Gyropolis

★★★★★ 4.5 (398) • $

"My boyfriend and I wanted a quick lunch and a quick Yelp Twin Cities search led us to Gyropolis in Bloomington. This is an old school Greek restaurant. The workers are old (Greek?) guys. I had a Greek salad and Steve had a spicy Gyro sandwich. Both were delicious and exactly what you might expect. The ambiance is old Greek restaurant. There were two sets of Bloomington police officers who stopped by to eat. I'm wondering if they offer free lunch to police which some restaurants do. They are in the midst of a big renovation: they're adding a kitchen, more seating, and a patio. The parking lot is misery, yet a steady stream of people came through to eat. It's priced right too. But beware: The spicy gyro is spicy!"

Shish

★★★★☆ 3.9 (526) • $$

"We went in around 6:30 and it was busy for a Monday! The service staff were very friendly and interactive, and the food, as always, is fresh and amazing! We greatly appreciate the vegan options! The ambiance never disappoints here. Hands down the best Mediterranean food in the area!"

Ariana Kabob & Gyro Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.4 (327) • $$

"My son chose this spot for his birthday dinner. He had been before, but this was my first visit. It's a cute little restaurant in a strip mall. The dining room is kind of small so understandable why they had so many to go orders. They sell some gorgeous candle holders. A bit odd sitting next to a shelf full of inventory.Thankfully the food more than makes up for it! The portions were huge and delicious. We ordered from an online kiosk and then they called our name when it was ready. They seemed pretty quick & efficient. I'd definitely go back, but probably get it to go."

Mediterranean Cruise Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.8 (436) • $$

"I have been here several times and am mostly posting this review based on a cumulative experience--which is to say that, this family run establishment is a staple in the south metro that should absolutely be frequented if you like Mediterranean food...even more so if you are there during the lunch buffet (sample more stuff) or on a night when dancers are there (entertaining). On the most recent visit we had a basic salad with a hummus sampler and some drinks. The ambience is inviting, servers are friendly, prices are reasonable and the entertainment is unique in the Midwest. Can't think of anything I'd change...so 5 stars."

Afro Deli

★★★★☆ 4.4 (266) • $

"This place came highly recommended by the local team. We had a very large catering order with multiple timed deliveries. They nailed it! Food was great, delivered on time, and everyone loved it. Ordering was also easy despite the large group orders. Great job!!"

Black Sea Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (270) • $

"Immediately, trying to decide whether I should give four or five stars, but I cannot think of something I don't like about this place! I have been going here since moving back to Minnesota after undergraduate in 2008. I have never had a bad sandwich here. Or bad food in general. The food is plentiful and the fries are actually really really good. They remind me of McDonald's fries.I always get number 15, the lamb and beef gyro with french fries. It comes with tomatoes and onions, and then I ask for extra tzatziki sauce ifI'm getting it to go, otherwise they give you a bottle if you're eating in. I've also had the platters, the falafel and some of my friends have had the chicken platter. All of it was delicious. Wonderful flavors, hot and plentiful, and the meat is so tender with perfect spices. Even the pita bread is nice warm, and it taste fresh. It's not too thick to overwhelm the taste of the meat and it's not too thin so you can still eat it like a pocket sandwich. Honestly, one of the things that I love the most about this restaurant is that it is so consistent with the dishes that it makes. 15 years later, and the meat taste the same as back into the day. The picture I have is for the newer location off of Highway 61 in White Bear. Set me back $9.50.I just had this yesterday, and now that I'm writing the review, I want to eat it again, even though I just finished brunch! And am full!"

Filfillah Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (254) • $$

"Filfillah, located in a stripmall in a desolate and car-swept area of Central Avenue, has pretty good Middle Eastern food and a couple unusual options you won't find elsewhere. As always, 3 stars is NOT a bad review in my book.I came for the foule mudammas ($10), a fava bean dish traditionally eaten with bread. By my count, only 8 places in Minnesota offer it (it's rare in general, and frequently only served for breakfast). The rendition at Filfillah is vegan by default and a fresh and light dish of fava, parsley, chickpeas, tahini and other spices, which you then scoop up with Turkish bread that comes with it. I liked it, though I feel Ethiopian places do a better job with it, adding more spices. Here it felt like it was missing something.The veggie samosa ($6) consists of 4 samosas. I thought the shell had absorbed too much oil, creating an unappealing flavor and the interior, with its lightly seasoned roasted potatoes, peas and carrots, fell flat. I'd never seen a Middle Eastern restaurant offer samosas before, and they didn't do a great job of it here.The falafel sandwich ($10) is vegan by default and can be made with either the house-baked Turkish bread or a Lebanese pita. The cashier strong-armed me into the Turkish bread, which is legitimately good, but also overwhelming when used for a sandwich. I suggest going with the pita. In any case, this sandwich was fine, but nothing special, with mealy tomatoes and underwhelming falafel pieces.The zaatar pie ($7) is vegan by default and not, in fact, a pie. It has no filling. Instead it's a flat bread covered in sumac, oregano and olive oil and then backed. It's delicious and large in size.Lastly, the house-made Turkish bread ($2) is awesome: soft, chewy, slightly crusty. Do try it with at least one dish.Come to Filfillah for good Middle Eastern food and two unusual options: foule mudammas and Turkish bread."

Olive & Lamb

★★★★☆ 4.4 (217) • $$

"Economical food spot with solid tasty choices no matter what you choose! I wouldn't say that this place has spectacular food but the quality was definitely worth the price. You could get a lot of food for the same amount of money that you'd spend at a fancier restaurant and the food could be just as good, honestly.So to start, the hummus and the roasted eggplant dip were both excellent in the most classic way! My only suggestion would be that I would love to see more pita bread given. The spanakopita tasted fresh which was a pleasant surprise because a lot of times I would be tasting relatively sour or old spinach pies from Mediterranean food spots. The rice bowls and wraps were reasonably priced and abundant in quality no matter what I added! Amongst various combinations I have tried, my favorite was gyro with tabbouleh salad with quinoa brown rice and then tzatziki sauce. It was a big bowl and could easily make me full by itself. Dessert-wise, both the baklava and the honey cake were out of this world. They did not taste artificially processed and contained the right amount of sweetness for me to not feel like it was nothing but sugar, especially the baklava.Next time, I will try their lamb shank. I also got great service! Our server was courteous and efficient. We were going to order at the counter because upon first glance that was what we thought it was, but we were advised that we could sit down and they would come to us. Appreciated the move!"

Zait & Za'atar: Mediterranean Dhaba

★★★★☆ 4.4 (211) • $

"Ordered food for pickup at Zait & Za'atar. Parking was really easy and the staff was super friendly. It also looks like they have a great dining room so next time I would like to dine in!We ordered:Chicken Shawarma PlateBaba Ganoush (Small)Msakhan Chicken PlateFor two, this was the perfect amount! We had some leftovers. We took the food home and it was still enjoyable! Definitely a versatile spot that is great for takeout and is probably even better dine-in! I've never had Msakhan Chicken before but saw it was one of their more popular dishes on Yelp, I'm really glad yelp has this feature because it got me to try something new and it was great! Would love to try this dish at other restaurants too."

Zakia Deli

★★★★☆ 4.4 (186) • $

"Nice to discover more good Lebanese food in NE Minneapolis. Zakia Deli passes the "aromas like in my Auntie Rose's (Armenian) kitchen" test. Service is cafeteria style but with attention to presentation as you can see on my gorgeous falafel plate. There are small tables and high table seating inside and some outside, Prices are very reasonable , especially for the good sized portions. The falafel are bigger and less peppery than some others I've had, relying on more subtle flavors."

Afro Deli & Grill - Saint Paul

★★★★☆ 4.3 (193) • $

"First time staying in St. Paul! Normally I'd pick a hotel in Downtown Minneapolis (more interesting bars & restaurants on average) but I found something right next to the venue I was working an event at, so I decided to give it a try. I saw Afro Deli on Yelp, with a highly rated Afro Steak Dinner. Took a short walk to try it out, taking my meal back to my hotel. Service was quiet and courteous, as I walked down the "Chipotle line" and specified what I wanted in my bowl. Hearty and delicious meal. I've never had food like this before, partly why I picked the place. Glad I satisfied my craving for the notorious Afro Steak Dinner! Will explore other places around St. Paul next time and glad this will always be a reliable quick to-go option."

Trieste Café

★★★★★ 4.6 (163) • $

"Back for lunch again!I tried the chicken kebab this time and it came with rice, a Greek salad, and some pita bread. I found the chicken kebabs to be well flavored, but it was a bit overcooked/dry. I could taste an earthy taste (cumin?) and paprika?. Pretty flavorful! And salted just right. If it was tender and juicy too.... It would be WHOA.!The Greek salad was awesome again. The feta was just phenomenal with the dressing they use too.... I'm almost developing a craving for it. There was also an accompanying white spead/sauce in a plastic ramekin. It was amazing.!!!!!! Sour, savory, TANGy (horse-radish / wasabi-ish). It went well with the pita bread, which was also good. Pretty standard, but well-cooked and fluffy.My only real complaint was that the lettuce itself was not cut through and through. The leaf was still in one piece (connected through the stem) but still easy enough to break apart to take bites.Friendly, nice, and good service again, too!"

Med Box Grill

★★★★★ 4.8 (148) • $$

"I love Greek salads so we were driving through the area and decided to stop here. It wasn't quite what I was looking for. You order at the counter, grab a number, find a table and your food is brought to you. Despite that, I was so glad we stopped here. My salad was delicious. I got the large and it was a titch big but I managed to scarf it all down happily. I wish they would have served it with a piece of pita but as it happened, Husband's meal had ample pita so I stole some. I also stole a few fries which were crispy and yummy. Service was great. They served your food as soon as it was ready which means your table could get food at different times but I'm ok with that. Out meals were great. Great food, great service, great stop!"

Cardamom

★★★★☆ 4.4 (130)

"I love Mediterranean food and Middle Eastern influenced cuisine.We thought the portions on the appetizer menu were going to be small even though they said they were good for sharing. Wow, were we surprised. Light appetizers turned into a full-blown meal.Everything was just delightful. The combination of plates included:HUMMUS:chickpea spread, paprika, olives, pita- all good.CUCUMBER AND HONEYDEW was a green goddess, feta, dukkah, dill, and chervil, - a pleasant surprise. MARINATED OLIVES came with labneh, Prosciutto, and Pita - so yummy. The 4 Moroccan Cigars!! tasted delightful.For my drink of choice, I had the pineapple mocktail: SOUMAKI pineapple, sumac, lime, carbonation.The most pleasant surprise was the cucumber and honeydew. It was so light and refreshing. Hands down, my favorite appetizer was the Moroccan Cigars. Just a party of flavor in mouth.The service was great and we the ambience- a delight."

Big Marina Grill & Deli

★★★★☆ 4 (126) • $$

"Went for the buffet, which is nice if you have a big appetite.Otherwise, consider getting a to go order instead, which is a good price. While there was a decent variety of items, it wasn't enough to warrant more than 2 trips to the line.Lots of seating, lots of parking in the lots, and you pay for your (buffet) meal after eating. The staff busing tables were on top of things and thorough about cleanliness. My favorite items were the beef short rib, peel and eat shrimp, the rice containing carrots and peas, and the watermelon punch. Everything else was okay. One miss was that the foods weren't labeled, so at times, I had no clue what I was trying. There were a good number of folks dining in and getting takeout. I can tell they're well liked. Afterwards I stopped by confections and nuts store a few doors down."

Gyros Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (115) • $

"Ya'll I was not expecting this. This unassuming little place specializes in Mediterranean food and they also have a small shop where you can pick up any related International groceries. I honestly barely noticed because the smell of yummy foods hit me as soon as I got inside. I think they do most of their business as take-out or pick up, but we actually took advantage of the small dining area attached. The service is nothing fancy- order at the counter and they'll bring it to you. But ya'll- the food! It was really some of the best Mediterranean food I have had since moving to the cities. That hummus -as the kids say- SLAPS! It had a little spicy topping on it and they served it with warm pita breads. I ordered a gyros platter and it came with enough rice to feed a crowd! Even the salad was delicious. I told my husband right away- this is 5 stars."

Marhaba Mediterranean Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (118) • $$

"For ~$16 for buffet lunch, it's a good deal and fun experience. The food itself was hit or miss. The hummus, gyro meat, and salad bar were the best part. There were an assortment of chicken and fish dishes that were fine but not particularly tasty. The mashed potatoes were flavorless (should have avoided in the first place, lol). The dessert bar had a lot of variety and was fun to try. Overall go for the experience of buffet but food is nothing to write home about."

Toma Mojo Grill

★★★★★ 4.6 (89) • $$

"Great food and service! Piri Piri chicken bowl was excellent. Definitely will be back."

Greek Cravings

★★★★☆ 4.1 (98) • $

"Greek Cravings is in downtown St. Cloud MN. In the Petters building which is listed on the National Historical Register. Both indoor and outdoor seating are available. I'm just guessing here but indoor is preferred during winter. But folks here are pretty tough so maybe not. GC is a gem. Very typical Greek menu with each item perfectly prepared. The classic gyro is a big portion so I skipped the fries but they looked good. Both the fries and falafel were made to order. The tabouli salad was more than my companion could finish. It got a rave review just like each item I tried. The woman taking care of everyone was in constant motion. She took orders once and remembered every selection for several people. Wow. The prices are very reasonable to the point of needing increasing. But not my call. I certainly would not have balked at higher prices especially knowing how great it was. Plenty of parking in the area using the Park Mobile app or kiosk. Well worth a visit. Enjoy!"

Almadina restaurant

★★★★★ 4.5 (73)

"Surprised it took this long but we finally visited Almadina after passing it for the last few years. It was a pleasant visit and definitely nice to have this in Rochester. Ambiance was nice. Loved the decor and traditional music playing in the background. The staff was friendly and welcoming. Ordered:- Lamb & Beef Wrap (3.5/5). The wrap was a bit dry and meats were pretty fresh. It was smaller than others- Chicken Shawarma Plate (4/5)- Veggie Samosa (4/5). Fresh and hot. This was a good choice and a fun take on samosa / sambusa There's a few other dishes I'd like to try so this is on our list for repeat visits!"

Olives

★★★★☆ 3.6 (100) • $$

"This restaurant is a fabulous culinary delight, Starting with the dirty martini, including homemade stuffed blue cheese olives!Side fact:My granddaughter said the Sherly Temple was also the best she has ever hadappetizers... Best Onion Rings I have eaten besides my recipe. The Chicken Satay has no equal! It is juicy and has an intense flavor.Dinner was exceptional, and the homemade desserts were a great finishing touch. Our server Brooklyn was friendly and highly attentive, along with the other team members.I appreciate a place that pays attention to the little things where you feel special and welcome. I would recommend this restaurant and will be revisiting it!"

Lumi Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (71)

"Best food I have had since visiting Minneapolis!! The service is superb, the atmosphere is just elegance with a touch of casual. I love the outdoor seating area, which is lush and green and well lit. I'm sure in the winter it is different haha. The food is perfection! I had the beef stroganoff and it was OMG delish! My son had a dish I cannot pronounce but it was like a mashed eggplant with beef on top, super duper good!! I wish I can eat here daily! But I'm back in Florida only dreaming lol if you're in town, stop by, and enjoy the amazing service by beautiful girls with the best customer service every"

New York Gyro

★★★★☆ 3.9 (70) • $

"I love Halal food from the streets of NY. New York Gyro does a great job bringing that to the Midwest. I always got the chicken and lamb combo so that's what I ordered. The rice was well seasoned and tasted fresh. I could eat it for days. The chicken was really tasty. The lamb was above average but I still enjoyed it. The veggie station has plenty of offerings. I had the cucumbers, lettuce and banana peppers. And of course you need the white sauce! I also had a little of the hot sauce. It packed a mild-medium punch. I would come back here. The staff was friendly. They also have burgers, fries, and philly cheese steak if you're looking for other menu items. The price is great for the amount of food you get!"

Kuubs Modern Mediterranean

★★★★☆ 4.1 (60) • $$

"Delicious, fresh, and quick! Definitely will be returning! Tried the kabob feast and afghani chicken. All fantastic and busting with flavor!"

Shawarmania Mediterranean Grill

★★★★★ 4.6 (45)

"Can I give 10 stars!?! Was visiting from TN and had the most amazing gyro platter this morning. My sister got a chicken platter. The entire staff were SO nice and pleasant. We loved the food so much we got some hummus and bread to go. I'll only in town a week and I'm planning to come back at least once before I go back to Tennessee. Hands down one of the best gyros I've ever had. Can't say enough good things about this place in every way. So freaking good! You won't regret it!"

Casa Deli

★★★★★ 4.8 (40) • $$

"I love Mexican food, authentic real Mexican food. My wife is Mexican, and this is one of my favorite local spots after picking up a door dash order here once. I've come here three times now since that day.Numero uno: the horchata is better than any other spot I've found in Minnesota. My teenage boys have never had horchata and they tasted it. You know that glisten in someone eyes when they have seen the glory or been exposed to the truth, like they just woke up from the matrix from the 1st time? Yea, just one sip of the horchata and they were in heaven.This is the perfect Burria quesetaco....you don't rush through this, you squeeze the lime into the meat....you slowly pour some of the sauce...you take a bite.....and you slowly crunch as you chew and your mind is taken to paradise because you realize this is what legends are made of. Each bite gets better and better. Or if you're feeling brave, dip your taco straight into the sauce, when I dip, you dip, we dip .I love what they've done with the place too, it's been spruced up nice since my last visit. Get here and tell 'em I sent youThe strawberry limonada is the truth!! Fresh chopping a of strawberry in every sip. Oh my goodness!!!They should call this place party on a plate, cus when this flavor hits your taste buds, they start jumping, and dancing, and it brings joy to your soul."

Afandina Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.2 (46)

"Nice decoration easy to park relatively quick service. Gyro was decent but chicken shawarma was better. . They should cover the entrance to the right because there is piece of metal from outside food selling That does not belong there. Also restrooms are ugly and borderline...Kenafeh was decent, but I will not come back for it."

Jawad Grill

★★★★★ 4.7 (35)

"We happened to drive by this spot and promptly looked it up on Yelp only to notice it held such a high rating. We love finding local, hole-in-the-wall spots that are tasty and cost effective. Being attached to a gas station's strip mall made this place memorable for sure. We split the #20 Kufta Shish Kabob platter and opted for the rice. The rice itself was packed with flavor, which is always a good sign. It came with a side salad, including a vinaigrette which helped lighten the meal alongside the tzatziki. The Kufta itself was flavorful and well seasoned, ensuring the gaminess of the lamb was not noticeable. The fries were spot on - meaty and crispy, exactly what we were looking for. The falafel was hot and fresh, giving us the classic falafel we were hoping for. Overall, we're glad we stopped. I gave a four rather than a five star rating because space is a bit dated and service was minimal."

Falafel King

★★★★☆ 4 (42) • $

"We ordered falafel wraps and fried and the falafel was made fresh and the sandwich was quite good and included lettuce, onions and cucumbers. The price was very reasonable too."

Mr. Shawarma Grill

★★★★★ 4.7 (29)

"This was a Pretty tasty meal. We placed our order and sat down. The person who took our order was friendly and helpful. It did take a bit longer than I would have expected for "fast food" but everything was very tasty. The falafel was crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle. The hummus was very good and the Baba Ganoush had a nice smoky flavor. It was quiet, clean and bright. We would come back just for the falafel."

Spicy Feta

★★★★☆ 4.1 (38)

"Formerly Naughty Greek. The menu changed somewhat so one of my favorites (the veggie gyro) isn't listed anymore. But you can get lamb and chicken pitas and falafel and all that still. In some respects there seem to be more options - which seem tied to what kind of sauce is on your pita or plate. We had the spicy classic with lamb, the falafel plate, and a classic pita with falafel. I'd say the mild spicy was pretty good (as someone who likes spiciness), and the portion sizes seem to have increased.1 star less though because we asked for NO DAIRY on one order and still had dairy. Granted, "feta" is in the name of the restaurant, but still. That can be really problematic for some allergies, so I hope there's better attention to special requests in the future."

Aladdin Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (30)

"New ownership again! But the food was still very good. Got a chicken wrap spicy for my son. He stated it could have been spicer. I had a beef gyro. It was tasty . Everything is cooked to order. So nice and hot!! It wasn't that busy. Still outstanding. I wish them much success!"

New York Gyro

★★★★☆ 3.6 (30) • $

"This is my favorite gyro spot in the twin cities.This place may not be fancy but it's a gem and I'm glad to have found them. The lamb gyro meat is actually not dry here, it has tons of flavor and it's juicy. You also get to pick what goes on your gyro, which is one of my favorite parts of this! The portion is BIG, you get a lot for your buck here. This is where my boyfriend first tried a gyro and he became obsessed! This place is also open late, so that's a huge bonus. Parking isn't the easiest as it only counts with three paid parking spots right in front of the location but it's lake street so it's never really easy... but it's worth it ;) I've had their chicken and rice box in the past and it was also full of flavor, huge portion and a-m-a-z-i-n-g! I recommend you give it a try and don't shy away by appearances!"

Falafel King

★★★★☆ 4 (21) • $$

"The service was great. The food was good. The lamb was slightly overdone. A little tough to eat, but everything else was great. You can eat in. I don't remember any outdoor seating. The restaurant was nice inside with plenty of napkins and plasticware I'd go back"

New York Gyro

★★★★☆ 3.7 (18)

"This place is pretty much like a Chipotle but for Middle Eastern food. They have all the good stuff - gyro, soulvaki, lamb, kebab, falafel, and even samosas. You can make a combo with rice and fresh veggies. (Or get fries because, sometimes, you just need some fries.) If you are ordering the most popular items, service is pretty quick since they are just putting your plate together. If you order stuff like lamb, it will take longer. The portions are large and the price is totally reasonable. You can definitely get two meals out of one order. If you have a sweet tooth, don't forget to order baklava.The restaurant itself is huge but most people seem to take their orders to go. It was always busy when I went in there, so I think people have figured out this is a good spot!"