Mediterranean • $$
“Great tasting gyros with generous portions. The meat is Halal as well. They have options to add Indian flavors to it as well. Very customizable. Ordering was very simple at the kiosk and food came out quick. I took off 1 star because it closes at 9pm which is early and a little pricey. I paid about $15 for a lamb gyro. I wish places like this were open later. Overall I liked the food, ease of ordering/service. I will return to try the bowl.“
“Just discovered this great tasting spot near my job. Trying to eat healthy, so had the chicken shawarma on hummus in a bowl. It tasted so good and protein packed, that I returned on back to days. The chicken was moist and hummus was so fresh. My guess is that everything is prepared fresh daily. Its a Gem of a spot, looking forward to trying out their smoothies and signature cheese steak in the future! Well done!!“
“Hands down one of the best restaurants I've been to in a while. Food was 10 out of 10, drinks 10 out of 10 and service was prestige. Bartenders were knowledgeable on the food as well as recommending drinks. Everyone was having a good time. It may look expensive but you get a massive "app" platter, fresh pita, and dessert at the end. If you and one person just had two meat or veggie choices and no alcohol you'd pay under $100. We had the Salman Shishlik and the Koobideh. Can't rave enough, go check it out for yourself ! There's a reason why it's hard to get a reservation. If you're bar people, get there 15/20 minutes early. First come first serve“
“Wooow amazing food hands down-best in Philly. must try Fatboy with lamb chops I swear the best lamb chops I’ve ever had I’ve been all over the US and other countries there fresh never frozen . amazing waiter Mustafa with great energy and amazing hospitality from the owner. Thank you so much most definitely will be back. This place such a hidden JEWEL ? well worth the trip coming from Delaware ?? THANK YOU SO MUCH ?“
“The lamb shoulder is so wonderful and tender and just the right amount of juicy-ness. The bean (soup?) dish reminded me of mom's amazing bean stew, which was just awesome. The bread, hummus and mezze were out of this world; I haven't tasted hummus that good - ever. And I was so impressed to see Chef Solomonov making my bread and standing in front of the oven just doing someone's job who had to take a break. And he owns a bunch of other restaurants! Keep it up, Chef.Okay, so I would have given 5 stars for service as the host stand did great, adjusting to my change in number of diners on the reservation and for putting me at the chef's counter, and for the server doing great, but I sat without water or anything else to drink for about 15 minutes. Not horrible, but I thought I'd mention it.I only gave 4 stars for the atmosphere because I'm not a big fan of the interior design. Please don't take this as a gripe, just a comment from a guy who does renovations and wasn't blown away.You need to go to this restaurant now! Have the drink pairing, too. The red and white were perfect with the food and the "sherry" from Australia was so good I'm looking for it now so I can take a case home.“
“Had a truly delightful meal here! Everything was so fresh and flavorful. The hummus was spectacular. The Brussel sprouts were SO crispy, some of the best I've ever had. I really enjoyed the chicken shish I got for my entrée. My mom got the falafel and said it was delicious.Highly recommend making a reservation. This place gets busy, quickly. Several folks had to be turned away because they didn't have one. And this was on a Thursday night.“
“Probably some of the best service I've received at a restaurant! The owner checked in a few times and showed us his joint business of a hookah lounge upstairs. We also learned about Ramiz's history and how it's a chain. This location is the first one established in the US. We received complimentary mix appetizer plate of dips and tea! Karişik Soğuk Meze / Mix Appetizer Plate- Hummus, baba ghanoush, labneh, and spicy vegetable dip THE SPICY VEGETABLE DIP IS INCREDIBLE! MUST TRY! Turkish meatballs - insanely moist and delicious! Would highly recommend! Chicken Adana wrap - could have used more meat in it and the fries were lacking salt but that's easily fixable! Sütlaç -the oven baked pudding was good The table cloth on the tables kept moving which was a bit frustrating, not sure what other restaurants do to hold it down. Menu has so many options, something for everyone. Bringing your family or a big friend group is a good idea!“
“Food: 5 out of 5 Menu: 3.5 out of 5 Service: 4.5 out of 5 Ambiance: 5 out of 5 Value for money: 3 out of 5 The hummus is pretty addictive and can be ordered with interesting toppings such as minced beef or mushrooms. This hummus will make its place in my personal top 5 list and pairs really well with the soft, fluffy pitas. The lunch menu is pretty tiny, so you don't have too many options besides the hummus - just a chicken schnitzel platter or a vegetarian equivalent with eggplant. The place does get full, so a reservation is highly recommended for any meal. Service was warm and attentive and I enjoyed my meal with friends. There isn't much to dislike about this place besides the limited menu and the steep pricing. Even in an era where inflation is a known problem, Dizengoff surprised me with a bill of $30 for a bowl of hummus with mushrooms, 2 pita breads, and a small-ish glass of frozen hibiscus lemonade.“
“Delicious falafel! I got a sandwich with fries in it and really enjoyed it. The picture when ordering online made it seem like it was on the smaller side and I can assure you it was not! It really filled me up for lunch. Would definitely recommend for a fairly quick bite!“
“We came at iftar time during Ramadan so the place was so crowded. We decided to order for take out however we managed to get a table but the food was already packed.I would like to give another try for the lamb Haneeth & Fahsa since it wasn’t that tasty. The lentils soup and Areka were delicious.The service is 10 out of 5 they were very welcoming and friendly. Even while they were swamped with work but they managed to pay attention to their customers professionally.Great atmosphere and authentic Yemeni food. Hopefully I will have to pay a visit after Ramadan.The overall experience is great.“
“Best Middle Eastern food in the city - delicious large portions made with fresh ingredients! Hummus, baba ghanouj, and meat platters are all top notch. The service is attentive and friendly. There's a store connected to the restaurant with a large selection of Middle Eastern groceries.“
“High quality Lebanese style Mediterranean food at an amazing price. We opted for the Mediterranean platter-a sampler of creamy, lemony hummus, smoky baba ganoush, an eggplant salad and some pickled items. Nothing totally remarkable, but reliably deliciously flavored and good portions. One of us got the beef shawarma sandwich and reported it to the best one ever tasted, especially the Lebanese style with pickles and French fries added in! The service on an early Saturday night was a little slow, but the food was hot when it came and worth the wait. Top it off with the baklava, it’s worth the calories, with just the right amount of honey that squishes out of the pastry when you bite down.Vegetarian options: Fava bean appetizer, along with many other veg options, felafel, veg platterDietary restrictions: They were great about nut allergies and there were plenty of options for veg.“
Middle Eastern • $
“This is a really lovely spot with fresh, authentic food. Everything I’ve tried here has been incredible. The coffee is delicious. Great ambiance especially at night. The also have seating upstairs.Vegetarian options: The zucchini and falafel sandwich were amazing. The hummus appetizer is also delicious.“
“Admittedly it wasn't too busy when we ate here hard to judge the noise level. That said, we have been here before and it's a nice neighborhood byob restaurant with delicious Turkish food. The mezza plate was perfect to share between 4 and the calamari was the best, tender and crispy with a delicious dipping sauce. We all had varying kebabs, all were moist and flavorful as were the chicken thighs. Finished off with some Turkish coffee and baklava and we were more than satisfied. Even though it is a byob it was still reasonably priced.“
“I would give this place an infinite amount of stars if it were possible. When me and my friends lived around here, we loved hitting this Halal cart up on Friday nights. We even made the occasional pilgrimage there once we lived in separate places around Philly.Majit (and later Salman) always whipped up the freshest food, had a smile on their face, and were glad to talk with us. Salt of the earth.If you like Halal you owe it to yourself to get in front of the Fishtown Planet Fitness and order a lamb/falafel combo platter with your sauces of choice.“
“Al'Hamdu'Lillaah this place is good for big or small get togethers. The food is good. I've ordered the salmon, the Al-Shams burger, pizza, etc... Overall food is cooked right, you just have to make sure they get the order right. Maybe tell them twice and check while they're cooking it to be sure. There's a bathroom and a spot to pray which is a plus, Al'Hamdu'Lillaah. The parking is usual Philly find a spot.The one on Chestnut is the same . Food is good, spot to pray and a bathroom for wudu. The only difference is you have to pay for parking down on Chestnut but it's very cheap .... Enjoy! ?“
Mediterranean • $$
“I woke up still dreaming about the feast I had at Apricot Stone last night!My friends and I came here spontaneously and were very pleased with the food, so much so that almost every one of us was doing the happy dance when we took our first bites!We ordered some mezze to share such as the grape leaves, the manti, and the hummus. Wow were we off to a great start!The stuffed grape leaves were the first bite of the night that absolutely blew me away. They were soft, not bitter at all, and the rice inside was seasoned beautifully. I highly recommend you try them here!The manti was something we all tried for the first time and I wanted to eat that again and again. I wanted to swim in the broth that these beef dumplings were sitting in! I’m pretty sure we were all fighting over the last few servings of this dish and wanting to drink the liquid off our sharing plates unabashedly.The hummus was so smooth and velvety and delicious! Not a single bit was left on the spoon or plate in came in.For entree we all pretty much ordered the lamb kabob entree with rice pilaf and choice of sides. The lamb was juicy and flavorful and cooked beautifully. The rice was so flavorful I wanted to keep eating it! The muhamara was one of the sides i chose and tried for the first time and I’m obsessed with it - flavorful roasted red pepper dip with walnuts and molasses, it’s all blended as a type of dip and the pieces of walnuts make this dip feel almost meaty and deliciously satisfying. I also got the eggplant salad and the veggies were just cooked so beautifully, great balance of bite yet softness to the eggplant and seasoned well.My friends loved the tabouleh and babaganoush as their sides!I also had the Armenian coffee and baklava for dessert. The baklava was good - I wish there was a bit more nuts in between and some more syrup, but I tried a bite of my friends gatnabur (Armenian rice pudding with blossom water) and would really recommend getting that!Our server did not rush us at all even when we had a hard time deciding what to get, and even guided us through the menu and explained how it would be presented and what would be more shareable. We sat on the heated patio and it felt really magical.I definitely would come back again for a great night with even better food!“
“The Lemonana (9/10) Shish Kabob Sandwich (7/10) I loved the Lemonana so much that I got it twice! Keep in mind that it is not for everyone (my friend did not like it), so if you don't like lemon, mint, and sugar then it may not be for you. The Shish Kabob Sandwich was perfectly balanced with the met the vegetable ratio, but didn't taste super special (still really good though). Overall, the staff was really friendly and efficient with their orders.“
“I had the schwarma pita!! It was amazing! The staff were so friendly and even gave me a free sample of koshari. The best tasting take out food I have had in a long time! Unfortunately it is the Luke Oil gas station but don’t let that stop you!!“
“wow, I just discovered this hidden gem right off temple campus and with one visit it’s already my favorite restaurant in Philly, the food was so amazingly flavorful and I love the vegetarian options. The service was phenomenal, I felt like I was at a 5 star restaurant. The boy with the Afro was extremely nice and made sure I knew of ALL of my options and even helped me get $2 off my order since it was my first time. I highly recommend this spot to anyone who wants to grab a bite to eat and do some work or have a nice catch up with friends. The environment and food are top tier.“
“Such a great meal. Got the baba ghanoush and hummus combo-hummus special was roasted onion-both were delicious. Had the cream of broccoli soup (soup of the day) probably the best cream of broccoli I've had. Girlfriend got the salmon over orzo-Oh Em Gee fab. I got the lamb shank-flavorful and fell right off the bone-i was in heaven. Owner was a hoot all night-really friendly and actually cared about his guest. We'll be back!“
“We had a small family gathering. We could not have asked for better service, amazing food, and a great atmosphere. The staff is professional. We got apps, entrees, sandwiches, and dessert. All excellent. My daughter is vegan. We are not. It was the perfect place to give a lot of choices for all of us. I highly recommend Norma’s and I expect we will be spending several more family events with them.“