A new Mediterranean restaurant just opened in Boise. Grab a bite. Don’t breeze past it.
If you aren’t paying attention, it’s easy to overlook the newest restaurant serving Mediterranean flavors in Boise.
Food Land Market opened recently at 710 N. Orchard St. The clean, bright store is filled with aisles of groceries representing the Middle East and other worldly edges of the culinary universe. Near the entrance, a coffee station beckons.
Hiding clear in the back, there’s also a restaurant counter. If you enjoy the taste of falafel, hummus and warm pita bread, don’t breeze past it.
An electronic display highlights breakfasts, sandwiches and larger plates — available to stay or to go. After ordering, you either relax at a table in front of the bakery display case, or wander back to the front of the store, which offers a larger seating area. Your meal, served on a paper plate or in a plastic basket, will appear in a few minutes.
Are you a high roller who needs to try the most expensive item on the menu? Drop $15.99 on a Full Size Kebab Plate.
But most of this chow is super-affordable. A fresh, inexpensive option is the Falafel Sandwich ($3.49): deep-fried ground chickpeas, onion and parsley, wrapped in pita and served with a small garden salad. (Want a taste? Order a “Piece of Falafel” for 50 cents.) Other sandwiches ($4.99 including salad) — all served on pita — include the Chicken Tikka, Chicken Shawarma, Meat Kebab, Meat Tikka and Meat Shawarma.
A Kebab Plate ($8.99) comes with two skewers of grilled ground meat, a slab of pita, veggies and the aforementioned standard salad. You can add tasty rice with dill and fava beans for another $3.
Ever heard of Shawarma Pizza ($6.99, or $11.99 with french fries and salad)? Here’s your chance to expand your palate beyond Domino’s.
If you’re an early bird, the Food Land Breakfast ($5.99) comes with scrambled eggs, pita, hummus, salad and tea. Other morning choices range from Zaatar Bread ($2) to Shakshuka ($4.99) — fried eggs, tomato and spices with pita. Some breakfasts are served all day. Special weekend breakfasts include Basturma & Eggs ($5.99), Shawarma & Eggs ($5.99) and Tomato & Eggs ($4.99).
If you wait for your order at the front, you’ll be tempted by the scent of Turkish coffee spiced with cardamom. Succumb to it. Served with elegant cups and saucers, it costs $1. At that price, you might as well complement it with a piece of baklava, right?
Co-owner Hana Matluk, who moved to America from Iraq more than a decade ago, says keeping prices in check is part of the business plan while winning over new customers.
“The quality, it’s really high, and the price, it’s really low,” she says.
A family-owned endeavor, Food Land Market is still working out early kinks. The menu was finalized just a couple of weeks ago. A few dishes probably need fine tuning. (Maybe add a little more “zing” to that Falafel Sandwich?) But Boiseans who enjoy friendly, local businesses — and pita right out of the oven — might find themselves at home.
▪ Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Online: facebook.com/foodlandmarket.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 4:04 PM.