Shemali's

Shemali's is the latest addition to the Van Ness foodie scene. It's an adorable market that is basically a one-stop shop for authentic Mediterranean eats.Y'all, Shemali's is legit. Most of the items on the shelves are imports from places like Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.Selection is second to none. Never in my life have I seen so many sauces, crackers, nuts, spices, and canned goods packed in one market. The fresh hummus, pickled turnips, couscous salad, and spinach pie in the grab-and-go section looked absolutely delicious!For the most part, the prices here are pretty fair (compared to other grocery stores in the area). But, I did experience a little "sticker shock." Couldn't get past the $24.99 price tag for a medium size canister of mixed nuts. Sheesh!Side note: Unfortunately, I had to deduct a star. Why? Shemali's doesn't accept cash. For yours truly, this was definitely a dealbreaker. When it comes to purchasing groceries, I'm strictly a cash-only girl. Talk about pissed, I had my mind set on buying some fresh hummus and crackers. Instead, I ended up leaving the store empty-handed.Verdict? Due to the aforementioned dealbreaker, I won't be back. However, I'm wishing Shemali's much success. What a wonderful addition to the neighborhood!

I have not been to Shemali's other location on New Mexico Avenue, and while I'm aware that the other location has a cafe and not this location, I came to peruse their goods. While they had some Lebanese staples, it had a feel of a small gourmet market, which, personally, I find problematic in this stretch of Connecticut Avenue since there's so many gourmet markets within the walking block. They'd do better having a cafe or focusing on another element of their business in addition to the market.That being said, they did have some ready-made items, including some small containers of salads and dips like tabbouli, hummus, etc. And I wanted to try the baked stuff they make - so I got the spinach pie, zucchini pie (this is new to me), kibbeh, and meat pie. And I have to say they were all delicious and very well-made. The pie doughs were thin, as was the kibbeh crust - a mark of someone skilled at making these products. I only have one complaint, and it's with the kibbeh - it's stuffed with meat and almost only meat that it almost tasted like a meatball instead of a kibbeh. There were no pine nuts and much else mixed with the meat.Considering the quality of the stuff, I'd love to see them expand the operations to include a bakery. Currently their pita is from Wooden Bakery in Vienna, Virginia, and they have one with zaatar. There's no pita bread with cheese or meat, or any other manakeesh that's typically found in Lebanese bakeries here.Overall, I think this place tells me that going to their other location would be worth the trip despite this location being far much more accessible by public transit. This location could be so much more.

Van Ness has been waiting for Shemali's to open for far too long! I popped in for the first time and was disappointed to see that it was mostly grocery, with a few ready made items to go. We have plenty of markets in the area, and I know a lot of locals were looking forward to having a new lunch spot. Unfortunately they don't have to go lunches. With that said, I purchased four of the ready made items- a falafel, a kibbe, a spinach pie and homemade hummus. I absolutely loved the falafel, kibbe and hummus. The hummus was so creamy! The spinach pie was good but almost had too much spinach in it- that's all you tasted. I'd definitely drop in for some of the ready made items again. Next time I'd like to try the tzatziki sauce and the meat pie.

I've not been to their other location but I love this one! I thrive off of their fresh section -- the pita bread, hummus, feta (several types to choose from), olives (also several types), tabbouleh, etc. They also have a variety of dry lentils you can't find at Giant a couple of blocks away. When they first opened they had baklava that was to die for. I haven't seen it more recently, but maybe other people found out about it too :)It's definitely a corner market, but it's a nice one. Maybe they'll expand the offerings in the future.

The grocery part is good for specialized Middle Eastern foods. As for the prepared foods, we were very disappointed by the lamb gyro platter. The meat was pressed slices. Very unappetizing.

Chicken shawarma was one of the best I've had, good portion and good price. Service was also very nice.

Shemali's is a great addition to the neighborhood who started strong. Recently, the quality of the grab and go food has diminished quite a bit. Tabouli is not fresh and the grape leaves and the pies have been soggy. I just visited there today and the same again. The young lady who works there doesn't know anything abt food and is not friendly at all. This is a neighborhood market and the workers there need to be neighborly and friendly. I tried to contact Shemali's via their website but there is no mean for direct communication so I'm leaving this review instead. To the management: if you want to survive you need fresh food and super friendly staff. You saw what happened to the market one block south of you. They did not survive. I hope you take this to heart.