ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Foodies are flocking to a new fast-casual eatery – serving up gyros, kebab platters and other Mediterranean favorites – in Lehigh County.
Blazing Hot Halal Grill, a fast-casual restaurant offering made-from-scratch Mediterranean and American dishes, held a soft opening on Sunday at 1442 W. Tilghman St. in Allentown, co-owner Samier Noory said.
Ryan Kneller
The eatery, with seating for around 40 guests, offers a wide array of freshly prepared items, including gyros such as chicken, lamb and combo.
Other menu highlights include kebab platters such as chicken tikka, adana and combo (chicken and adana); and various “protein over fries” selections such as grilled chicken and fried chicken tenders.
Kebab platters, starting at $12.99 and served over a bed of basmati rice, include choice of side (mixed salad, hummus or pita bread), choice of sauce (white, hot, green, barbecue, chipotle or no sauce) and optional add-ons such as extra meat, extra rice and pita bread.
Ryan Kneller
There are also other rice platters such as fish, falafel and lamb.
“People are loving everything, especially our chicken platters and smash burgers,” Noory said. “We’ve only been open a couple of days, but we’re already getting a lot of people coming out to support us.”
Blazing Hot customers also can enjoy American staples such as cheeseburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken wings and chopped cheese sandwiches.
Desserts include carrot cake, red velvet cake, tres leches cake, churros, baklava, rice pudding and gulab jamun.
Ryan Kneller
“Experience fiery halal flavors that’ll set your taste buds ablaze,” an announcement on the business’ Instagram page reads. “Swing by and join the flavor revolution today!”
Noory is operating Blazing Hot with his partner, Mohd Noori.
The restaurant, at 15th and Tilghman streets, occupies a renovated building that was previously home to a Lukoil gas station and convenience store.
Improvements include new flooring, ceilings, dry wall, counters, kitchen equipment and bathrooms, among other upgrades.
Ryan Kneller
The restaurant offers dine-in and take-out service, along with delivery through third-party delivery platform Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats.
The restaurant, open 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, also offers 50% off purchases to first responders, including firefighters and police officers, as well as veterans and active military members.
“These are people who are serving our community and protecting us, and we also want to do our best to serve the community,” Noory said. “So, it only makes sense to give back to them.”
Ryan Kneller
The partners plan to hold a grand opening celebration for Blazing Hot sometime in the spring.
They also hope to expand the restaurant’s footprint with additional regional locations, possibly in Berks County or the Poconos, Noory said.