Chello Grill

Another beautiful morning in central New Mexico and an opportunity to re-visit where the boys (and one girl) from the VA Creative Writing Group gathered for lunch one fine Thursday morning. The Chello Grill, featuring tasty Mediterranean food, a friendly staff, and a clean interesting interior, was our choice one day and we really enjoyed the experience. Just click on the following YouTube link to see why you too will never regret. https://youtu.be/lrCtvqYU26U?si=L9BXVxdYXHTDYPmK

As of this writing Chello Grill has 284 reviews. 284! They must be doing something right to garner than kind of loyalty. Friends asked me to attend lunch here. Since I love Persian food, it was a "no brainer". I was delighted. Plus, I was anxious to meet with these friends. Since it was my first time here, I wanted to start with what I consider the basics - beef kabobs & Persian rice. I have Persian friends in CA and they have previously introduced me true Persian food. Starting with these basics, I knew next time I could branch out and trust it all to be authentic.Yes, there were a few "extras" on the menu that catered to the New Mexico in us, but primarily Chello Grill is true to Mediterranean cuisine. The prices are reasonable and the customer service was excellent. They are now a regular of mine; with or without friends. No problem stopping in here and eating alone. No sharing. All to myself.

Big gap here between some of the offerings and others. Chello grill might want to consider paring down the menu here and focusing on their best items.Gyros - 1/5 - Hard skip. As others have mentioned, it's pretty flavorless. Mine was kind of hard and crusty too. Really can't recommend.Shawarma - 1/5 - A little dry, but again, pretty flavorless. Can't recommend.Kebab - 4/5 Tender and tasty, but could do with some more spices. Yogurt Dip - 3/5 Nothing to write home about. However, it does seem odd that you need to order yogurt dip as a side. Most Mediterranean places just give you a small cup of the stuff. The side portion is more than you need, as well, which seems a bit wasteful.Tomato Eggplant Dip - 5/5 So good we took ours home. Plenty of flavor here. You can tell they're using good tomatoes for this.Hummus - 5/5 Possibly the best hummus I've been served in a Mediterranean restaurant in this state. Don't skip the oil and parsley. Pita - 4/5 Warm and pleasant. A solid pita.

Outstanding service the food was great and some of the best hummus in town. The khoobedeh was awesome. Great Persian place

Chello Grill is a Persian-Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant located in the Pavilions at San Mateo complex next to Einstein Bagels. They focus on sandwiches, bowls, kabobs, and salads. They also have gyros; those are a Persian version of a gyro instead of a Greek gyro that Chello calls the "traditional gyro". They also have a New Mexican-inspired version of a gyro where the meat has been cooked with green chile and comes with a side of green chile yogurt aptly called the "New Mexican gyro". I ordered the traditional gyro, which comes with sliced lamb meat, two tomato wedges, and then a blend of diced cucumber, tomato, and onion in a folded pita. Had parsley been added to the diced vegetables mix it would have been considered their Shirazi salad, which one can also order as a side. I added feta cheese for an upcharge. The gyro came with Mast-o-Khiar, a cucumber yogurt dip, on the side. A Greek variation would be tzatziki, which is more common with gyros in America. I added french fries for $1. The gyro was almost tasteless. I actually ended up just eating the lamb slices with pieces of feta and discarding the rest of the dish. The Mast-o-Khiar didn't add anything to the meal. The fries were fine, but I would have preferred them with more salt. I guess $1 for those was fair given how forgettable they were. The cutlery was plastic and the ketchup for the fries was in ketchup packets, which gave the meal a cheap feeling even for fast-casual dining that didn't seem commensurate with the pricing. Overall, a surprisingly flavorless meal for an interesting sounding restaurant (Persian-Mediterranean!). I wouldn't recommend it or return.

The food is delicious, my favorite was the falafels. There's combo options and the menu is customizable. There's also vegan options. The service is good and the ambience is nice and simple. People were friendly.

As a Persian from Dallas, I wanted to try out Persian food in a different state. I loved my food at Chello Grill! Sorry for no food pics, the food was too good for me to stop and take pics. Maybe next time lol. The ladies that helped serve and make our food were so nice and accommodating. I ordered the chicken kebab for myself and my daughter. I was a bit sad I was a couple days short of getting the koobideh but the chicken kebabs were great. I also ordered two sides; yogurt with cucumbers and tomato/cucumber salad. Both were tasty as well! Food took a bit to arrive however it's made fresh to order so I definitely did not mind the wait. If you find yourself waiting make sure you get a cup of their lime/lemon infused water. Very refreshing! Great food, great spot, and very sweet workers!

Small, cute restaurant Excellent serviceThe food was good, not a huge selection Clean, well pricedI will return, convenient for me

Surprised I haven't left a review before! Great place for authentic Persian/Mediterranean food. They have all the favorites and the people who work here are super nice. Clean and spacious seating area. Free WiFi. Tasty, fresh and healthy options! (And yummy desserts, too.)

Fantastic falafel sandwich with excellent hummus and generous peperoncini. So few places in Albuquerque have vegan options. Sweet staff too. Chello does not disappoint!