A new authentic Iraqi restaurant has hit the streets of State College. Mosul Grill, which took the place of Jimmy John’s at 434 E. College Ave., offers fresh, grilled-to-order cuisine rooted in family recipes and tradition.

Mosul Grill opened its doors on September 12 and is a completely family-run business. The owner, Mahmood Alshekhkder, previously owned and operated Penn Pide on Beaver Avenue and is excited for the new, larger spot and more centralized location. Mosul Grill allows more room for cooking and more grill space than Penn Pide had.

The Alshekhkder family moved from Iraq to State College in 2011 and has been here ever since. Opening a place like Mosul Grill has been a long-time goal of theirs that has finally come to fruition.

“This was a dream for them; they’ve been working so hard for years on something like this,” Amenah Alshekhkder, the owner’s daughter, said.

Everything they make behind the counter is a family recipe that has been passed down. The Alshekhkder’s learned from their parents, incorporated the recipes into the restaurant, and have taught their own four children the family’s heritage.

“There’s stuff that I don’t even know what’s put into it because they don’t want us accidentally telling people the secrets,” Amenah Alshekhkder said about the family’s inherited recipes.

The entire staff is just the Alshekhkder family at the moment, so you can be assured that the food you’re eating is directly from the recipe holders themselves.

The menu offers a wide variety of meat plates/platters, pide, wraps, and kebabs, one of the most popular dishes in Iraq.

Everything at Mosul Grill is made fresh-to-order straight from the grill to the customer’s plate. Two menu highlights are the beef kebabs and the lamb shank plate, according to Amenah Alshekhkder herself.

For people unfamiliar with Iraqi cuisine, the Alshekhkders hope Mosul Grill will help familiarize them with the food of their homeland.

“Me personally, as a student myself, I hope that it reaches more students. Especially students that may be unfamiliar with anything like this,” Amenah Alshekhkder said.

Mosul Grill’s official hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., but they have been staying open later in these early weeks of operation.

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