200 W. Spring Valley Rd., owner Abdul Elenani says, after a surprise soft opening over the weekend that brought out droves of fans looking to try its wood-fired pita, hummus, and other classic Palestinian dishes.
It’s the first Texas restaurant for Ayat, which currently operates multiple outposts in its home state of New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.
About a year ago, Elenani came to Texas to help a friend open a burger joint, and after meeting the restaurant’s landlord, he decided to bring his restaurant to Texas after things began to “align perfectly for the restaurant to grow," he says.
“We promise to bring value, to give back, and to be a real part of this beautiful community,” Elenani wrote when he announced the expansion. “Wherever we go, we don’t just open a restaurant — we plant roots, we give back, and we do our best to bring people together.”
Ayat is at 200 W. Spring Valley Rd.Facebook/Ayat
The restaurant is deeply connected to its home nation, both in terms of cuisine and in the design. The building’s exterior has been painted in parts to resemble the print on a keffiyeh, both a practical scarf and symbol of liberation for the people of Palestine.
In the space’s interior, bottles of Palestinian olive oil are used both as decor and for cooking. The centerpiece of the dining room, a large faux olive tree, continues the theme. The menus, bound in leather and embossed with “End the Occupation,” further make its Palestinian identity abundantly clear.
As far as the food is concerned, a meal at Ayat begins with a basket of warm pita fresh from the restaurant’s wood-fired oven, served at the table with olive oil, za’atar, and cracked olives.
Spicy kafta at Ayat. Photo by Amy McCarthy
The menu boasts an eclectic line-up of dishes that includes traditional Palestinian classics like maklouba, a layered dish of chicken, rice, and vegetables.
There are also more innovative, fusion-y plates like the Pizzawarma, a cultural mash-up that involves a thin, New York City-style pizza crust that’s loaded down with halloumi cheese, beef shawarma, pickles, olives, sumac onions, pomegranate molasses, and tahini sauce.
After Ayat debuts on February 9, the restaurant will be open from 11 am-10 pm daily, for lunch and dinner service. The restaurant is also currently planning a free dinner, open to the public, at some point in the near future, to help introduce the community to Ayat, Elenani says.
