BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — In a shopping center in Brecksville, diners can be transported to Egypt through the authentic flavors and dishes at King Tut Egyptian Street Food, owned and operated by husband-wife duo Hadia and Nader Soliman.
Both Hadia and Nader grew up in Egypt, with Hadia describing her family’s home as just minutes from the pyramids. Inspired by their deep love for the street food they enjoyed in Cairo, they were driven to share the hallmarks of Egyptian cuisine with the Northeast Ohio community.
The couple moved to the United States in 2003, hoping to give their family better opportunities. Two years ago, they bought a food truck, and in January, expanded to a full fledged restaurant.
“Meat is meat everywhere, chicken is chicken,” Hadia said. “But when you have [a] different way of cooking or different spices, this will bring you back to the same place just to enjoy the same, what you had before.”
She is hoping that’s the case for diners at their Brecksville restaurant, where she serves as both chef and owner. In the kitchen, she can be found preparing traditional dishes like koshari, a vegetarian bowl which features rice, lentils, pasta, and a special red sauce, all topped with chickpeas and crispy onions. This bowl has won the couple recognition at the Crocker Park Food Truck Challenge.
Other signature dishes on their menu include hawawshi, seasoned beef in pita bread, falafel with tahini sauce, which Hadia said is traditionally eaten for breakfast in Egypt, and beef or chicken shawarma, a popular lunch dish.
“It’s really tasty, it’s really rich,” she said of the hallmarks of Egyptian cooking. According to Hadia, Egyptian meals are typically savory, and marked by spices like cumin, black pepper, paprika, and coriander.
All of these dishes are also typical of Egyptian street food, which bring back cherished memories for the couple, who said that walking down the street in Egypt, diners can find a “crazy amount of restaurants, food trucks, and food carts.”
While the couple is now operating their brick-and-mortar location in Brecksville, they will still be utilizing their food truck, with plans to attend festivals and events with it during the summer.
King Tut Egyptian Street Food is not only transporting diners to Egypt, it’s also keeping the Soliman family close to their roots.
“I feel I’m not that far from Egypt, I’m still close,” Hadia said of the restaurant.