After more than four months of displaying nothing more than a “coming soon” sign, Ariana Kabob and Gyro Bistro recently opened its doors to local residents looking to savor ethnic flavors.

Located in the Westwood Shopping Center at the corner of Cedar Lake Road and Louisiana Avenue, Ariana Kabob and Gyro Bistro owner Yamah Sadozai said he opened the restaurant to share his mother’s cooking with the community.

“Honestly the main reason I opened it is because my mother is just an excellent cook, and her kabobs are the most amazing kabobs I’ve ever had,” Sadozai said.

Ariana Kabob and Gyro Bistro officially opened May 22 and features various Middle Eastern dishes including classics such as kabobs, gyros and less traditional dishes like chicken poppy seed salad.

Senior Luna Gebriel said she was thrilled to see a restaurant serving gyros in the city, and said she was pleased after trying it.

“You saw everything being made so you were sure the food was fresh, and it was really good and a welcoming environment,” Gebriel said. “I’ll definitely go back.”

The restaurant captured the attention of many students even before it opened such as sophomore Colin Monicatti. He said he waited for it to open since the “coming soon” sign first caught his eye in January.

“It’s close to my house, so I drove by it a lot,” Monicatti said. “I wanted them to open it sooner. They shouldn’t have had a sign up for like five months before.”

Sadozai said he has seen high interest beyond just students, as he said more than 300 patrons lined up to try Ariana Kabob and Gyro Bistro on its opening day.

“I’ve gotten cleaned out of food every single day (during opening week) so I’ve been running back to the grocery store every single day,” Sadozai said.

Another aspect of the restaurant that may appeal to students is that it offers Halal and Kosher meat. It is therefore permissible to consume according to Islamic law, and Jewish law.

Freshman Hodan Dubad said she was especially glad to welcome a restaurant into the city that offering Halal meat.
“I think it’s good (Ariana Kabob and Gyro Bistro) is Halal because most American restaurants aren’t Halal, so we (Muslims) can’t eat from them,” she said.

The restaurant is located at 7115 Cedar Lake Road. Ariana Kabob and Gyro Bistro is open 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily and offers the option for restaurant patrons to either dine in or take-out.