Cleo’s Lebanese-Spiced Roast Chicken Heats Up West Village Autumn

On a breezy Thursday evening, Cleo’s windows glowed along Hudson Street, luring passersby with the scent of roasted chicken and toasted spices. The West Village newcomer has quickly become a local favorite, not with culinary theatrics, but through the quiet confidence of its Lebanese-inspired bird—rubbed with a blend of sumac, cinnamon, and allspice, then roasted to a deep, fragrant finish.

Inside, the dining room hums with the start-of-semester crowd: NYU grad students swapping syllabi, a couple of fashion buyers comparing notes on fall collections, and a trio of off-duty nurses unwinding after a late shift. The star of most tables is unmistakable—a half chicken, crisp-skinned and juicy, its spice crust yielding to tender meat beneath.

The menu is tight but clever. A pile of crinkle-cut fries—dusted in za’atar, served piping hot—arrives in a paper-lined basket, an unapologetic nod to childhood nostalgia. Diners dunk them in thick toum or scoop up the last of the chicken’s pan juices. Sides lean seasonal: a late-summer tomato salad with mint and toasted pine nuts, and charred eggplant cooled by tangy yogurt.

Cleo’s chef-owner, Layla Haddad, is often spotted working the open kitchen, pausing to check on regulars or explain the provenance of her spice blend. This hands-on approach, she says, is part of her mission to bring a taste of Beirut’s home kitchens to the heart of Manhattan. With temperatures dropping and the city’s election buzz growing louder, her food feels like an invitation to linger—one more reason to embrace the changing season, one crinkle fry at a time.