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Byblos Mediterranean restaurants are moving toward the fast-casual restaurant style popularized by the build-your-own burrito chains (and now poke too), starting with its newest location Uptown in the former home of Flaming Torch restaurant on Octavia.
When it swings open on April 11, diners at Byblos Uptown will order through an assembly line process, with grab-and-go, pre-packaged menu items as well. The menu will be similar to the that at other locations.
Expect a sleeker and more modern interior than previous locations as well, with light-colored wood floors, walls, and tables (metal tables with a wooden top) in a bright white space with both indoor and outdoor seating.
Though Byblos doesn’t expect to renovate its other restaurants to match this style any time soon, all future Byblos will follow the build-your-own, assembly line model along with the lighter interior design, according to a company spokesperson.
Though this is the first stand-alone, fast-casual restaurant for the mini chain, Byblos has operated similar eateries in food courts.
The new location opens after a five-month renovation of what was the Flaming Torch restaurant, which closed after a mysterious fire about 14 months ago. The owners of the Flaming Torch moved on to open the critically-praised Vyoone’s.
The newest Byblos follows an uptick in Mediterranean restaurants in the Uptown area, with Shaya, Tal’s Hummus, Alon Shaya’s highly anticipated and soon-to-open Saba, and Shahrazad Cafe all along the Uptown stretch of Magazine Street.
Byblos’ opening hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays until 10 p.m.
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