Whole chickens take over two hours to roast at Rotisserie King, so predicting the daily demand is a perpetual challenge.
Hisham Ebrahim, the Yemeni-born patriarch of the family behind the new west-side restaurant, says he’d rather undershoot and have to close early, because leftovers aren’t an option.
“I came from a country where right now people are suffering from hunger,” he says. “It’s in a war zone area—have no government, have no money. So to see a whole chicken go to the trash, for me, is a disaster.”
Staffed entirely by relatives, Rotisserie King features traditional Middle Eastern preparations that may seem like everyday fare here, but even the basmati rice—cooked with tomatoes, onions, and garlic seasonings—is special-occasion food back home, Ebrahim says. They also have beef-based kafta meatballs, stuffed potato bites, and samosas. Combination trays ($33.99) make for a convenient take-home family dinner.
In the humble plaza hosting cuisines from around the world—Pilar’s Tamales, Hello Faz Pizza, and Chan’s Garden—Ebrahim opened Ann Arbor’s first Yemeni coffee shop, 19 Drips, in 2019. He has since added a Jackson Rd. location and then turned it over to a relative, who renamed it Rawaq Coffee.
“There’s a lot of competition in coffee,” Ebrahim says, so he opted to pivot, needing only to add a kitchen to his original space.
“We’re not just selling meals,” adds his nephew and helper Omar Bamakhir, who’ll soon start at WCC on the long journey to becoming a doctor. “We’re kind of sharing the culture. You know, with every taste, they get a taste of culture, and they get a taste of family.”
Rotisserie King, 2263 W. Liberty. (734) 777–2209. Daily noon–8 p.m.
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