Breads Bakery owner Gadi Peleg unleashes a new Middle Eastern restaurant in Midtown called Lamalo, a casual all-day spot with a menu designed for sharing mezze-style dishes — where a variety of dips and spreads star.
It’s opening at 11 East 31st St., between Madison and Fifth avenues, inside the Arlo Nomad hotel — taking over the space that used to house Massoni, the restaurant formerly run by Dale Talde’s company.
Lamalo will offer breakfast, including vegetables and baked goods, and at lunch, several skewers arrive, ranging from mushroom and fish to octopus and lamb kofta. An “Israeli Bento” special will be offered during lunch and dinner: Dips including labneh, tahini, pickles and olives, and baba ganoush are paired with a kebab and Jerusalem laffa bread.
At dinner time, sturdier options like a grilled whole fish and slow-roasted short rib on the bone are served. But every meal should feature a selection of Middle Eastern spreads, which the restaurant hopes to become known for. An assortment of those is $25 per person at dinner. See menus below.
The 70-seat restaurant’s day-to-day operations will be helmed by Ofir Horesh, a chef from Peleg’s Flatiron Middle Eastern restaurant Nur. He’s one of three culinary directors creating the menu for Lamalo: Massoni’s executive chef Scott McDonald is involved as well, as is Eldad Shem Tov of Glasserie in Greenpoint.
As for drinks, cocktails will be designed for sharing — at $75 each, options like “Good Vibrations” with Arak, grapefruit, lemon, and mint serve 5. White, red, and sparkling wines from Lebanon, Israel, and France will also be available, as well as a few beers.
Now, the Lamalo team will also helm the A.R.T. Nomad, the 31st story rooftop bar at the Arlo Nomad Hotel, as well as on a second-floor lounge called Barlo. Massoni has permanently closed.
Owner Peleg is behind one of the city’s top Middle Eastern restaurants, Nur, and also owns standout babka maker Breads Bakery. With Lamalo, Peleg continues to grow his Middle Eastern cuisine footprint in the city.
Lamalo opens Saturday, June 8, at 7 a.m. It’ll be open until 11 p.m. daily.