LYONS, Ohio — When longtime restaurateur Faten Sweidan walked through the former K’s Fine Food and Drink last year, she was just looking to buy some equipment.
She ended up buying the restaurant. And now, downtown Lyons has a new option for anyone who’s looking for a good meal.
Sweidan’s new restaurant, Faten’s Lyons Den, opened in November at 117 N. Adrian St., right in the heart of downtown Lyons.
The restaurant is new to Lyons, but its owner is not new to the restaurant business.
“I’ve been in the restaurant business for 38 years,” said Sweidan, who also owns the U.S. 20 Diner, about two miles south of town.
However, fans of the U.S. 20 Diner will find that the new restaurant is worth a visit too — because while the commitment to good-quality, fresh-made food is the same, the menu is completely different.
Sweidan’s daughter, Rema Escobar, developed the menu and does most of the cooking. She said they kept many items that were popular with K’s Fine Food patrons, and added some new features too.
The sweet whitefish stayed on the menu, as did the prime rib — although Escobar developed her own au jus sauce to serve with it. Meanwhile, they started offering homemade mashed potatoes as a side, and added a smash burger and a lot of wraps.
Soups are also popular, and — like everything else — are made fresh. The varieties include potato, cheddar broccoli, creamy mushroom, and a lasagna soup that’s basically like lasagna in a bowl. The most popular soup on the menu is french onion.
“Almost every table on Friday night or Saturday night, at least one person gets it,” Sweidan said.
The restaurant started out with a limited menu when it opened and is transitioning to a full menu, adding things like a patty melt, pork loin dinner, a swiss mushroom bacon burger, a fish sandwich, and a variety of salads and wraps.
One favorite item is Rema’s Famous Chicken Bowl, which is fried chicken chunks, buttered corn, gravy, and cheese, all served on a bed of mashed potatoes.
They also have desserts, including cheesecake, carrot cake, peach cobbler. and a variety of homemade pies, including blueberry, cherry, coconut, banana, and peanut butter.
“I think the peanut butter is the favorite,” Escobar said.
The new restaurant is very much a family operation. One of Escobar’s brothers, Kaise Sweidan, who owns Quality Masonry, did the new stonework on the bar. And her youngest brother, Hussam, works at the restaurant on weekends.
Since opening in mid-November, the response from the community has been excellent.
“Oh my goodness, we had a full house,” Escobar said, recalling their first day open.
“Everybody was happy to come in,” Sweidan added. “They couldn’t wait.”
Faten’s Lyons Den can seat approximately 100 people, about 40 of them in a separate dining room that is also available for private rentals.
For more information, call the restaurant at 419-923-0072 or find Faten’s Lyons Den on Facebook.