Samir's Mediterranean Grill

Fresh, flavorful, delicious -- and cheap food. It's no wonder that Samir's one-man-show has been successful for 46 years. But on top of that, Samir himself is humble, gracious, and just a lovely person, welcoming everyone. What a treat to have his hummus plate drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sumac. And the gyros plate is full of flavor, served on rice and vermicelli, with pita bread and a salad with dressing like tzatziki sauce. The ambience is humble, but adorned with hand painted quotations like "Dear food, either stop being so delicious or stop making me fat!"

Stumbled upon this place when wandering down the Ave. I ordered the kafta kabob beef sandwich. I thought that it had good flavor. My husband ordered the spicy chicken sandwich and it tasted good. Overall, we liked our meals and they were a good price.

Samir's probably has the best Gyro Plate I have ever eaten in my life. I have never tasted lamb and beef that tender and it's so well seasoned. My only issue is that is just isn't a good bang for your buck. A majority of my plate was the salad and rice. The serving size for the meat was pitiful and that was the best part. I also wish they gave me hummus like a lot of Mediterranean places do on the Ave. The food is absolutely divine but just not worth the price for what you're getting.

I love me some Mediterranean food. This place was delicious. After viewing a venue for work, I decided to take a little trip to the Ave and see where I could travel to for lunch. (My taste buds get to travel more than I physically get to). Samir's was a spot I have never been to - but I was craving so I decided to check it out. I'm so glad I did! I got the vegetarian combo plate for $15 (not including tip). The camera did not get to eat this time because I was hungry and honestly it was worth not taking a photo. Have you ever had a meal light, refreshing, and filling? That's exactly how this plate made me feel! My favorite of the little dishes was this grape leaf wrapped thing (gosh that sounds horrible that I don't remember it despite it making a memory in my taste buds). It was so good! If you've ever had hawaiian food and had lau lau, wrapped in taro leaves, that's how it tasted. Something about wrapping food in leaves just does wonders to a food!! Other than that, the place was not busy! I assume because it was headed into finals, or students just walking by because it's not exactly on the Ave. I am sure to return and recommend this place! The service was great and space is big enough to have a lunch date with some friends :-)

Samir's was definitely an interesting experience. We came in, looking to order a few falafel and chicken shawarma wraps, but were quickly wooed into ordering Samir's Family Feast Special. It was a very different ordering experience because we didn't even know what we were getting. He just sat us at a table and told us that he would do the rest. About 20 minutes later, he brought us a big platter of food. I definitely looked impressive, and everything tasted delicious! The Family Feast included a selection of all the different meats (chicken shawarma, gyro, falafel, etc), grilled vegetables, a selection of Mediterranean dips (including hummus and baba ghanoush), all atop a bed of rice and lentils. It was very fun to eat family style, and the waiter/owner was very friendly... that is, until we received the bill. I guess it was on us for not asking the price before we ordered the platter, but after we finished, he charged $115 for the platter, which was definitely WAY up-charged. To put it in perspective, we could have ordered 5 separate plates, which would have bought us more food and cost us about $40 less. Despite the sticker shock at the end of our meal, I would still recommend Samir's, as it was easily the best Mediterranean food we had in Seattle, and the owner was very nice. He's been in business for over 40 years, and his food speaks for itself. His small shop is a great place to stop and have a casual lunch--just be sure to double check the prices.

Omg i ordered this to go on Uber eats , It was AWFUL !! The seasoning was weird, I ate the hummus but even that was sour. The chicken so cold and dry dry DRY ! The meat was soft but very weird tasting . The pita 2 DRY Med sized triangle shaped . I paid alot for this ? And .... I tipped before I got food , it was for driver !! Never eating here again .. so gross

Samir is an amazing kind person, always full of energy and great hospitality. I ordered the garlic fries and they were delicious! I would definitely come back again and order more.

The food here is fabulous! It is very tasty and very good! Great atmosphere and close to UW campus. This is the perfect spot for lunch between classes. The service is excellent and it exudes the hospitality of a family home. This is a family owned restaurant where food is made from scratch. The ingredients are fresh. I want to try everything on the menu, so I will be back for more of Samir's creations!

Incredible speedy and very friendly service, I ordered the Special Fries w/ Lamb, absolutely delicious. Hefty portion too! Literally! The box had some weight to it. Will be going back again!

I come here ever since I moved to Seattle. It's an iconic location right outside of the link at the UDistric stop. Samir, the owner is among the kindest people I've encountered working in the food industry. He is passionate about bringing people in, is deeper than the food he peepers but he's an amazing example of everyday life and the beauty of it. The restaurant's menu is so welcoming and affordable. Has great variety for people of all types of diets. Personally, my vegan lifestyle forces me to avoid great part of the menu yet his entrees as to die for and my personal favorite is the "Falafel Plate". Truly a must if visiting Seattle