Cheers, high-fives, and the aroma lamb, chips and Lebanese cooking greet me at the door of Mezza on Dublin's Parliament St. In a few short weeks, a band of American students and the Mezza staff have become bonded by the delectable taste of a Mezza specialty: the Chip Butty.
In the wee hours of the Irish night, or more likely just before its dawn, the steadily growing number of Mezzanites enter the doors with the thrill of what they know will happen next. The establishment was discovered by Ben Stanley and Meg Gourd during a September night out at nearby Sin-E, across the River Liffey. The following morning, Ben came to me with the news: "Dude, I have found the holy grail of late-night eating."
It did not take me long to jump on the Mezza bandwagon; the first Chip Butty was more than enough. In addition to the delectable food that Mezza serves, their staff serves as a welcoming group of hard-working Dubliners whom we have become quite comfortable with. While visiting Galway, a group of us ran into one of their servers, Akil. Beginning that weekend on the west coast, our group of American friends has bonded with the pita-making Iraqi. Because he lost his charger in Belfast, Taylor Kane now recharges his phone at the restaurant. Mezza will forever be remembered by the group as a place where time ceased to matter and food and friendship was passed around the table.
There is a certain rush that goes over you while holding the Lebanese pita. The tomatoes shimmer in the shining overhead light. The lettuce begins to pour out of the sides, as our pitas have become steadily larger as we bring more clientele. The sauce smells just as spicy as it will soon taste, and the lamb seems as though it was shaved off in the back room. With one bite, Mezza becomes the Mecca of Dublin dining.
