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A new Turkish takeout spot is now dishing authentic gyros, shish kebabs and, of course, its namesake mezzes (cold appetizers) in East Setauket.
Mezze Mediterranean Grill, located at 190 N. Belle Mead Road, took over the former Chicken and Things after it closed late last year.
And Mezze owner John Yardim of Smithtown moved quickly to open his own spot.
Yardim was just 19 three years ago when he and his brother opened Lazett, a sit-down Mediterranean grill at 341 Terry Road in Smithtown.
With that experience under his belt, he sought to set out on his own.
“I wanted to try another one by myself,” he told Greater Long Island.
Mezze, which in both Turkish and Greek means “cold appetizers” opened Feb. 3.
This was after three months of planning and renovating the former chicken spot. Compared to its sister location, Mezze is all about takeout and delivery, with limited seating.
The place offers an extensive menu of Mediterranean platters that are easy to grab on a lunch break.
“I wanted to start of smaller with takeout and saw there was a lot of potential here,” he said.
About the food
Yardim, now 22, says the Mezze staff prepares authentic Turkish food that’s hard to find anywhere else. The gyros, for example, use real meat — never frozen — and every morning are thinly sliced and stacked.
“There aren’t a lot of places that do that here,” he said.
Other items include house-made hummus, beet dip with garlic yogurt, kofte, burgers and falafel.
But that’s just a snapshot of the three page menu.
