Nedal Gyro opens brick-and-mortar restaurant
After preparing and serving Mediterranean food for eight years at events including Foodie Friday and Butler City Farmers Market, Nedal Khraisat and his wife, Lubna Alzayyat of Nedal’s Gyro are now serving Greek dishes out of a brick-and-mortar storefront at 507 W. Cunningham St
The restaurant’s grand opening took place Tuesday, Dec. 5. Finding the place, which Khraisat and Alzayyat renovated extensively, was “like fate,” their eldest daughter, Noor, 17, said.
As part of the renovations done to the former Huddle Lounge, Khraisat and Alzayyat redid the floor, ceiling, kitchen and bathrooms.
“My dad was constantly moving around, and people were constantly like, ‘Oh my God, do you have a central location?’ because they loved his food,” Noor said. “It’s honestly like the manifestation of a dream that he’s been working toward for years.”
As the family waited to welcome customers for the grand opening, trays of baklava with honey and chocolate syrup sat on the counter. Among the Mediterranean dishes were moussaka, tabbouleh and pastitsio.
As they finished final preparations, the couple’s children, Noor, Leen, 16 and Sarah, 7, wrapped silverware.
On the day of the restaurant’s grand opening, the family asked for their daughters to be excused from school so they too could be part of the celebration.
“They enjoy coming here, and Nedal, he loves his kids,” Alzayyat said.
While Nedal Gyro has a fixed menu, certain dishes alternate each week depending on customers’ tastes and which ingredients Khraisat likes to use.
“(Khraisat) likes to experiment,” Alzayyat said.
The couple used to lived in Germany, where Alzayyat worked as a mechanical engineer, and Khraisat, whose family is from Athens, had a construction company, Alzayyat said.
They moved to Pittsburgh for Noor, who is visually impaired, to receive ophthalmological care at Children’s Hospital.
Eight years ago, Alzayyat changed careers and now holds a doctorate in special education. Her husband loves to cook and bring people together, she said.
Alzayyat said after years of recognizing Khraisat as a vendor at events around town, people come back for the food because of the quality and hospitality.
“We love the area here,” Alzayyat said. “The people here are very, very nice.”
Nedal Gyro is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. The restaurant is closed Mondays.
