This is also around the time we became a little too obsessed with their Chicken Kebab Plate. Our other favorite dishes include their freshly baked pita with Mezzeh (dips) and their oven-baked Pitzas.

Moustache prides itself on being a slow food establishment, making every single dish from scratch daily. This pace is often a shock to the rushed New Yorker, but this standard of care has allowed Moustache to stand the test of time in a part of town with rapid turnover.

To challenge our patience even more, they do not take reservations, and there is often a line down the block around dinner time. The manager, Rakan, joked with us that everyone expects to cut the line after becoming a regular. The issue is, after meeting Rakan and the team, trying the food, and feeling this level of love, everyone becomes a regular.

Moustache opened in Brooklyn in 1987 and in Manhattan’s West Village shortly after. Rakan has been the manager of the West Village location for 29 years and greets every visitor as family, whether meeting them for the first time or having known them for decades. His and the team’s generosity of spirit is reflected in the soul of the food, the atmosphere, and even the way they’ve handled some of the toughest times in New York City.

Rakan recounted Hurricane Sandy – there was no electricity in lower Manhattan, nowhere to go, and no way to get food or resources downtown. Rakan drove ingredients back from their Upper East Side location to ensure their West Village location had meals for those who needed it most. After setting up about 1000 small candles, the Moustache team turned their storefront into a safe gathering place for those looking for food, supplies, or simple company during such a dark time.