We can almost imagine it post-pandemic: Avanti Food and Beverage in Boulder, with its high ceilings and open atmosphere, bustling with colleagues catching up over happy hour, families gathered for a meal, college students studying over coffee, a couple on their first date enjoying adult beverages from the bar. While that’s not possible quite yet, the curated offerings of the food hall’s restaurant concepts are open, and we recently visited middle eastern-inspired Boychik for a chicken shawarma wrap. Tender chicken is wrapped in pita with rich hummus, crisp, fresh pickles, arugula and onions. The addition of sumac, a traditional Mediterranean spice, adds a certain tang and zest to each bite. We also added a side of fries spiced with za’atar — a mix of oregano, thyme, marjoram, toasted sesame seed and more sumac — which was well worth it.
BOYCHIK, 1401 Pearl St., Boulder, 720-343-7757, boulder.avantifandb.com/restaurants/boychik/
