Profile

As the name would suggest to Arabic speakers, Man’ouChe, the restaurant, specializes in man’ouche the flatbread—what might be Lebanon’s answer to Neapolitan pizza, though man’ouche mavens might tell you the Lebanese got there first. Man’ouche, by the way, is the singular of manakeesh, which is the menu heading under which you’ll find the variously topped pies. The simplest and most traditional man’ouche is sprinkled with za’atar, the amazing blend of wild thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds that other spice mixes dream of becoming. The best is the one with labneh, tomato, olives, and mint. No eleven-inch flatbread costs more than $3.50. If you eat in, they slice the pies. But if you get one to go, they fold it up, Tony Manero style (must be a Bay Ridge thing). There are some typical Lebanese appetizers and one screwball sandwich made with French fries, too, but the thing to get at Man’ouChe is a man’ouche. — Robin Raisfeld & Rob Patronite

Labneh man’ouche, $3, stuffed grape leaves, $4; total: $7.

Related Stories

Featured In

• Eat Cheap 2011: The Best Cheap Restaurants in New York (7/18/11)