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    Balkan Grill

    4.2 (310 reviews)
    InexpensiveMediterranean
    Open 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Order Balkan Grill Takeout or Delivery

    Balkan Grill Photos

    Business Info

    BALKAN GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Balkan Grill

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    February 2021
    Kristian J.

    Best affordable Balkan food in Northern Virginia!!!! Turkish Small Business that serves authentic Balkan -- Eastern European -- food. Go to: - Cevapi: Balkan Kabob Cevapcici grilled dish - Made to Order - minced meat - national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and common in Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania and Austria. 10 piece is the way to go. Flatbread, with chopped onions, (either sour cream or kajmak -- creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream, made from the milk). - Baklava: Sweet treats. Paper thin dough. Deeelish as a splurge. - Börek: pastries made of a thin flaky dough, such as filo with a variety of fillings, like meat (my fav) or cheese (second fav)! Brings back memories. A must try. Support this Small Business. Next door is a Balkan grocery store (imports, like chocolate bars). One table outside. Few chairs inside hightop. First come, first serve. No reservations. Mainly takeout. Get in to my belly!!

    Falafel
    Cecilia J.

    Balkan Grill is a small locally owned spot right across the street from the Huntington metro. In an area dominated by Latino food (which we eat our fair share of) it's nice to have something different every now and then. We've been to Balkan Grill a few times and everything we've tried has been good. Our favorites include the fried mushrooms, Adana Burger and cheese Borek. The baklava is also excellent. Whike you are there, don't forget to check out the little Balkan market next door. They have all sorts of imported foods and snacks that you won't find elsewhere.

    Malka M.

    Balkan Grill is hands down one of the best-kept secrets in Alexandria, VA. From the food to the ambiance, it ticked all the boxes with ease and flair. Don't be misled by the relatively simple name inside and out; the restaurant is home to some of the most authentic Balkan-style food in Virginia and beyond. Balkan Grill is truly a diamond in the rough. The hospitality is immediately felt upon walking in with the employees coming over to greet you with warmth and kindness, doing the same as you leave while ensuring you enjoyed every bite and sip. The food is nothing short of amazing, with cigars, fish, and soups that are top-notch, making the mouth water just from the strong aroma. Their Balkan-style specialty items are a must-try. The restaurant's decor gives you an instant feeling of welcome, evoking this sense of comfort that makes the restaurant stand out. The dining area has a pleasant enough feel, with beautiful and bright designs offset with warm lighting. Given the small size, which I appreciated, it gave a wonderful cozy feeling that if you were eating with family, you'd experience the same warmth and ambience. All in all, it's hard to didn't enjoy Balkan Grill. The service was swift, understanding and genuinely helpful, far from the more mechanical type that we could expect at this level. This restaurant genuinely outperforms its approachable and unassuming appearances, providing a wholly impressive experience for the most discerning eaters. For lovers of this European and Middle Eastern cuisine, the Balkan Grill is waiting for you, wonderfully delicious!

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    2 years ago

    Adana burger was amazing! And while you are onsite, check out the mini grocery store.

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    Page 1 of 8

    Ask the Community - Balkan Grill

    Can you dine in at the restaurant or is it just to go spot?

    There is limited seating available, but it is possible. There are two tables and six bar stools. In the warm weather they make two sidewalk tables available.

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    La’Baik - Chicken Shwarma

    La’Baik

    4.9(151 reviews)
    2.7 mi
    $$

    It's been a few weeks now since my visit but I can still remember and taste the fresh ingredients…read more It's a small shop in del ray but with plenty of seating inside and outside. The staff and extremely friendly. They were so welcoming and really patient with us as we had lot of questions. Even gave us a sample of their lemonade which was refreshing and so delicious had as craving more! Complimented the food so well. We all were so full by the end of our meal but wish we didn't so we could have more. You can tell everything is made in house with so many veggie toppings which I love!! You can get as much toppings as you want, either into a wrap, bowl, or salad. 10/10 recommend!! We also tried the cookies. She said to give them 6 or 8 minutes (can't remember) and they will be ready. Cookies are fresh fresh and always warmed up per order. They were perfect. If you go to their website they have a rewards program check it out first!!

    This is my second time here and it reminds me why I went back. This place is so neat and organized…read more The staff were straightforward with their service and so nice. They have indoor and outdoor seatings. The menu offers outside the bowl they have desserts and also drinks. I ordered gyro bowl with Cucumber Lemonade and it's the best partner! Gyro was moist and all the added stuff tastes fresh. Of course will go back again to try other food in the menu. The only thing you need to consider the parking. This place is so good that it could get packed especially weekends and dinner time. It is somehow close to the King Street Station but it's still quite a walk.

    Photos
    La’Baik - The view from the front door.

    The view from the front door.

    La’Baik - Fattousch

    Fattousch

    La’Baik - Fattousch

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    Fattousch

    Smyrna Restaurant - Branzino in parchement. Baked branzino filet with sauteed veggies in paper. Served with baby potato, olive, cherry tomato & preserved lemon.

    Smyrna Restaurant

    4.7(189 reviews)
    4.3 mi
    $$

    Lots to like at Smyrna!…read more I highly recommend the 3-course express lunch menu, which includes a starter and dessert. At $24 as of this writing, this is a great value! Decorated in clean blue and white colors, Smyrna has an appealing feel. Smyrna also has a rear patio open during good weather. We were started out with very decent complimentary warm pita bread. For my first (starter) course, I ordered the chicken avgolemono soup. While the soup was packed with tender chicken, I was disappointed that the soup didn't really have much of a tart, lemony flavor. It actually was bland. But what more than made up for the avgolemono soup was the beef Keftdedes I chose for my second course. This dish came with absolutely the best tomato-based sauce I've ever had anywhere anytime! Delicious and fabulous!! The beef keftdedes were plump ground beef patties served over little squares of pita bread and topped with the tomato sauce and also a yogurt sauce. JP ordered the Imam Bayildi, which was good. It came with roasted eggplant, diced tomatoes and diced onions. For our third course (dessert), I ordered the Revani, which was a moist dense semolina cake topped with ice cream and chocolate shavings. Outstanding flavor and texture. Perfect! JP ordered the walnut baklava which was excellent. Service was friendly and fine. Other than the avgolemono soup, this was indeed a five star dining experience.

    Smyrna is a very unassuming Mediterranean restaurant located at a shopping center. If you blink you…read moremiss it, but you do not want to miss it. I visited on a Sunday evening with some friends who hosted me in Alexandria when my flight out of DCA was postponed. I would recommend bringing a couple of friends here to dine, ordering a lot of items and sharing. We started with a couple of spreads, and the Baba Ghannush was my favorite. I also had a Greek salad, and we had some chicken souvlaki. The entrees are shareable and a large portion, and my friend also got an order of soup for the next day, since we knew we'd be snowed in. The service was wonderful, and the inside of the restaurant itself is gorgeous. One word of advice- do NOT sit near the door on a cold day because that wind kept coming into the building. The happy hour and lunch deals are excellent, so if you're nearby, it is worth stopping in.

    Photos
    Smyrna Restaurant - Aegean bar

    Aegean bar

    Smyrna Restaurant - Greek potato has thyme and lemon zest marinated roasted baby potatoes, kalamata olives, and cherry tomatoes.

    Greek potato has thyme and lemon zest marinated roasted baby potatoes, kalamata olives, and cherry tomatoes.

    Smyrna Restaurant - Back patio

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    Back patio

    BARCA Pier & Wine Bar

    BARCA Pier & Wine Bar

    4.2(636 reviews)
    2.1 miOld Town Alexandria
    $$$
    Full bar
    Large group friendly

    Were we on the Spanish coast or Old Town? On the riverfront, on this warm spring day, we could have…read morebeen anywhere in the Mediterranean. We were instead on the pier in retrofitted shipping containers enjoying Spanish shareable plates with a great view. This place was crowded that's for sure. Primarily because there's no closer place to the water than this. (We were lucky-- the day after was rainy!) The food was great--we went for shareable small tapas and we still overordered. Service was great. We had a small wait upon check in but they made up for it by putting us in a nice location. Overall this was a great choice for a weekend lunch with friends.

    This was my experience 1.5 years ago. It was so terrible, I haven't been able to stop thinking…read moreabout it and have to share it. This was the third time I patronized this place. The first two times, the food wasn't great but the location was nice and the service was decent so we came back a third time for the ambiance. We had to send back two small plates--the kabob and the mussels. The kabob tasted like the meat had gone bad and the mussels as if they were sitting in their own excrements for hours. However, we still continued ordering more plates and drinks because we were enjoying being by the water and my sister and I were taking our dad out for a nice day. The manager approached our table with a passive aggressive vibe. She asked why we sent back the food and we explained. She then told us that the chef tried the dishes we sent back. They tasted just fine to him. She let that sit there. I just blinked at her in silent disbelief. The awkward silence made my sister so uncomfortable, she began apologizing for sending it back. I interjected, and reiterated what was unpleasant about the two dishes. This woman had the gall to continue passive aggressively stating the chef tried the dishes, insinuating we were lying or...I don't know what. Keep in mind, we had ordered like five other small dishes, my sister, my dad and myself ordered two alcoholic beverages each. We weren't cheapskates trying to lower our tab by sending back 2 measly plates. I had half a mind to say; "I didn't realize the patron of this restaurant is the chef. Is HE paying for our meal and drinks--or WE paying for his and your salary?" Of course, I didn't say that. I've worked in restaurants for years before, so I continued sternly but politely reiterating we did not enjoy the two plates, asked for the check, tipped well, and never returned. The worst experience I'ever had in a restaurant. Ever. So much so that 1.5 years later, I still randomly think about it.

    Photos
    BARCA Pier & Wine Bar
    BARCA Pier & Wine Bar
    BARCA Pier & Wine Bar

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    Taverna Cretekou - Octopus

    Taverna Cretekou

    3.9(736 reviews)
    1.8 miOld Town Alexandria
    $$

    Great place! Lovely atmosphere, we sat outside on a beautiful evening. They have a really great…read morepatio, and the inside looks very inviting as well. Food was really good, I wasn't blown away but I did like it, it was fresh and presented very beautifully, the eggplant mezze was good and the poached apricot dessert was also quite good-needed more apricot for the amount of yogurt though. The service was excellent, everyone who works there was very pleasant, and they did separate the checks for our group which was really convenient. I would definitely go back. Downsides are it's a bit pricey and the parking is a challenge.

    My only regret is forgetting to take photos... this place gives off Greek family energy! They can…read morepull tables together or apart for any size party and they have ample space to do it whether indoors or on the cute outdoor/ covered balcony area. Felt like I was in greece! Service was phenomenal, our host and server were very friendly, helpful and fast. My water never ran out, constantly refilled which I noticed! The food was also amazing I had the Arni youvetsi and that is a healthy lamb shank portion paired with creamy orzo ! The baklava was also really good for dessert. I appreciated the selection of Greek wine available and the waiter was able to select one that matched my taste! I will def recommend!

    Photos
    Taverna Cretekou - Dining room

    Dining room

    Taverna Cretekou - Garides Cretekou - Crete

    Garides Cretekou - Crete

    Taverna Cretekou - Downtown Alexandria restaurants and businesses at sunset.

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    Downtown Alexandria restaurants and businesses at sunset.

    Zaytinya

    Zaytinya

    4.2(6.3k reviews)
    8.1 mi
    $$$

    I made reservations for Sunday Brunch and was looking forward to experiencing another Jose Andres…read morerestaurant. We were seated immediately by the matra-dee before our reservation time slot. The decor is open and airy and there's a large patio if you prefer to dine alfresco. We wanted a variety of items and began with Hummus, smoked beet salata and baba ghanoush. Followed by Crispy brussels afelia, Chicken shakshouka, Soujouk pide and shish taouk. For dessert we enjoyed Greek yogurt with apricots and olive oil cake with champagne. The presentation of all the entree's were plated professionally, tasted outstanding, and service from our waiter was on point. I highly recommend this restaurant by Jose Andres.

    Placed a large order via Uber Eats since restaurant will not accept takeout orders directly…read more Restaurant does not allow any specifications when ordering through Uber Eats - for example, one person wanted one ingredient held from her salad. Uber Eats lacked description for Zaytinya's food items (such as the ounces of the drinks) and some items (such as the horta salata) were not as pictured. There were no extra napkins in our bag. The Coke came in bottles but we didn't receive any bottle openers. To top it off, we had three food items missing. I called the restaurant again to let them know about the missing food - they were unapologetic and didn't know what the proper protocol was to fix the situation. The service was subpar and the servings were small. Won't be back. The next day we had food delivered from another local restaurant where both the food and service were outstanding, unlike at Zaytinya. UPDATE: After writing the Yelp review, a general manager at Zaytinya emailed me the following: "..."The restaurant normally offers takeout, but the location was actually closed that day for a private event. However, since the order had come through, we tried to honor it. The mujadara and 2 orders of rice were missing because we hadn't prepped those items, as they were not offered for the buyout..." The restaurant knew on Friday what I was ordering for Tuesday. They had plenty of time to reach out to me and tell me they would be closed and wouldn't be able to fulfill the order. Instead, they knowingly sent out an order without all of the food for our group and charged as if we received everything. This shows a lack of professionalism and is disrespectful.

    Photos
    Zaytinya
    Zaytinya
    Zaytinya - Spreads & Bread

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    Spreads & Bread

    Maydan - Roasted carrots

    Maydan

    4.3(1.3k reviews)
    9.3 mi
    $$$$

    Maydan had been on our list of places to try for a while. It can be tough to get a reservation. We…read morewere able to add ourselves on the OpenTable waitlist and receive alerts if a table opened up. Luckily we were able to get a table outside at 6PM on a Friday night for four people. The tawle tasting menu is about $100 per person and it was a great way to try the menu. We were able to pick from a list of spreads, vegetables and meats and at the end we were also able to choose two desserts based on our party size. You start with Mouneh - pickled vegetables, Honey Soaked Dates, and the most delicious Halloumi. You then select 3 spreads - Muhammara, Walnut Casik, and Beet Borani with warm pita bread. For entree we ordered Chicken Shish Taouk, Ribeye, and cauliflower. They had a nice cocktail list so we tried a few cocktails. The espresso martini includes gelato, and there was a green cocktail that was very refreshing. The service was really good. Please be aware that they do add a fee on the bill and guests may not notice this and may tip an additional amount which we did, but the service was outstanding. We were able to walk inside and see the open fire grill where they make the pitas on and go to the bathroom. We really enjoyed sitting in the alley on a nice evening.

    Went here to celebrate with my family and had a party of four…read more Drink order took 10 minutes, delivery of said drinks took another 15. The appetizer was dropped on my lap as the waitress cleared the plate. She didn't seem to care and said "slippery little things". $300 worth of food was delivered and not once were we asked how the food quality was. The problem is the $75 flat iron steak we ordered as medium came out as rare and was to the point it was hard to cut it was so chewy. Spoke to manager about the situation and his care meter seemed to be broken. It's a shame because ambiance and environment is great. The service was not.

    Photos
    Maydan - Wood oven front and center

    Wood oven front and center

    Maydan - Shrimp

    Shrimp

    Maydan - Spiced chocolate mousse

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    Spiced chocolate mousse

    Omar's Pitas & Platters

    Omar's Pitas & Platters

    4.5(110 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    Omar's Pitas & Platters is carry-out only -- unless you're brave enough to sit outside in sub-30F…read moreweather with a 15 mph wind chill. A few of us grabbed lunch to go last Sunday. One of my friends is a regular and raved about the jerk chicken platter. I've never seen jerk chicken offered at a halal restaurant before, so I was immediately intrigued. JERK CHICKEN PLATTER - 12 They top the plate with a generous base of rice, and they really don't skimp on the chicken. Imagine a Chipotle bowl, but with nearly double the protein. It also comes with a generous amount of romaine lettuce and freshly diced tomatoes, and my platter was filled all the way to the rim. The jerk chicken was braised really well -- bold, punchy flavors with hints of smokiness and a warm heat that I wouldn't quite call "spicy." On the side, I got a couple sauces to elevate the platter. The White sauce was a classic, creamy yogurt sauce, while the Omar Signature sauce was sweet and savory. Overall, this was a solid platter for a great price. I had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. Tasty food and excellent value!

    Grabbed dinner at Omar's since it was on our way back home. Our food was ready for pickup in 5-10…read moremins. There weren't any seats inside so we grabbed our food and took it home. I had the jerk chicken (no onions) platter with the hot pepper, green chutney and jerk sauces on the side. The sauces were amazing! My mixed my hot pepper and jerk sauces together and it was fireeee! Then had some chutney to cool it down. The jerk chicken was flavor and the rice and side salad complimented it well. My husband got the crispy chicken (no onions) platter with the white sauce, spicy white sauce and Omar's signature sauce. The crispy chicken was a little too fried/overcooked for me but was very crispy. My husband loved it though! His sauces were also good but I def preferred mine. Both platters had a generous portion of chicken. Overall a great place to grab a casual meal.

    Photos
    Omar's Pitas & Platters
    Omar's Pitas & Platters - Avocado fries! Mixed grill platter!

    Avocado fries! Mixed grill platter!

    Omar's Pitas & Platters - Outside

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    Outside

    Balkan Grill - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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