Anyone who has served time at Syracuse University will likely recall King David’s, a Marshall Street institution that has been serving good, cheap Middle Eastern grub since the mid-1970s. As suburban high schoolers looking to mimic college-student cool, friends and I would go to the hole in the wall and get buzzed on the thick, syruplike coffee and sweet baklava.
When I was back on the SU hill as a grad student, King David’s saved me countless times from dismal food-court fare. Now Rochester Institute of Technology students and faculty members (and yes, the general public) have their chance to dine in the kingdom. Nader Hatem, whose father, Milad, runs the original King David’s, has moved into the Rochester market.
And just as our Starbucks generation wants to drink its lattes while lounging in contemporary upholstery surrounded by Pier One-esque accessories, this new King David’s has polished its crown with tasteful bling such as hanging star lamps and sequined wall tapestries, stylish booths and bottles of imported olive oil that you wouldn’t mind having in your own kitchen arsenal. This is a seismic makeover from what I remember and fits well in the new, sprawling Park Point development along Jefferson Road near Rochester Institute of Technology.
The menu covers a lot of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern territory, from Greek spanikopita and stuffed grape leaves to pita pizzas to shawarma. But a lot of the decision-making you’ll face (either at the counter or at your table once full table service kicks in at 4 p.m.) will be about what combinations you want to eat. Tabbouleh straight up, over lettuce, or with hummus? A few sampler platters spare you the burden of choice and presumably swamp you with food.
My lunch ended up as kibbeh in a pita (kibbeh is kind of like a hamburger or meatloaf with pine nuts, spices and bulgur), with Greek salad, a small falafel, some baba ghanoush and extra pita to eat the kibbeh. Look for it under the pocket sandwiches category, platter version. I also couldn’t resist the hazelnut baklava drizzled with chocolate (other baklavas and cakes also available), a flavor combo that probably didn’t exist way back in King David’s early days.
Now that’s progress.
King David’s Restaurant
Address: 200 Park Point Drive, Henrietta
Phone: (585) 424-7482
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Accessibility: Fully wheelchair accessible.
Good to know: Line service (order at counter, food is brought to table) during the day, switching to table service at 4 p.m. Wine and beer available. Live belly dancing performance on Thursdays starting at 7 p.m. Patio seating in nice weather.
Cheap Eats picks
What I ate: Kibbeh platter with salad, falafel, baba ghanoush for $9.50; chocolate-hazelnut baklava for $2.
Other good deals: Pita sandwiches are $6 and less. Greek pizzas less than $7.
Not so cheap: House specialties (come with salad, hummus, falafel, pita) in the $10 to $13 range. A super sampler dinner is $15.95
