LUNCH BREAK: Middle Eastern Eats In An Insta-Ready Space
At Dez, a newcomer on the Nolita lunch scene, first impressions are everything
If there is one thing crucial to the success of any new food spot nowadays, it‘s serving up an aesthetic alongside the cuisine.
Dez, a Nolita newcomer, nails this concept. The fast-casual Middle Eastern restaurant joined the neighborhood in May and was co-founded by the woman behind By Chloe. After trying out a couple dishes from their menu of mezes (small plates to be shared and paired with their flatbread), bowls, and pitas, the editorial team at New Stand reached a clear consensus — their interior design might just outdo their food.
Dez is short for desert, and the desert motifs and color palette ran strong throughout the space. There are plenty of vibrant, tiled surfaces (black and white booths, I’m looking at you), cacti and lush greens in ceramic pots, and woven textiles punctuated by bright colors. It’s inviting and photogenic, and sure to serve up some serious design inspiration. There is ample seating, with a combination of tables and booths that are great for a quick lunch or catching up with a friend.
The menu is conscious of dietary restrictions, with an abundance of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, and the descriptions are filled with intriguing flavor combinations such as currant chimichurri and cardamom beets. Among our orders were the Sabich Salad, Moroccan lamb meatballs, and Shawarma Burger. While the dishes fit right in with their Instagram-ready surroundings, the size and flavors were a bit lacking.
The star of the meal was a crispy eggplant, thinly sliced and fried, that could be seriously addicting if offered as a side dish. Other than that, there was nothing remarkable about the food at Dez. So, if the craving for Middle Eastern food strikes, you might be better off grabbing a gyro from the cart on the corner — it probably won’t be as beautiful, but you know it won’t let you down.
Though, with a halva toast on their weekend brunch menu and a rotating soft serve flavor of the month, there could be room for second chances.
Staff Tasting Notes
Allie: From the $11 price of my salad, I expected a larger portion than what I got in my bowl (which appeared to be recyclable, so Dez gets some bonus points there). It came out quickly, which I appreciated, but perhaps at the cost of preparing the components freshly. Specifically, the roasted potatoes were rather unimpressive in their room temperature state and felt a bit tough for the fingerling potatoes that they were.
On the upside, things were looking brighter on the other half of the bowl, with a seven-minute egg that had the kind of perfectly cooked yolk that spills over the edges ever so slightly. A forkful of the egg, crispy eggplant, and cucumber-tomato salad made for a satisfying bite, with the tahini sauce adding a touch of creaminess. However, the description also included umbah (a tangy pickled mango condiment) and zhoug (a spicy, herby sauce) which were nowhere to be found, and something tells me the two sauces could have elevated my impression of the salad. In the words of parents everywhere, I wasn’t mad, just a tad disappointed.
Kyla: Can I say: If I wanted to sit in sleek minimalism to remind me that Scandinavian aesthetics have taken over and I’m kinda loving that everywhere looks like a manicured Instagram feed, I might go to Dez! But, if I wanted authentic Middle Eastern food and not just a a tomato sauce with meatballs on quinoa that I can make at home I might not go to Dez again.
Nana: If anything, come get the Shawarma Burger. The first thing you’ll notice is the fried eggplant slice sticking out of the stuffed pita — it looks like a shark fin, straight up. [Cue Jaws theme song.] The veggie is truly the star here. Overall, it’s smaller and more overpriced than the killer stuffed pitas at Miznon but I’d come back for the crispy eggplant experience.
Time for a lunch break? Check out Dez for yourself at
227 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10012
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