Taiim Serves Israeli Fare In Hastings

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – Nestled in a little space with an open front, outdoor seating and banners of the Liverpool Footbal Club that decorate the space, Taiim Falafel Shack looks like it could be found in any neighborhood in New York City. Fortunately for Hastings residents, Taiim is located much closer, at 598 Warburton Avenue.

Taiim serves up Israeli and Middle Eastern food that customers said lives up to its name, which means “tasty” or “delicious” in Hebrew. The restaurant opened two years ago and has already caught the attention of several publications, including The New York Times.

“We wanted to provide falafel and Middle Eastern street fare to the Rivertowns and Westchester,” said Sean Carmody, co-owner of the restaurant. “It’s not really represented anywhere, so we figured we’d do a proper job of that.” 

Carmody said his business partner opened Taiim after relocating from New York City to Hastings, starting the restaurant with the same laid-back attitude and atmosphere that draws customers in today. After opening, there were some kinks to work out, including a never-ending demand for hummus, he said, which left the chef running to make more every two or three hours.

“I’d have to tell people, ‘No really, it’s the freshest hummus you can get,”’ Carmody said.

Carmody said the hummus is still as fresh as ever today, but he has learned to make enough to supply customer demand. Along with hummus, Taiim serves homemade Israeli and Middle Eastern dishes including falafel, the top-seller, babaghanouj, sabich, shawarma, shish kebabs and salads. Sales of shawarma, spiced chicken slowly broiled on a spinning rotisserie with onions and peppers, spiked after the release of the action movie, “The Avengers,” earlier this summer, Carmody said.

“At the end of the movie, Robert Downy Jr. says, ‘We should all get shawarma, I don’t know what it is, but we should get shawarma,’ and I had easily 25 people who came here saying they just searched ‘where to get shawarma’ and ended up here,” Carmody said.

Carmody said he originally began working at Taiim to save money to move to Oregon, but quickly got sucked into the business and became a co-owner.

“I became chef here after the previous chef left,” Carmody said. “Now I’m here every day and I’ve never been happier to be stuck in Hastings.”

Taiim is open Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed Monday and Sunday. Tuesday to Friday Taiim closes from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. for dinner preparation. For more information visit Taiim’s website or call 914-478-0006. 

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