When it comes to eateries in Tempe, I always operate according to the Inverse Law of Mall Dining Proportions: if the exterior of a restaurant is unassuming, bland or impersonal, the food inside will be authentic, inexpensive and genuinely good.
If a restaurant has palm trees, waterfalls or Plexiglas animals out front, like Abuelo's or the Rainforest Café, the food will be bad and overpriced.
If a restaurant is situated on a forgettable little corner of Hardy and University Drives, like Sabuddy Israeli Restaurant, the food, the décor and the service will charm you.
Sabuddy offers the usual Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare like hummus, shawarma and falafel. But they also offer what may be the best dinner deal in Tempe: for $6.59, you can choose from a duo of rotating daily specials (one meat, one vegetarian), which include a drink, rice, veggies, hummus and an Israeli salad (chopped romaine and tomatoes drizzled with a light lemon-oil dressing).
I had the chicken schnitzel special, a thin, fried cutlet topped with sesame seeds. The chicken was crispy and juicy without being greasy, and the accompanying vegetables had a robust tomato-garlic taste that balanced the delicate flavor of the meat nicely.
Other standouts include the falafel, labne and Sabuddy's pita bread, which is the best I've ever tasted: warm and lightly toasted on the outside, deliciously chewy and doughy on the inside
Sabuddy Israeli Restaurant, 825 W. University Drive, Open on Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 9p.m. Average entrée price: about $7. 480.894.8387
The only item on the menu I'd avoid is the Greek eggplant salad, a puree of eggplant that is extremely bitter and bland.
The service at Sabuddy is warm, personal and authentically Israeli. The prices are small enough to leave room for the bargainously beautiful baklava ($1.50). And the interior's warm, yellow walls and green vines give the restaurant a charming café feel.
The exterior might not look like much, but at Sabuddy, it's what's on the inside that counts.
Reach the reporter at kathleen.heil@asu.edu.
