It’s like a song you can’t place but know you’ve heard many times before. Only this time, it’s the food that’s so hauntingly familiar, never mind that you don’t recognize a single dish. Gazala’s claims to be the only restaurant in the country devoted to the cuisine of the Druze people, a religious community scattered across Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. And the delicious confusion arises from a fusion cuisine (this time it’s true!) that draws upon—and reinterprets—the flavors of each country. Tissue-thin pita, made fresh every morning on a saag, a griddle poised at the restaurant’s entrance like the masthead of a ship, is so delicate your server will wait until your entrée is ready before delivering it to the table. Every item on the menu is prepared with that same attention to detail: lamb-stuffed cegars (rolled pita shells) are redolent with cumin; sticky yogurt pudding with rose water; lamb, hummus, with pine nuts. Even the garlicky pickle spears adorning some plates are a revelation—just like Druze cooking in general.

Spinach and cheese boreka
Lamb on hummus
Lamb-stuffed cegars
Turkish salad
Kenafi (shredded semolina with sweet cheese, pistachio, and honey)
view full menu here

From now until sweater season sets in, grab one of the two-tops on the sidewalk outside to stare straight at the neo-Romanesque architecture of the American Museum of Natural History, just across the street.

Fitting for such a tightly knit religious sect, the exact population of Druze worldwide remains a mystery, with estimates ranging from 700,000 to 2 million. Of that number, about 20,000 live in the United States. In other words, unless you’re an inveterate world traveler or have walked by Gazala’s (or the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Midtown branch, called Gazala’s Place) early in the morning—in time to see Halabi Gazala (shown here) herself working the griddle—there’s a good chance you’ve never met a Druze person before.

daily 11 AM–11 PM

$12.95 (chicken kabab) to $33 (Gazala platter)