The Most Flavorful Middle Eastern in Kansas City

Holy Land Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.3 (474) • $

"Mixed things up a bit and stopped by after work. 7pm. Not many people there and they wanted everyone to sit in the front part of the restaurant.I ordered the appetizer sampler for 1. I still love the baba ghanoush, the hummus is pretty good, the little piece of spanikopita was good and so were the two dolmas. Didn't care for the cucumber creamy salad and the falafel was hard.DH ordered the chicken shawarma plate and find it dry. Although the food came out less than 10 minutes, it was not our best visit."

Sinbad's Grill

★★★★★ 4.7 (296) • $

"Stopped in for an early dinner with my husband and we were both pleased with the attentive service and nice staff and the very fresh food. My husband had a gyro and a side salad and I had chicken shawarma. Their salad is very fresh with lots of vegetables. My husband said he really liked the gyro also and my chicken shawarma was flavorful and fresh. I think the thing that stands out most to me about this restaurant is the food is freshly made and quality ingredients. It was very clean also and had reasonable level of sound from the music playing. We were offered a taste of their hummus and it was delicious also. They have many gluten free choices also."

Aladdin Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (391) • $$

"A friend told us about Aladdin. Yum! We started with the hummus and gyro meat appetizer. Absolutely delicious. Eating half of this was my lunch with a side salad. The dressing was very unique and tasty. Hubby got the gyro and rice. He loved the gyro but didn't care for rice. During our visit, the restaurant was pretty cold. It was a cold day in KC. We'll definitely be back. Food: 5/5Facility: 3/5 Service: 4/5Ambiance: 3/5 (nothing fancy but that's okay)Value: 4/5"

Habashi House

★★★★☆ 4.4 (290) • $

"My husband and I were in the River Market area since I was attending a writer's conference nearby, and needed some lunch. The power and light district is pretty pricey for just a simple lunch, especially when you may not want junk food. So, after already having eaten nearby at the Opera House for breakfast, we wanted to try a new place in the river market area, and found this charming Middle Eastern place. We both knew we wanted to try their gyros, and we both did and tried the hummus on the side. The gyros were excellent, can't say anything else, but be prepared to have plenty of napkins. The hummus was good too, but not the best. I've had some that had more seasoning. The service here is good, and a nice bonus was that they provided fresh hot mint tea that was tasty."

The Basha Cuisine

★★★★☆ 4 (287) • $$

"I came in craving a homemade meal and wow was I blown away! My partner and I shared one meal and still came home with leftovers. We wanted to try the Kibbah which is stuffed with ground beef and onions. They had fantastic flavor and was seasoned very well. We also ordered the baba ghanouj served with warm pita bread, I prefer this over hummus personally. The last thing we shared was the creamy chicken and sun-dried tomatoes, it comes over a bed of rice. The service was great overall and super fast! We were in and out in probably 30-40 minutes. It's such a cute and unique restaurant tucked away off of Metcalf."

Papu’s Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (256) • $

"Papu's hits that unique niche of being gas-station restaurant that pulls it off pretty well. I love Mediterranean cuisine in general, so I've visited Papu's a handful of times over the years. For starters, you can order online and I really prefer that for takeout. It's a well oiled machine and makes for a quick pickup.The food can be pretty good for a fast option; the chicken shawarma flavor is pretty good. I have some constructive tweaks on some other items. The shawarma sandwich has good flavor but everything could stand to be cut up a bit more. Huge long strands of lettuce and red onion, and large chicken chunks make it hard to eat.The hummus is rough here. It has very little flavor, and it's gritty and watery. While it'll be hard for me to be a regular here, I'm always open to giving a few other menu items a try here and there."

Olive Cafe

★★★★★ 4.5 (186) • $

"Olive cafe is an amalgamation of a great Middle Eastern grocery store and the buffet. The store offers staple Middle Eastern products like canned hummus, olives, mango juice etc. and the buffet offers the freshest food you'll ever eat! From fresh salads to the canned apricots and pineapple in syrup served in the buffet, everything was top notch!Here's my observation with regards to the-Food:1. Chicken kebabs were soft, flavorful and delectable.2. Hummus, salads, pita, falafel- delicious!3. Lamb shanks, chicken legs- delicious to the core, perfectly cooked with herbs and spices.4. All veggies- eggplant, zucchini, fries- Delicious! 5. Lentil soup and clove flavored rice- what a combination! Perfect food for soul! Please do try this combination.6. Chicken kofta- Oh so yummy and not chewy at all! Ambience etc:1. You enter the cafe and head straight to the buffet area on your right.2. Clean store and extremely well setup buffet area with spacious seating.3. Food is self service ofcourse and you eat in high quality disposable plates. The cutlery is disposable too but it's of a high quality so the plastic doesn't crack on you while you eat.3. You pay at the counter after you're done and leave with a full tummy and a happy pocket! I loved eating here and will return soon."

Baba's Pantry

★★★★★ 4.8 (153) • $$

"After a round of golf in the greater KC area, my friend couldn't stop raving about Baba's, so I had to see what all the hype was about. And let me tell you, Baba's Pantry truly lives up to its reputation as one of the best Mediterranean spots in the Kansas City area. Even though it's a bit of a drive for me, I'll definitely be back, especially after a good round of golf!I ordered the Chicken Shawarma wrap, and wow, it was amazing! Perfectly moist, with a balanced filling that brought so much joy to each bite. If you like a bit of heat, do yourself a favor and get a side of their hot sauce--it adds the perfect kick for any spice lover like myself.They're also generous with the portions. The wrap alone was satisfying, but the large serving of fries sealed the deal. I even tried a bite of my friend's falafel, and I was pleasantly surprised. I've never been a huge falafel fan, but Baba's were moist, flavorful, and unlike the dry ones I've had elsewhere. Plus, the hummus! Whether it came with my friend's meal or as a side, they really don't hold back. So much hummus, and it was delicious!The space inside is cozy, with just a few tables (about 4-5), giving it a laid-back café vibe. Be prepared to wait during peak lunch hours, but trust me--it's worth it!"

Yafa Cafe Mediterranean Cuisines and Catering

★★★★★ 4.8 (134) • $$

"Their large salad portion is huge!!!!I got the Greek salad with chicken. A very good portion on top and it was marinated so well. I should have just gotten the regular portion, I only ended up eating about half of the greens.Service was lovely, but we didn't know that you pay up front. I got a piece of walnut baklava to go, it was a really small slice that was 3.50$..We did ask for a box to go for another meal, but the box had flakes of something in it. We were in a hurry so we just wiped it off and used it anyway..."

Tasty Baghdad

★★★★☆ 4.4 (71) • $$

"Location: GladstoneAmbiance: Beautiful place. With multiple artifacts and paintings from Iraq. Gorgeous vibe.Food: The presentation of the food is amazing, as you can see in the pictures. Quality of the food is very good. I was expecting more flavor, but I was a little underwhelmed.Service: very good."

Jerusalem Cafe -Independence

★★★★☆ 4.3 (67)

"This is a fun vegetarian friendly stop in Independence with one of the largest lemonades I have ever had- and it was SOOOOO GOOD. The merch is cheeky and funny! The food was amazing! I got the vegetarian platter with spinach pie, falafel, grape leaves, hummus and the lentil soup and saffron rice! I also ordered rice pudding for dessert too. Not only were the portions more than generous, the staff was so accommodating answering my questions and making sure all the food was vegetarian friendly that I ordered! It's a great stop for fresh and healthy mediterranean flavorful food."

Mediterranean Market

★★★★★ 4.7 (40)

"I think this is the best Gyro in the city. And there are a LOT of good gyros here!I've shopped here a few times before and today was hoping/thinking they'd have orange blossom water, plus was also ravenous... This gyro is exactly what I needed. Fresh, hot meat. Crisp onions and lettuce and actually ripe tomatoes. Lots of lovely tzatziki. Fresh, chewy, warm naan.And I had to try the pistachio baklava so I have a baseline to consider when making my baklava rice krispie treats (which is what the orange blossom water is for). Next trip I'm diving into one of their Mediterranean pizzas..."

The Syrian Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4 (31)

"Food is nicely done. Especially the dolmas, chicken with hummus and falafel. We will visit again."

Haha’s Kebabs and Shawarma

★★★★☆ 4.1 (16)

"Sunny day. Cute little takeout spotFUEL lamb and beef kofta with rice. Good presentation. Juicy kofta & perfect rice. ATMOSPHERE small takeout spot. Kind of like a halal fast food restaurant without the drive-through.SERVICE extremely kind and personable. A worker also brought my food for me.I would recommend this as an affordable quick bite. There's only a few tables so you'll need to keep it for a couples or a tiny familie"