Everyone knows that Dearborn is the destination of choice for authentic Middle Eastern food in metro Detroit. But trying to find some variety in the cuisine on the east side of town can be difficult at times.

Deliziosa offers a wide range of menu items, all halal, to please their customers.

Hassane Awada realized that the market was open for a new type of restaurant on that side of town and thus Deliziosa Mediterranean and Italian Bistro opened in December 2008. Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly was on hand Thursday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to make it official.
“We are a gourmet-to-go food place,” Awada said. “Our goal is to provide something new for Arabic people.”

Awada is so sure that people will warm up to his vision of gourmet cuisine served up fast that he has opened two locations, the east side one on Warren between Jonathon and Schaefer and one in west Dearborn on Michigan Avenue near South Military.

The west side location is more of a casual sit-down restaurant while the east side is famous for its free delivery service and grab-and-go appeal.

Portion sizes are also a major selling point for Deliciosa, as sandwiches include a choice of rice and salad or potato wedges and salad or soup. For approximately the next few months, a special price of $5.99 will be offered for lunch sandwich combos according to Awada.

Many items on the menu are personal creations of Awada, who studied culinary arts in Lebanon and took his love of Mediterranean food and combined it with Italian favorites to create Deliziosa’s menu.

The favorite dishes are the Italian-inspired chicken and beef portabella sandwiches, which include mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and creamy pesto sauce along with melted cheese on baguette bread, and the almond chicken dinner, which is served with salad or soup and a breadstick. Pasta dinners and large salads are also popular and all food is halal.

“People can come in and get a big dinner or lunch of gourmet cuisine fast,” Awada said.

“Most people in the area are still into Arabic food but once they try the food here they end up coming back.”

The menu is big and features a wide variety of dishes, but secondary items you’ll find at more traditional Middle Eastern restaurants like tea and argileh are not included. That’s because Awada wants his staff to focus on serving customers and either making deliveries or getting them in and out to enjoy the wide range of Deliziosa flavors as fast as possible.

Usually, food quality is sacrificed for speed. But with Deliziosa, that doesn’t have to be the case anymore.

For more info, call 313.584.8554 for the east side location or 313.277.4990 for the west side location.