Restauranteur's halal eatery to open in Clintonville ghost kitchen

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A shawarma and cheesesteak eatery based out of a central Ohio ghost kitchen is embarking on a new culinary venture: halal fried chicken and New York-style pizza.

Restauranteur Azee Raghbat is aiming to open Auzy's Pizza and Chicken in January inside High Street Kitchens, a ghost kitchen at 2864 N. High St. in Clintonville. The kitchen is also home to Raghbat's other eatery, AnA Shawarma, which opened in September last year after originating as a food truck.

Auzy's will be home to halal foods, which means the recipes will abide by Islamic dietary laws. In addition to New York-style pizza and fried chicken, Auzy's will be mixing and matching ingredients to concoct one-of-a-kind meals. The menu will feature pizza with fried chicken and shawarma on top, alongside a selection of sandwiches and wings.

Raghbat aided his father in running a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, before moving to Columbus in May of 2022 and founded AnA Shawarma out of a food truck in January 2023. At the time, he told NBC4 his dream was always to open his own restaurant, so he decided to use a food truck as a stepping stone.

"This kind of growth is amazing and it's very, very humbling to know we were able to grow so fast in such a short amount of time," Raghbat said when AnA Shawarma opened. "The community has shown unbelievable support. I feel like it was all worth it and hopefully we can make a name for ourselves here."

AnA Shawarma is open for takeout and delivery at High Street Kitchen 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 3 to 11:59 p.m. Thursday, midnight to 2 a.m. then 3 to 11:59 p.m. Friday and Saturday, midnight to 2 a.m. then noon to 11:59 p.m. Sunday.