MIDTOWN EAST — A new take-out joint with an affinity for chickpeas has opened on Third Avenue.
Barbanzo, between 57 and 58th streets, touts itself as “Mediterranean just made.”
“We’re trying to build a chain,” said manager Roger Barakat.
A post on the Midtown Lunch blog back in April announced the impending opening of Barbanzo, as well as a branch of Naked Pizza, a New Orleans–based, all-natural pizza chain which is due to open across the street.
“So for the lunchers of Midtown East that have been craving more garbanzo beans ... time to get excited,” the post read.
The Barbanzo menu keeps things simple. Customers can select from a list of main ingredients that includes falafel, hummus, chicken or beef shawarma. Then they decide if they want their choice put into a pita pocket, a wrap or a platter. To finish it off, they have the option to garnish the meal with an array of spreads and toppings.
Prices range from $6.50 for falafel in a pita pocket to $12.95 for a platter with all the fixings.
The restaurant has put up a limited website that allows visitors to download a copy of the menu and apologizes for not yet offering delivery.
The block along Third Avenue between 57th and 58th streets is home to a few food carts, a McDonald’s, and Gigi’s Café, which offers a massive menu of sandwiches, soups, salads and sweets. The storefront where Naked Pizza plans to open shows a New York City building permit and a photo of a giant slice, but offers no clue as to when the popular chain will open its doors.
Naked Pizza did not immediately return requests for comment.
