AL BASHA RESTAURANT
dining out
A “ Little Ramallah ” Standout Al Basha brings the flavors of Lebanon to Paterson
WRITTENBYESTHER DAVIDOWITZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL KARAS
MEAT PLATTER
Many food lovers in North Jersey ( anywhere , actually ) will drive for hours — heck , even get on a plane — to dine at the most recent , most fashionable , most buzzworthy spot they ’ ve just read about . But they never step foot , and thus dine , inone of the most interesting cities in New Jersey : Paterson .
Not only is the “ Silk City ” rich in history ( America ’ s first industrial city , home of the Great Falls , birthplace of Lou Costello ), but one of the most ethnically diverse communities in
America . Many consider it to be the capital of the Peruvian Diaspora . Plus , Paterson is home to the largest Turkish-American population in the U . S ., and the second largest Arab-American population after Dearborn , Mich .
Which brings us
Paterson
AL BASHA RESTAURANT
1076 MAIN ST ., ( 973 ) 345-3700 , ALBASHAUSA . COM
to Lebanese / Mediterranean Al Basha , one of the many Middle Eastern restaurants that dot Main Street in the southern part of town . There are so many Syrian , Palestinian , Jordanian and Lebanese residents , shops and dining joints in South Paterson that this thriving , colorful section of town has been nicknamed Little Ramallah .
Twenty-yearold Al Basha may be its most popular spot for grabbing eats that speak ofhome , if home was once in the warm Middle East . FYI : I have often quizzed Patersonians about where to get good hummus in the area ( I devoured lots of it growing up in Israel ), and most often the answer is ... Al Basha .
38 FALL 2018 WAYNE MAGAZINE