Restaurant 1: Abu Omar Halal
Abu Omar Halal is a quaint little franchise restaurant not more than 15 minutes away from the abodes within the UTD campus. A short summary of its history would detail humble beginnings as a food truck in Houston, which has now expanded to a franchise boasting multiple food trucks and restaurant locations anywhere from Florida to Texas. Entering the restaurant, you’re met with some nice, calm Middle Eastern tunes on the speakers, as well as some pleasing paintings and pictures. The restaurant is often inhabited by people of all ages, whether they’re college students looking for a late night meal, or families enjoying a nice dinner together. All together, it gives a very nice feeling of a warm and inviting atmosphere, where you can sit down and enjoy a meal.
As for food, there’s a wide variety of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean meals, sides, and drinks to choose from. These include shawarma, gyro, rice bowls, and various sides like fires, falafel, and other treats. I ordered the Arabi shawarma, which came with a side of spiced fries and pickled veggies, as well as a Vimto for a drink, while my friend ordered a simple chicken gyro. The shawarma came warm and appetizing, with a little cup of dipping garlic sauce to go with it. It was an immediate burst of flavor as soon as I bit into just one piece, with the chicken feeling juicy and rich. The fries as well were very good — typically, restaurants will serve you fries seasoned with just salt, and if they’re feeling risky, maybe even pepper — but Abu Omar added some additional spice on the fries they serve that give a little extra kick. Such a small change does really go a long way, as it endeared me to them very quickly. I was not aware of the fact that Vimto was a cherry-flavored drink; if I had known, I probably wouldn’t have bought it seeing as I hate cherry, but for a cherry drink, it was alright, which is as much praise as I can give it.
All in all, Abu Omar was a wonderful experience. The food and drink were great and filling. I’d definitely recommend this spot to anyone who’s looking for a warm meal at any time of day, even the late hours of the night.
Food: 9/10
Price: 7/10
Vibe: 8/10
Restaurant 2: Kebabs To-Go!
Kebabs To-Go is a small franchise restaurant with multiple locations open in the DFW area. Its furnishings leave something to be desired as I entered into the small space with only four places to sit down and eat a meal. To be fair, it seems the restaurant is more so meant as a pick-up and go type of place, not dissimilar to something like Dominos or Papa John’s, if I had to make a comparison. I will give credit where it’s due as the menu was detailed and easy to understand, likely the first thing your eyes are drawn to when you enter the restaurant.
Kebabs To-Go offers three types of food options: veggie, regular, and premium. These options mainly refer to the protein offered with the meal, and you also receive a choice of two sides along with your meal. I ordered a regular rice bowl with my protein being beef kebob, sides of rice and potatoes, as well as mango juice for a drink. Thereafter, the food was soon served to me. When considering the food here, I will say they did the rice and beef very well, as both were well seasoned and cooked to a desirable state. The potatoes were somewhat bland but not terribly done. The mango juice however I was not a very big fan of, as I sipped half of it and then promptly decided I didn’t want anymore, a surprise to be sure because I actually really like mango as a flavor.
As a whole, Kebabs To-Go wasn’t a terrible place to dine in, but it did leave me a bit wanting. The food was at the very least somewhat enjoyable, but not great, and the vibe was somewhat lacking as well. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant, but I wouldn’t dissuade someone from going here either. It was solidly mediocre.
Food: 6/10
Price: 6/10
Vibe: 5/10
