2625 W. Michigan AvenueFriday night is usually pizza night but sometimes, my schedule doesn’t work out.
B is playing AYSO soccer again this fall. We assumed he’d be playing Saturday mornings but he’s playing mostly Friday nights. That really messes with J and my’s schedule.
I work Friday nights in the fall and J has a couple of Friday’s she has to work too. Her parents have been really helpful getting B to those Friday night games when we can’t make it.
On the nights that I stay in Kalamazoo for my extra Friday night shift, I’ve been trying to get to the AYSO fields in between my regular shift and when my night shift starts. I can usually get there for about half of his game.
When I do that, I don’t have time for dinner in between shifts so dinner gets pushed to after the extra shift is over.
The most recent week I did this, I wanted to do something other than pizza. Grabbing a pizza at 10:30 on a Friday night is an easy way to eat but I’ll end up eating 3/4 of it then going to bed.
I went for something completely different…kind of.
I picked Middle Eastern Appetite on the corner of West Michigan Avenue and Howard Street near Western Michigan University’s campus. This small three storefront building has been many things over the years. When I first moved to Kalamazoo 14 years ago, it was a Jimmy Johns, a BoRics, and a 7-Eleven. The last time I was in the space that is now Middle Eastern Appetite it was Mitten Dogs and More back in 2019.
I noticed they have online ordering so I took advantage of that. I was on the east side of town and by the time I drove across town to the campus area, I figured it would be ready.
I put in an order for the Fried Chicken Meal but since it’s a Middle Eastern place, I wanted some Middle Eastern meat too. I added on an order for Shish Kafta. The total came out to right around $20 before tip.
As I had hoped, my meal was ready by the time I got across town. I got the text message right as I pulling in the parking lot.
The layout of the place hasn’t really changed since this place was a hot dog joint but the décor definitely has. I headed straight to the order counter where the cashier was just finishing up bagging my order. I grabbed it and headed home.
The to-go box felt really heavy when I grabbed it so I knew I was getting my money’s worth in food.
I started with the Shish Kafta skewer and used some of the pita bread included with the Fried chicken meal to eat it with. Shish Kafta is traditionally lamb, veal, or beef….or a mixture of some combination of those meats. I’m not actually sure what meat Middle Eastern Appetite uses, but it really doesn’t matter to me. The meat was delicious and maybe even better with the addition of the pita and garlic sauce that came with my chicken meal.
I know it seems kind of weird to order fried chicken from a Middle Eastern restaurant but I’ve heard really good things about their fried chicken and had to try it.
The meal came with four dark meat pieces (two thighs, two legs), fries, pita bread and garlic sauce. The chicken had a super crispy breading that crunched through every bite. The meat under that breading was super moist and tender. I’m one of those weird people that prefer white meat chicken but I like the dark meat..I just usually wouldn’t order it if given the option. The chicken was really good though. I was hungry and I tore through these four piece in no time. The fries that came with it were simple frozen fries with a bit of seasoning salt on them. There was a lot stuffed in to the Styrofoam box. There is no way to walk away from this meal hungry.
I’ve driven by Middle Eastern Appetite many times and never think to order from them. They’re another late night option near WMU’s campus as they’re open until 2 AM every night. I love late night food options and I love that the food options near campus are starting to diversify. Middle Eastern Appetite is another one of those great places to hit up at midnight after a long day at work or when you just want a tasty lunch.