Albert T.
Yelp
I usually go to the Al Tayeb in Dearborn, but decided to try the original for once. The food at this location is every bit as good and as a bonus, the employees and service are way friendlier.
Hummus with Ground Meat ($12.99) - I have been to restaurants all over Dearborn and adjacent and in my opinion, Al Tayeb has the best hummus of them all. This is the perfect mix of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon, and spices. We normally just have the complimentary hummus (I believe they usually give a small normal hummus for free for certain order sizes), but decided to spice it up this time with the ground meat option - this adds spiced ground beef and an assortment of toasted nuts on top. It makes a great hummus even better! (5/5)
Mosabaha ($10.49) - This was described by the server as "hummus on top of hummus on top of hummus" and I guess he wasn't really wrong. This was basically a runnier hummus mixed with extra garlic, mashed chickpeas, and lemon juice and topped with whole chickpeas. A strong fresh, aromatic lemon flavor dominates this dish, lending a nice contrast against the regular hummus. This dish is served warm. I prefer the normal hummus, but this was good too! (5/5)
Spicy Potato ($8.99) - This was the only dish we thought was done less well at this location. While they were still good, the potatoes were missing the crispy edge and didn't have nearly enough of the spicy cilantro mixture placed on top. In fact, we had to add in quite a few shakes of ground red pepper provided at the table to get it to the correct spiciness. (4/5)
Vegetables + Pita (Complimentary) - Fresh mint, pickles, onion, and tomato. Free regular pita bread. What's not to like? Really, I think the only thing that could be improved is if they had fresh baked pita for purchase.
Note: As with a lot of Middle-Eastern restaurants around the area, the water is not free - you can only purchase bottled water. They don't mind if you bring your own water though.
I highly recommend Al Tayeb. Go and eat anything; you won't be disappointed.