Bites Nearby: Hummus World in Roslyn Heights

Hummus World is a tiny restaurant in a free-standing brick building off Roslyn Road. There Esther Derman, assisted by her husband Yochanan along with Sofia Ventura, produces delicious soups, salads and other Middle Eastern dishes. Hummus World’s regular customers are many and loyal—Farzin Sehati from Great Neck, picking up a take-out dinner of soup and falafel, said, “The only place I can get food like this is in Israel.”

Each day Esther prepares soup, as the mood suits her. One day it might be Moroccan vegetable soup and split pea soup, or perhaps lentil or carrots with ginger. The hummus is smooth, creamy and well flavored and forms the base for many of the dishes prepared at the restaurant.

Shawarma is a chicken preparation in which white and dark meat boneless chicken are placed on a rotating cone and slow cooked. The chicken is thinly sliced and used in a variety of dishes, such as shawarma platter served with hummus and Israeli salad of cucumber, tomato, cabbage and carrots. The Derman’s son invented a dish called shawafel, which brings together shawarma and falafel with Israeli salad and sauce.

Esther also prepares several hot sauces – mild green, medium red, medium to hot yellow and fire hot brown – to use on the food at well.

With the exception of the pita, all the food is gluten free.

Hummus World is primarily take out but there are a few tables.

All soups are $6; pita sandwiches are served on whole-wheat pita imported from Israel and range from $6.95 for Hummus, with Israelie salad and tahini to $11.95 for “Sloppy Ju,” made up of hummus, ground beef, baked fava beans and mushrooms. Israeli fries, sprinkled with Esther’s spice blend, cost $4.25 and the crisp and crunchy falafel sells for $0.75 per ball.

Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11:30 am to 9 pm, Friday 11:30 am until two hours before sundown (Shabbat). Closed Saturday.

Hummus World

17 A Lincoln Avenue

Roslyn Heights

516-621-0025

www.hummusworld.com