Have you been walking by the corner of Read and Cathedral streets in Mt. Vernon, wondering what happened to Al Pacino, the Egyptian pizza restaurant? With a shift in some of the investing partners, it’s now Kyro (www.kyropizza.com )! The mastermind behind everything -- menu, recipes, design -- is Ashraf Aboubakr. He brings his upbringing in Egypt, as well as his days in the restaurant business in NYC’s Little Italy, literally to the table. As a matter of fact, he goes back home to Egypt once a year to keep culinary ideas flowing through his head.

Kyro has a chic, modern look now and has a very diverse menu to appeal to everyone in your group. Everything has a homemade touch, from the unsweetened raspberry iced tea (!), to the freshly made sauces, doughs, and dressings. Kyro is BYOB, or you start off with iced tea. For something different and very Egyptian, try a glass of rich, sweet mango juice. Apparently, Egypt has about 20 varieties of mango. I tried a glass and it had a heady fruit flavor that I haven’t had in a beverage since I visited Ft. Lauderdale.

What to start with? As you’re ordering, you’ll be served pita slices and extra virgin olive oil with special Middle Eastern herbs.

I have known people who are fanatics about their yellow lentil soup. Do you have a good-sized appetite or a bunch of people with you? Go for the Middle Eastern Combo, with falafel, hummus, Babaganush, stuffed grape leaves, tomato feta cheese, tahina, house salad, and pita bread. Ashraf explained that the falafel was a truly Egyptian recipe, with fava beans, leeks, and cilantro. It has a snappy, veggie taste to it, instead of just fried legumes. Also with an Egyptian bent (and a little different than what you’ve experienced at other restaurants) are the grape leaves, which are completely vegetarian. That’s good to know for non-meat eaters, to have that taste treat that they used to have to avoid. The tomato feta cheese salad is excellent and unusual, too. Really, you’ll notice everything on the plate has that burst of flavor from being homemade and not from a store’s plastic container.

If you are looking for more familiar items for your next course, Kyro’s offers a lovely selection of salads, sandwiches, and calzones. They range the gamut from vegetarian to meaty, from local flavors to the exotic.

Kyro’s has several pasta choices… but it you want to try some super authentic Egyptian comfort food, get the Koshery. It comes as a vegetarian option, or you can get fresh chicken or lamb added to it. It’s got a rich taste and hearty from caramelized onions, macaroni, lentils, rice, and a well-seasoned tomato sauce. They serve it with extra hot sauce on the side. Koshery is very filling and it’s the home-cooked treat that Anthony Bourdain sampled when he did his “No Reservations” show in Egypt.

Kyro -- in all its incarnations -- has always been known for its pizza. The selection is mind-boggling, with about three dozen different kinds. There are some varieties that will put a smile on kids (or kids at heart), such as sloppy joe pizza, “ballpark” pizza with hotdogs, and hot wing pizza. On the other end of the spectrum is the sophisticated and tasty Sharm al-Shek: pizza with smoked salmon, mozzarella cheese, green onions, caviar and served with mango chutney. It’s a melange of salty, smoky, and sweet… kind of like a sweet bagel with lox.

Kyro also offers a number of Middle Eastern specialty entrees, like baby rib lamb chops and kabobs.

For dessert, they have a number of options, with the baklava and rice pudding being made in-house. Kyro’s does delivery and has a room for parties, too.