Dearborn boasts wealth of Middle Eastern food, other great restaurants

DEARBORN, Mich. (WJBK) - Dearborn is home to one of the largest Arab American populations in the country and, with that, comes some of the best Middle Eastern food you'll find on this side of the Mediterranean. Food is what crosses cultural lines.

One staple to start with in Dearborn is Al Ameer, which has been serving people since 1989. Family members started the restaurant with just about 20 seats, and now it's grown into restaurant big enough to seat 300 people.

"A, [the food] is extremely healthy and, also, people have been hearing so much about the Middle East and everything throughout the news. So, it's a great experience to come here and take a look at the food, take a look at the people, because this is like a mini Middle East," one of the guys from Al Ameer told us.

Sahara is another good place to check out. It's been in business since 1968 at various locations. They started in Detroit and moved to St. Clair Shores in 1994, and have added a location on Michigan Avenue to be part of the community they represent.

One thing many Middle Eastern restaurants have in common -- when you walk in, you're treated like family.

The Nine took the show on the road on Friday, July 28 to Dearborn, where we also welcomed a few other restaurants on our show. You can hear more about them in the videos in the video player above.