Fatima Halal

Ali Elreda cut the ribbon on his restaurant Fatima’s Grill in 2016, three years after completing a six-year sentence for a drug charge. Last year, the Downey, California-based location brought in more than $1 million in revenue, selling a fusion of Mexican and Lebanese cuisine in eye-catching, Instagram-ready style.

Fatima’s Grill also has franchise locations in the Los Angeles area, Brooklyn, New York, and Denton, Texas — and Elreda says he’s working on opening more across the U.S. and Canada.

Established in 2015 in California, Fatima’s Grill is the perfect blend of two rich cultures known for their delicious food-Mexican and Mediterranean. Owner and CEO Ali Elreda knew he wanted to bring customers the best of both worlds, have them meet in the middle of two tasty crossroads. I started with a meat market in Bell, California, and one day, I decided to try making tacos and burritos and saw that it was an instant success with the customers constantly wanting more. Hence, Fatimas Grill was born.

Nothing is a smooth ride, we have had many ups and downs throughout our time with the recession, than covid and even now with constant wars all affect our business. We love what we do because food is comforting, and I truly enjoy feeding my community, so at the end of the day, it’s worth it.

I am responsible for all social media content and branding for the company. My wife, Latife Elreda, is our main chef) and the one responsible for all the cooking now and staff training. My sister Susanne Elreda runs operations for all location. What sets us apart is that we are always a step ahead of others with trends, social media, and we utilize all our influencers.

I try to learn from everyone as you are never going to grow if you think you know it all. It is imperative to network with other like-minded professional because they can be an asset to your growth.

In May, Fatima’s Grill opened at 964 Coney Island Avenue, near Newkirk Avenue, selling shawarma “crunch wraps” and Cheeto-dusted quesadillas alongside straightforward tacos and gyro platters. It may seem odd that the Instagram-famous minichain, which originated in Downey, California, chose the sleepy Ditmas Park for its New York debut, and sixth restaurant across the country. With Lebanese American founder, Ali Elreda, having family in Bay Ridge, a Brooklyn location makes sense. Situated on a busy stretch of Little Pakistan at the border of Kensington and Flatbush, “the diversity isn’t a hundred blocks away. It’s just a few blocks away,” Elreda says of the neighborhood, which is home to immigrants from Central Asia, Bangladesh, and Mexico.

On a recent Friday afternoon, young men in dishdashas and Air Jordans waited in line beside students from Brooklyn College. A Caribbean man on a moped popped in for a quick meal, while a stroller-mom quelled her hungry daughter with a snack. The location’s franchise owners, Hamdi Papinara and Abdul Tariq — Albanian and Pakistani American, respectively — grew up nearby. Fatima’s fusion food fits right into this melting pot, especially with the history that Lebanese immigrants play when it comes to the evolution of tacos al pastor.

The whopping menu contains over 70 items, a seemingly endless series of permutations of items like tacos, burgers, burritos, and quesadillas. It includes their Frankenstein progeny, quesaritos and “crunch wraps” — with protein options like shrimp, beef gyro, and chicken shawarma — and add-ons like rellenos and mac and cheese. And of course, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

The bright orange dust along with the unapologetic boldness and size of these dishes have helped the restaurant build a social media following, where the hefty offerings are backdropped to rap remixes. One of Fatima’s signature dishes is the Hot Cheeto quesarito: A miniature bag of the spicy snack and a generous squiggle of nacho cheese are tucked into the usual burrito, which is of course then rolled onto another tortilla, spread sprinkled with more cheese and nacho cheese, and griddled shut.

The whopping menu contains over 70 items, a seemingly endless series of permutations of items like tacos, burgers, burritos, and quesadillas. It includes their Frankenstein progeny, quesaritos and “crunch wraps” — with protein options like shrimp, beef gyro, and chicken shawarma — and add-ons like rellenos and mac and cheese. And of course, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

The bright orange dust along with the unapologetic boldness and size of these dishes have helped the restaurant build a social media following, where the hefty offerings are backdropped to rap remixes. One of Fatima’s signature dishes is the Hot Cheeto quesarito: A miniature bag of the spicy snack and a generous squiggle of nacho cheese are tucked into the usual burrito, which is of course then rolled onto another tortilla, spread sprinkled with more cheese and nacho cheese, and griddled shut.