Two friends from the Big Apple missed halal foods. So, they opened a deli in Macon

When Taha Allahibi moved to Macon a couple of years ago, he couldn’t readily find the halal foods he was used to having easy access to in the Big Apple.

Halal, which is Arabic for permitted or lawful, is a term used to describe foods allowed under Islamic dietary laws, according to The Associated Press.

A year later, Allahibi’s good friend Wally Ottman also made the move from New York to Macon.

The friends decided to become business partners and open a deli offering halal foods. Allahibi had owned and operated a deli previously and Ottman had worked in one.

“I met him through a close friend of mine, and we just became good friends and now partners,” Ottman said. “I came down originally to start a business. That was the idea. I didn’t know what business, and this one just happened to happen.”

NYC Style Deli

Their business, NYC Style Deli at 5033 Brookhaven Road, Suite 600, recently opened in the former Louvenia’s Seafood Market location. The deli, geared for takeout only, is next to Taj Indian Restaurant.

“People are really digging our Philly cheesesteaks,” Ottman said. “We have a specific sandwich called the chopped cheese that’s also a New York traditional deli sandwich you would get.

“Also our halal food, the chicken over rice, is another very popular one I would say.”

Ottman manages the deli, while Allahibi works nearby at his other business, Macon Tobacco & Vapor 3 at 5033 Brookhaven Road, Suite 1000.

“It’s not technically a deli per se but we sell the deli foods that we used to sell in New York,” Ottman said.

Those foods include chicken, lamb, falafel and fish dishes over rice — all listed under the halal food options on the menu.

But everything on the menu, Ottman said, technically meets Islamic dietary laws and can be considered halal food.

“Mostly, we don’t sell pork,” he said.

The menu

The menu includes burgers from the classic beef patty to a turkey burger to the impossible (plant-based) burger.

Sandwiches also include grilled chicken, chicken parmigiana, pastrami, tuna, and roast beef, while wraps include steak and pepper, tuna and chicken cutlet.

Also offered are wings and tenders with more than a dozen sauce options, along with build-your-own salads and sides such as classic, curly and waffle fries, mozzarella sticks, onion rings and tuna, potato and macaroni salads, and rice.

Breakfast options include an omelet platter, pancakes, waffles and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich.

Additionally, the menu includes smoothies and coffees.

Operating hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. The number is 478-219-9100.