Halal Lebanese-Mexican fusion with Cheetos fries
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"After nearly a decade of operations, Fatima Grill is now spread throughout the country in New York and Texas, as well as Long Beach, Downey, Garden Grove, and Paramount. The Elreda family prepares a distinctly LA menu with Crunchwraps, tacos, hot Cheeto burgers, and birria mac and cheese mulitas." - Mona Holmes

"At local chain Fatima’s Grill, the signature Burrito Pollo is a monster-sized California and Mexico hybrid filled with rice, beans, onions, cilantro, sour cream, nacho cheese, and Hot Cheetos, while the Lebanese Trio is packed with chicken shawarma, beef shawarma, and gyro meat along with turnips, pickles, hummus, onions, parsley, rice, and the popular chile-lime seasoning Tajín." - Eater Staff

"Downey’s busiest restaurant is also maybe it’s most fantastically fun. Fatima’s Grill pulses during business hours as fans from all over the state (and from TikTok) converge to order overclocked fries, sandwiches, and burritos served with plenty of Cheetos dust and nacho cheese. For big flavor and big fun, there’s maybe no better place to eat." - Eater Staff

"In a tight, L-shaped stucco strip mall on Firestone Boulevard in Downey, California, I found Fatima’s Grill, a chaotic, Instagram-fueled takeout operation where dance music pounds into the parking lot and white party tents accommodate makeshift outdoor dining. The menu is deliberately outrageous — cheesy, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos-laced burgers, giant quesaritos, overloaded fries, nacho-cheese–drenched burritos, Hot Cheetos–crusted chicken tenders and halal Lebanese shawarma sandwiches — and the always-energetic owner, Ali Elreda, runs service from a booming PA, calling orders while enforcing pandemic rules (two inside at a time, masks required, use the QR-code menu). Elreda’s backstory — eight years in federal prison and the commissary-kitchen lessons he picked up in Safford, Arizona — directly informs the Lebanese-Mexican mashups, and his social-media savvy (north of 165,000 Instagram followers and a TikTok that hit more than 4 million views) drives fans to line up for hours and even travel hundreds of miles. To manage demand and safety he’s leaned on delivery apps and a direct-ordering app, tightened protocols, and limited indoor access, and he’s exploring franchising through Franchise Creator (licensing deals starting at $35,000) while insisting he won’t resume indoor dining until he’s confident it’s safe for his staff, whom he repeatedly praises as the foundation of the business." - Farley Elliott
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"A popular Downey spot that has long incorporated Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into burritos and bowls, building a devoted following for those spicy, crunchy riffs on classic menu items; the restaurant’s owner also has a widely noted prison-rehabilitation backstory that contrasts with larger branded sponsorships." - Farley Elliott