Kabob’s at The Option House, a new Mediterranean restaurant and bar coming to the historic Option House building in downtown Bradford, may be open by the end of next month.
Sheikh Iqbal, known as “Chef Icky,” bought The Option House in Bradford a few months ago and is waiting for the liquor license to come through before announcing an exact opening date.
Iqbal said he will be closing Kabob Kafe in Ellicottville, N.Y. on March 30 and hopes to open the new location at The Option House at the end of April or early May.
“The building is under my name and things are moving along,” he said, explaining that all of the legal and financial aspects are squared away, except for the liquor license.
“We hope to find out about the liquor license in a couple weeks and then we will set a date to open,” Iqbal relayed, noting he, “of course,” plans to hold a grand opening event at his new Bradford restaurant.
After Kabob Kafe closes at the end of March, Iqbal said he will start the move — an effort he emphasizes will be minimal due to the great condition and recent renovation of The Option House.
“I don’t think I’m going to change a lot because everything is ready to go,” he explained. “Mr. Sam did a lot of beautiful work. It’s such a nice building and the location is perfect — it’s a turnkey operation.”
Sam Sylvester of Bradford did a complete overhaul of the historic building a few years back and decided to sell it a few months after the business closed in February of last year. The building, which includes 18 apartments in the upstairs, was for sale for $295,000.
“Mr. Sylvester spent endless hours going over every minor detail to ensure that everything was done to perfection and satisfaction,” Debbie Huston of the City of Bradford’s Office of Economic and Community Development said of the renovation. “To have it sit empty was a waste of a beautiful property.”
Huston said she believes Iqbal, who she describes as a “seasoned restaurant owner” and The Option House are a great match. “I think he’ll do a great job,” she added.
Iqbal said the only thing different he will be bringing to the space is the food, and he is working on new menus.
“We’re going to have a Mediterranean menu, along with Pakistani, Indian and American food,” he relayed. “There will be a little bit of everything and something for everybody.”
When asked about special dishes potential customers can look forward to, Iqbal noted his famous kabobs as well as souvlaki, gyros, burgers, wraps, pasta dishes, steak entrees and chicken curry. “I am very excited about the move.”
According to Iqbal, customers from around western New York and Pennsylvania, including the local area, have made the trek to Ellicottville for his food and he hopes they will continue doing the same when he makes the move to downtown Bradford.
Iqbal also noted that a few staff from his Ellicottville location will be coming to work at Kabob’s at The Option House, but he plans to hire new people from the local area as well.
He explained he already has a connection to the Bradford area, having catered parties for American Refining Group and Zippo in recent years. Iqbal said, in addition to catering, he will offer the space for private parties in the upstairs Peacock Room at The Option House.
