Syracuse, N.Y. — Whatever you do, don’t eat before hitting the St. Elias Orthodox Church Middle Eastern Festival. You’d be doing your stomach a huge disservice.
Hundreds of Central New Yorkers knew that going into the festival Thursday evening. They stood in line for gyros, shawarmas, falafel, exotic desserts and zalabye (crispy fried dough balls dipped in syrup).
The annual four-day festival at 4988 Onondaga Road features traditional dancing, contemporary Arabic music, food and drink. The free event runs 4-10 p.m. today (Friday), noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Tours of the church are available throughout the day. DJ Danny will be playing contemporary Arabic music and the traditional dance, dabkeh, will be performed at 6:30 Friday and Saturday and at 1 on Saturday and Sunday. Click here for a complete entertainment schedule and menu.
Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drinks and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at [email protected]. (AND he pays for what he and his guests eat and drink, just so you know.) You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his free weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.
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