Tastes of the Middle East in Liberty

Restaurant serves flavorful halal dishes

By Zoey McGee | Manor Ink

Back in November, Eat 2 Live opened in a unit at the Beer World shopping center on Mill Street in Liberty. They are a halal grill serving Middle Eastern-style food with a wide variety of menu options, including kid-friendly choices.

The prices were fantastic for the amount of food you get. My mom and I ordered several dishes, and the total was only $50. The portions were incredibly generous and were definitely worth the price. And everything was high quality. This was genuine, authentic food.

This place exceeded my expectations. I’ve only had Middle Eastern food once before, as living in our rural Sullivan County, there aren’t many options for diverse cuisines. I thought I had an idea of what to expect, but this was so much better! Everything was absolutely delicious.

Now, I have to rave about my favorite dish: the Chicken Gyro. It was massive. The pita was stuffed full of goodies. The chicken was flavorful and moist. I devoured the whole thing in minutes, even though I still had so much more to try.

When we arrived, my mom and I had no clue what to order. Our server was fantastic, offering excellent suggestions and ensuring we were happy with our choices. All the staff was super welcoming and friendly, always smiling and eager to help.

Our server recommended I try the Chana Masala, a spicy chickpea stew. Those who are sensitive to spice may not care for this dish. But I loved it. It came with a side of basmati rice, which could be eaten with the stew or on its own.

My mom got the Falafel Platter, which was served over rice and drizzled with tahini and garlic sauces. She’s had falafel before and said this was quite good. I had never tried falafel before, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I thought it was good as well.

For drinks, we got a Piña Colada and a Mango Lassi. Both were freshly made and tasted amazing.

For dessert, as if we weren’t full enough, we tried one of the specials, a Carrot Rice Pudding. It sounded unusual, but it was fantastic.

Overall, everything about this place was terrific. I will definitely be going back and recommending it to everyone I know. My only minor critique is that they could use more seating. There were only three tables, and based on the number of people coming in for lunch on a Wednesday, I imagine it gets packed on weekends or during dinner hours.