UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — A new family-owned and operated Iraqi restaurant held its grand opening in the Delmar Loop earlier this week.

Milano Kabob offers a variety of authentic dishes such as baba ganoush, sambosa, eggplant salad, falafel, lentil soup, chicken, lamb and beef kabobs and more.

Customers also can order freshly cold-pressed juices, smoothies and daily made desserts. The restaurant located at 602 Westgate Avenue only provides to-go orders.

Ruwaida Alrammahi and her family came to St. Louis in 2009 from Iraqi to escape the ongoing wars.

She and her family noticed a gap in the St. Louis food scene of Iraqi cuisine. There are Syrian and Palestinian restaurants in the neighborhood, Alrammahi said, but not Iraqi dishes.

“Everything that we sell here is what we grew up eating. It’s all authentic Iraqi dishes,” she said. “We’re excited to bring that to neighborhood and for everybody to try it.”

She works alongside her parents, Fouad and Abeer, and her siblings. The dishes are made from her parent’s recipes.

“My parents love cooking,” she said. “My dad has been cooking ever since he was younger, so that’s his passion. And now, it’s becoming our passion.”

The restaurant will eventually have whole fish on weekends that customers can order either fried or grilled.

Alrammahi’s favorite dish on the menu is the eggplant salad, which is cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions served with a sweet, tangy dressing.

Her second favorite are the kabobs, which are served fresh. The food’s freshness is an aspect of the family-owned restaurant “doesn’t play around with,” she said.

Milano Kabob additionally aims to provide tasty meals at affordable prices despite the economy.

“We want everybody to try it. We’re not charging crazy prices,” Alrammahi said.

The restaurant is not the first business owned by the family. Alrammahi said they used to have a successful deli on Gravois Avenue for four years before selling the business.

The family also runs Milano Hookah Lounge on Delmar Avenue.