From the outside, Golden Restaurant and Bakery is fairly easy to overlook. Located on Apache Boulevard just west of the Price Freeway, the small building stands in one of Tempe's more run-down and dilapidated neighborhoods. However grim its surroundings are, Golden Restaurant and Bakery shines as one of best Middle Eastern eateries around.
The halal restaurant is owned and operated by Mustafa Hasan, who lived in Palestine and Lebanon before opening Golden two years ago. Hasan said the menu is based mainly on Palestinian and Lebanese cuisine, but also includes items from the Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Kuwait.
Not only is this represented by the extensive menu, but by a framed collection of paper currency hanging behind the counter. The bills represent nations from all over the Middle Eastern region.
Hasan said he opened the restaurant primarily to serve and be closer to the Middle Eastern student community that continues to thrive in the area.
“What attracted me to Tempe was ASU,” he said. “There a lot of Middle Eastern students here, and they were definitely looking for this type of food. It’s the food they’ve been missing for a long time, now they’ve found it.”
Hasan said he acknowledges that the area surrounding the restaurant is less than ideal, but has improved over last the two years.
“The neighborhood is not one of the best,” he said. “We’ve been blessed to have — so far — zero problems. The building going up next to us will strictly be for senior citizens. Hopefully, that will force the city to clean up the area a little more.”
Golden Bakery serves regional favorites such as falafel, which are deep-friend balls of ground chickpeas; za'atar, a blend of traditional spices usually served on flatbread; and sujuk, a dry, spicy sausage of Turkish origin (as well as Hasan’s personal favorite).
Server Abdul Abdul said he also enjoys the variety of flatbread toppings Golden offers.
"I like the 'Philly cheese steak' and shawarma," he said. "But my personal favorite is the Lahem Bajeen (group beef, tomato, onion, garlic, bell pepper and spices)."
There are also items more familiar to Western tastes, such as hummus, kebabs and flatbread pizza.
I had the za'atar and cheese flatbread with a plate of falafel. Hasan said he usually recommends flatbread, and it was easy to see why. It was thin, flaky and almost perfect. The falafel was just as good, with a crispy, deep-friend outside and a soft and flavorful inside. All this came to just less than $6, making Golden Bakery one the best places to eat on a budget.
Hasan said his restaurant continues to be very popular with ASU’s Middle Eastern community.
“This place is a traditional place like home,” said engineering junior Barrak Alqallaf, who is originally from Kuwait. “I come here three days a week because it’s just like home, and we miss home.”
Golden Restaurant and Bakery is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m to 9 p.m, and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m to 10 p.m.
Related links:
Top 5 Indian restaurants in Tempe
Best 14 restaurants around ASU campuses
Reach the reporter at idickins@asu.edu or follow @sailormouthed92 on Twitter.
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