Shawarma for all

West Hempstead residents haven’t seen a new glatt kosher restaurant open in their hamlet for over 15 years, but a new eatery is in the final stages of preparing to open its doors: Oma’s Grill.

The business’s eye-catching awning, at the corner of Hempstead Avenue and Locust Street, stands out in this part of the shopping strip, which is struggling to regain its vibrancy.

Saying he is just waiting for inspections from the state Health Department and the Nassau County fire marshal, David Mott, one of the restaurant’s three owners, said he hopes to open March 1.

“It’s a small-town, Israeli-style grill,” Mott explained, “and we’re going to focus on takeout and delivery.” The menu will feature items like shawarma and schnitzel, he said, but will also have hamburgers, chicken cutlets, steak sandwiches and other items to appeal to a larger crowd.

“The West Hempstead Jewish community has almost doubled in the past 15 years,” Mott said, “and my partners and I believed it was time to try something there.” A West Hempstead native, Mott has two partners, one of whom is moving to West Hempstead. The other lives in the Five Towns, he said.