Ethnic restaurants pop up in Hackensack even before apartments are ready to rent

THAT'S A WRAP: An appetizer of Crispy Veggie Spring Rolls ($7), with Romaine lettuce for wrapping and a dipping sauce, at Pho Saigon, 296 Main St. in Hackensack.

TAKEOUT: I ordered three meals to go at Platters Corner, a Mediterranean Syrian restaurant at 60 River St. in Hackensack, including this Kofta Platter with rice, salad and bread ($10.30). 

Syrian, Vietnamese, Greek and Colombian

specialties tease our palates

Editor's note: As of November 2019, two of the casual restaurants mentioned here have closed. Both King Falafel and Yasou Paros were on a block of Main Street where traffic was barred when a crane was used in the construction of a 14-story apartment building. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- In the past decade, the downtown of this small city has been known more for the restaurants that have closed or changed hands than for new places to eat out.

But this year -- despite street closings, and the upheaval and noise caused by the construction of hundreds of apartments on or near Main Street -- more than a half-dozen casual restaurants have popped up to tease the palates of residents and visitors alike.

Two that I've tried are Platters Corner, a Halal restaurant serving Mediterranean Syrian food; and Pho Saigon, which offers a large menu of Vietnamese specialties in the space once occupied by Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles. 

Two other new places on Main Street are King Falafel, serving Mediterranean food a couple of doors away from Art of Spice, an Indian restaurant; and Yasou Paros, described as a Greek rotisserie.

Organic, vegan

Platters Corner offers a number of organic and vegan items, including hummus, baba ghanouj, house salad and falafel.

A potato sandwich also is listed as vegan.

All the sauces, which are complimentary, are made in the restaurant and organic.

Middle Eastern food

Of course, restaurants that call themselves Mediterranean serve Middle Eastern food -- Syrian, Lebanese or Palestinian -- and the label includes Egyptian and Turkish fare.

Yasou Paros has no seating, but there are a couple of counters where you can stand and eat or drink. King Falafel was closed on Saturday, and I don't know whether the small shop has seating. 

Pizza, Colombian

In June, the TapIntoHackensack site reported the opening of four casual downtown spots (but used the misspelling "Columbian" in one of them):

ASAP Pizza, a New York-style pizzeria at 80 Main St.; Bonanza Colombian Delights, which serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, as well as coffee and pastry, at 342B Main St.; King Falafel and Pho Saigon (in Wondee's old space) at 296 Main St.

Cuban, Thai, Korean

They join my longtime downtown favorites: Casual Habana Cafe, 125 Main St.; and Bangkok Thai Restaurant, 261 Main St.

Another standout closer to Route 4 is Kinyobi, a Korean fusion restaurant at 838 Main St.

ON THE TRIANGLE: Platters Corner is on a triangle of land on River Street, across from Solari's Italian Restaurant. The Mediterranean Syrian restaurant at 60 River St. has indoor and outdoor seating (see photos below).

VEGAN TAKEOUT: The Platter Corner Falafel ($10.30) is vegan, and includes 4 falafel wrapped in a thin, toasted bread with sauce and pickles. Rice, more bread, hummus and baba ghanouj complete the platter.

OPENED LAST WEEK: Yasou Paros at 137 1/2 Main St., above and below, offers a large takeout and catering menu of hot and cold Greek appetizers, saladas, gyro sandwiches, spinach pies, free-range rotisserie chicken and more. Six days after I posted this, I ordered takeout from Yasou Paros, but when I went to pick it up the air conditioner had broken and the place was closed. The food was delivered to my home by Yasou Santorini in Tenafly.  

WISHING YOU GOOD HEALTH: Yasou Paros is affiliated with Yasou Santorini in Tenafly, another Greek takeout restaurant. When you say "yasou" to another person, you are wishing good health.

MORE FALAFEL: King Falafel at 163 Main St. moved into the space of an ice cream shop that closed.

REAR DOOR NO LONGER OPEN: Pho Saigon serves Vietnamese specialties, including steaming bowls of anise-scented pho and bahn mi sandwiches, at 296 Main St. in Hackensack, where Wondee's operated for about 20 years. But the door to the rear parking lot can no longer be used by customers.

FISH BALLS: Pho Saigon's Seafood Noodle Soup ($12) includes fish balls, large shrimp and squid.