Hummus Mediterranean Grill opens second location, in Selden
At Hummus Mediterranean Grill, customers customize bowls that start with rice, greens or bulgur as a base (or they can build pita sandwiches). The second location opened in Selden last week. Credit: Newsday/Corin Hirsch
There's cafeterias, gelaterias and pupuserias. Now central Suffolk has a pair of hummusias, or casual spots that specialize (at least partially) in the garlicky chickpea spread known as hummus.
Hummus Mediterranean Grill, a nearly 4-year-old fast casual spot in Holbrook, has expanded to a second location in Selden, inside the storefront where Kabobshak operated until it closed in December.
Hummus' Middle Eastern-style food is not that far removed from Kabobshak's fare — falafel, chicken kebabs, tabouli and the like — but Hummus is organized around the bowl (or build-a-sandwich) concept, where customers choose a base (greens, rice, bulgur or pita bread, starting at $9.49) and customize it from there. Proteins include tzatziki-marinated chicken, shaved chicken or steak gyro, falafel and a few others; among the 16 possible toppings are spicy feta cheese, fried zucchini, sumac onions, and other veggies, and dressings go from a classic tahini sauce to zesty garlic sauce.
The hummus bookends each other: Each bowl comes with a mini-tub of hummus, classically styled or topped with roasted garlic, tapenade or a few other adornments. Customers can choose to eat at a handful of tables in a vividly colored dining room, or take their orders to go.
Co-owner Tony Mavruk founded the first Hummus in Holbrook in May 2015, inspired by a fitness regime and a hankering for healthier food "that tasted delicious." He does not pin Hummus' cuisine to any one region — "It's Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese," he said (though Mavruk is of Turkish descent, and once co-owned Tiki Hookah Bar in Farmingville) — and makes his gyro meat in house and bakes, rather than fries, many of the ingredients for the bowls and pita sandwiches. (The pliable, slightly charred pita bread is baked elsewhere).
As the Holbrook location got busier, Mavruk partnered with his brother-in-law, T.J. Dosdogru, to open a second location. Hummus also has a meal-prep arm called Hummus Fit, and some of those prepared meals are for sale at both spots.
The Selden Hummus is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., closing at 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Hummus Mediterranean Grill, 680 Middle Country Rd., Selden. 631846-8165, hummusny.com
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