Wayward Fare
Italian restaurant · Prospect Heights ·
Wood-fired bread, king prawns, manti, oysters, steak
Wood-fired bread, king prawns, manti, oysters, steak
"Wayward Fare is a Mediterranean spot where you can eat things like wood-fired bread and eggplant dip, or porgy dusted in baharat, or maybe some lamb merguez-stuffed manti. The chef is from Alta Calidad, and it’s located right next door in Prospect Heights." - will hartman, bryan kim
"Akhtar Nawab is known in Prospect Heights for his neighborhood spot Alta Calidad, a Mexican restaurant with twists. Now, he’s expanded next door with Wayward Fare, a restaurant that takes a journey along the Silk Road. The meal kicks off with a complimentary tea-based drink, as a nod to its theme. From there, start with the wood-fired bread with dips like a pate with currants and crispy onions (though we wish more bread was provided to lap up), and then move on to the oysters with Parm and cherry peppers (both make use of the oven inherited from the previous pizzeria tenant). For entrees, dishes like swordfish with saffron aioli and lamb merguez manti dumplings feel nourishing on a cold night. The dining room is glossy and warm — many customers on a recent visit appeared to be Nawab’s longtime regulars." - Emma Orlow
"A Mediterranean-focused expansion from Akhtar Nawab (of Alta Calidad) occupying the former Cataldo’s red-sauce space; the menu leans on oven and grill cooking with dishes such as oven-roasted oysters with cherry pepper butter; swordfish with stewed chickpeas; Turkish manti; and grilled prawns wrapped with grape leaves — and it also makes use of the pizza oven left by the previous tenant." - Emma Orlow
"Wayward Fare is a Mediterranean spot where you can eat things like wood-fired bread and eggplant dip, or porgy dusted in baharat, or maybe some lamb merguez-stuffed manti. The chef is from Alta Calidad, and it’s located right next door in Prospect Heights. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Team Infatuation
"A Mediterranean restaurant opened recently next to a long-running neighbor; despite the owners’ investment in the block, it has been harder to bring people through the door than comparable openings eight years earlier, prompting questions about foot traffic and whether higher-rent midtown locations might yield more customers." - Chris Crowley
