After observing positive reviews, I thought I'd drive across town to give it a try for the first…read moretime for lunch. As soon as I walked in the door, my greeting was charming with exquisite hospitality by the manager and two persons assisting him. They made a few suggestions to choose from. I had a falafel sandwich with some of the veggie choices, and garlic aioli sauce on the side. They use the best freshly sourced ingredients and take pride in their craft. Everything was stuffed inside to capacity in a very freshly made delicious pita bread pocket, and served warm. It was one of the best falafel sandwiches I've ever had, and I've tasted many in the area. The only thing I would suggest is to consider serving the fries just fried right out of the frier, and more crispy. The fries were hot, but maybe reheated because they were served soft and limp, but still tasty. I look forward to trying some of the other options. This is a very filling lunch, so go hungry, and be pleasantly surprised!

Occupying a distinctive building that anyone who has been to Bethesda recognizes, the shop that…read morecurrently occupies it sells falafel and a few other things. They trumpet the fact they fry in avocado oil, and they make a distinctive flat patty. I got a combo with fries and a drink. The toppings I selected; sumac onions, pickled carrots, and several others, were a bit soggy and didn't mix in quite a swell as I'd hoped. The fries were very fried, and the thin cut falafel was interesting but didn't persuade me to give up the usual ball shape. I wasn't sold that it was the best in the area, and with the place only open for lunch there weren't a ton of opportunities to try it on my schedule, but it is a credible entry into the Bethesda lunch scene.

Love this place. The staff is super nice, always greeting us…read moreand making us feel welcome. The food if fresh and tasty falafel is one of the best in the area. Highly recommend, you won't regret it

I LOVE falafel! Because I just absolutely love falafel so much, I know falafel! I eat it everywhere…read moreI can -- and can safely say this is the BEST! It's accessible with plenty of parking nearby, including several disabled parking spots right out front, is absolutely beautiful inside with stunning black-and-white tiles adorning the counter (where you can order -- although there is also a screen-type ordering system in the entryway, as well) wall, enticing photos of all the important things in life -- those being fresh figs, olives, spices, and unfiltered coffee being poured, all along the wall above the tables with most comfortable seating! There are Turkish plates and copper pots hung above, as well, to give a splendid feeling of how food can be heartily prepared and beautifully served -- and beautifully served it is here! The caffeine-free mint tea comes in a gorgeous metal pot and is drunk from a glass glass (meaning a glass made of glass, not ceramic) with eye-catching decorations that will help to bring you into the spirit of the meal you are about to have .... The Quinoa Tabouli Salad with Falafel is spectacular! It's standout amazing, delicious, refreshingly oh-so-fresh, crispy, crunchy, yummy -- how many good-to-great things can I say about it? If I keep complimenting it as much as it deserves, you might get bored, ha ha! You might think that I'm exaggerating. I'm not. Of course, it's possible I'm biased and have tastes that just happen to align with this particular falafel spot's way of preparing things -- but I think not! I think this is objectively over-the-top in greatness! The District Salad is equally splendiferous and worth your time to indulge in savouring every bite. There are so many great-looking things here I can't wait to try! I must taste the Shorbat Adas (puréed lentil soup), (non-quinoa) Tabouli, Toom, and many other things here! The variety is very wowing! Most places just don't give you this variety in terms of various dishes or the variety within each dish that this place does -- and that contributes greatly to not only your appetite but also your health. So much care is clearly put into everything here from the décor to the drinks to the hospitality. It's really like a mini, super-tasty trip to the Near East -- and welcomes everyone equally. I'm so glad I stopped in! I can't wait to go back! Highly recommended! Very much deserving of an absolute, all-around Yay! :-D (By the way, from a not-falafel fan I know: 'You know I'm not a fan of falafel, but that was really good -- everything! We need not ever go back to the other place -- even if it's free!' What better endorsement could there be?)

You will not be disappointed with this true tasting of Mediterranean tapas. Staff were wonderful,…read moresmiled, helpful knowledgeable on the menu and spices offering alternatives, the environment in the dining area is what you would expect in a Mediterranean café. B4 warned you need reservations for this place even at the bar the bar filled up quickly. Tables filled up quickly, and there is a minimum timeframe at the tables Restaurant week options and the menu was quite a deal. I was able to taste three cold three hot and three main dishes wonderful experience overall.

I sat and thought about this review after dinner here last night. Longer than I normally do. 4.5…read morestars. We really liked Ala, despite my nitpicks at the end. We will be back, I just have a lot to say. As a note: they're very good with allergies like gluten. Food was amazing, from the 2 different Kebabs, Manti, Halloumi wraps, Za'atar Pide (flatbread) and a few other plates amongst the four of us--our group split the plates up to avoid cross-contamination and one member of our party couldn't do gluten -- and when it came out everything was amazing and flavorful and delicious. Definitely want to go back and try more. I genuinely feel bad for our server: he got stuck with an incredibly busy section and for the first 45 minutes or so of our meal, as a result of this, service was very slow. It took us a little while to order and then have our drinks come. This was solely due to the crowd. But then our food came out quickly. Our server seemed rather overwhelmed at times. I want to stress that this was solely due to how busy they were and no fault of any of the staff. So, if you go, just be patient. I want to stress that service was great for us. Also a note that all of your hot Mezze will likely come out at the same time after the cold mezze. I have some nitpicks : 1) one of our tables was not level with the other one and kept moving unless we put pressure on the legs or on the top. This probably should've been checked & fixed between patrons. 2) The Garides shrimp mezze was probably the most whelming. The parsley tahini pesto and veggies were nice, but for the price there could've been 4 shrimp at minimum. I didn't get much from the seven spice flavoring. I think I just wanted more from this dish. It's just one that doesn't feel as awesome as the others (especially because a lot of people don't know off hand you can eat the clear shrimp shell and the tail). 3) The mixed spread mezze needs to have at least 2 more pita. 4) The ambiance is lovely but at one point, the background music seemed to have been turned up a smidge volume wise, or the song was just a louder one, which made it a bit hard to hear. This was also right when a lot of our food came.

Fresh food, good portion size. The wait time was minimal, and the staff was helpful in choosing…read moremenu options.

Opa! Really good food can be found at Lil Hercules' kitchen! I had the honey bay wings to go and…read morea Greek rice pudding! I had never tried Greek rice pudding or honey wings with bay seasoning! What a clever pairing! The salty, savory thing was going on and the wings were non greasy! Hurt me! To top it off I line the pudding. I wasn't sure if it was traditional because it tasted like it had evaporated milk but it still tasted good! The place is clean and neighborhood friendly. Also, they do not expect a tip for takeout unlike many other places! Really tasty food and you can have it to go or eat in!

Yasmine is a new addition to the Heights Food Hall in Friendship Heights, DC and serves Middle…read moreEastern food. I was excited to try this place as DC proper seems to lack good, authentic, and affordable shawarma places. I came on a Friday night at 5:30 pm and the entire food hall was pretty empty, perhaps because it was raining. I ordered: Chicken shawarma sandwich- the best chicken shawarma sandwich I've had in DC proper so far. The bread was fresh, the chicken was flavorful, and the sandwich also had toum (Lebanese whipped garlic sauce), pickles, peppers, onions and lettuce. There was also an herbal green sauce on the side (don't know the name) which I really enjoyed. Fries with toum sauce- the fries tasted fresh and had seasoning on them (not sure what) that was good. The toum was a perfect dipping sauce for the fries. Overall, the sandwich was $13.5, and the fries were $7, which came out to about $22, which is a little on the expensive side. I'm really happy with this addition to the Heights food hall. I will definitely be back for my shawarma fix.

Yasmine serves up some really tasty food. The doner kabob is great, and the hummus is delicious…read more Just make sure you know where it's located inside the food court at The Heights because it can be a bit hard to find at first. Once you do, you'll be glad you did!

Wow, Oh Mama Grill sure has gotten an upgrade! Beautiful tiles, love the black-and-white, crisp,…read moreclean look, and new booths -- though I didn't try sitting in one yet, didn't think to as I was on a mission to get to all the Israeli restaurants around for and on Israel Independence Day, ha ha! (And yes! I succeeded!) The benches are a light, bright-looking wood. There are also regular tables for those who prefer that .... It's amazing how much spacious seating is packed into this little place! I wish the outside reflected the new, light beauty but I guess the treasure is only to be found by those who venture in .... As an Israeli-in-America, I appreciate the selection of Israeli drinks in the cooler, and of course the national snack of falafel! Some say they don't put fries in the pitas -- well, yeah! That's true! If you don't ask, you don't receive! I ask! I receive! I do sometimes find the sandwiches to be kind of messy, so I try to sometimes get less various salads and pickles and such so it's not completely overflowing -- because this place is GENEROUS! Of course, if you're not used to kosher food, you'll probably not understand that it does cost more because for one thing (out of many!), there has to always be an 'extra' person called a mashgiach (supervisor in Hebrew) who oversees everything to make sure it's all, well, kosher! Kosher meat is more expensive, too. And yeah, meat doesn't come with dairy! So that is not available. I heard someone asking if they had a cheeseburger and had to work to not crack up about it! I LOVE the grilled eggplant bits you can get put in -- they're special, not in the regular line up, right there at the end -- because not only do they add so much flavour and texture with so little bulk, but eggplant is one of those things I usually cannot eat because it hurts my oh-so-sensitive tongue, but this place makes it per-fect-ly, mmm ... ! So delicious! I enjoy both purple and green cabbage and carrots, but I don't like the flavour of the onions. That makes me sad, because I LOVE onions, but these ones have something on them that I don't like (looks like it's sumac -- which is ironic, because that's something that I normally love and use all the time!) and I end up picking out when I sometimes forget or get hopeful and just get them again anyway .... Actually, the onions are one of the few condiments here I do not like! The pickled beets are great -- and of course, great for your liver! They are cleansing, nutritious, and boost your Russian-ness, to boot! Or your Russian Jewishness, anyway .... I know that eating them makes my grandmother proud! The benefits of eating here are not and are also not like ones you can attain in just any regular restaurant, and it's here for people who want this kind of thing. It literally is a cornerstone, being on the corner and providing the things certain of us need -- Israeliness, Jewishness, kosherness, etc. It's too bad it suffers from bad reviews by people who don't understand or care. By the way, the work that goes into making all these salad items fresh every day is, let's just say, a LOT! I almost always get the falafel -- I used to get a platter, but it was too much for a meal so I switched back to the classic pita version and that's a perfect amount for me for a meal, plus I feel it's better for the environment because it comes packaged minimally in a little parchment paper rather than a recyclable aluminum plate with a non-recyclable aluminum-and-paper top. Truth be told, I could have trouble finishing writing this review because thinking of Oh Mama Grills' falafel is making me so hungry! I am really getting in the mood for some right now! Other things I eat from here regularly (and have for years): Israeli salad Moroccan (vegetarian) cigars Rice Other things I know are great by way of seeing the delight on my eating partner's face while consuming: Okay, I so I don't remember, but various meat things! Chicken, I think .... Things I don't love from Oh Mama Grill: Bean soup -- didn't have enough flavour for me .... Sabich. I dunno. Just didn't love it! It's hard to top falafel, in my opinion -- well, this falafel from this place, that is -- so I don't feel the need to explore the menu very much .... There aren't a whole lot of places (if any!) that offer such a variety of salads, pickles, and sauces! As an absolute pickle-lover who finds pickles and not just that but a variety of pickles a MUST for my diet, this place has it going on like no other! Update! Tried sitting on a bench at a booth! It's pretty hard, not super-comfortable, but doable -- however, a harder seat is better for your posture and health long-term! The falafel pita with toppings aplenty is so delicious, I am craving one right now ... and, in case you've ever tried some of the marinated types of vegetables here and found them too sour, I did too! Now, that is fixed. They are no longer so sour, and are therefore much more eminently edible! My eating partner agrees.

Since being sent into the office in Rockville I have driven past Oh Mama Grill every morning and…read moreafternoon and have thought about stopping for a visit. Well the day finally came when hubs was picking me up & we had time to kill before our evening plans. I had mentioned this place several times while driving past it & we decided to make a stop. It's basically a take out place with some fast food restaurant style booths. You place your order, you pay, and you wait for ur food to be prepped. Unfortunately this was a let down. His burger was sad, looked like someone had worked out their aggression on it. Seriously, I've never seen any burger & bun that flattened. It was my mistake, I was excited because of the description (it contained lamb) but wasn't anywhere close to the Greek burger we get in VA, I'm not sure it was even up the fast food level, although it was definitely in competition for flatness. My dish was composed a lot of very dry meat. I'm no longer considering a stop as I drive.

Burst of flavor!! The food was amazing, this place is 2for2 for me and I can't wait to try more on…read moretheir menu. Today I tried the Potp wrap(best steak and cheese around) and it was delicious, last week I tried the Chicken kebab platter and that was delicious as well. If you are around, it's a must try, definitely a destination point. The staff makes you feel like you are home and with the home cooking just makes it that much more enjoyable.

I like this spot. The food is fresh and delicious. The staff are very friendly and patient with…read moreexplaining the different items on the menu. I love the chicken kebab platter that comes with Greek salad and rice, it's very tasty. Every Thursday they have salmon specials which is delicious also. They have a dmv burrito which includes chicken, steak, onions and peppers, and it's a favorite also. This is a food truck that's situated off Wisconsin Ave in the plaza near Bethesda metro station.

I'm so sad this place is closed! Heartbroken, is more like it …read more... This place (chain, not this particular location -- but I can't write it about the particular location, because I never found out which exact one it was!) fed us towards the very beginning of pandemic lock-downs when restaurants were all still closed, not allowed to be open. We went and picked up our gloriously delicious falafel sandwiches from a synagogue parking lot -- gratefully! The pita and falafel balls were both sumptuously soft and fluffy -- so much better than so many other pita breads and falafels around ... not to mention that culturally speaking, there is no place like it and I just felt so comfortable here. Even while going by, I felt so much better having this place in the area, seeing the signage, feeling the vibe .... Shouk, you are dearly missed! Please know how much you are appreciated, still! You changed my experience of this area! You let me know what was possible ....

We were in the mood for vegi bowls and decided to try this place for dinner last night. You walk…read morein and there are two kiosks for ordering. The ordering process is straightforward, with clear descriptions of the item's ingredients and options you can do for your bowls. We ordered a Two-Way Eggplant Bowl and a Make your own. Also got a side Kale Salad and a side Lentil Soup. Everything was delicious and looked and tasted fresh. The service was quick. It's at the end of a shopping mall next to Mom's Organic Market. Parking is available and free.

There's several reasons people come here, and the most important is its MISSION. They partner with…read morethe World Food Programme which delivers aid to refugees across the globe. It's nice knowing that my dollars are spent efficiently :) Speaking of efficient, have you seen the prices?? Access to healthy delicious food is a right, and they serve every single time. The $4 Falafel Sandwich is everything, while the Za'atar Fries will make you wish they had a location on every street. Their mainstream item is the Shawarma Snack Wrap. Think McD's except high quality, and the sauces are delicious. Habibi is described as a flagship sauce, Invisible is spicy delicious (jalapeño) and White is mayo-based. I couldn't believe how tasty everything was. They also have a location in College Park that I'd like to visit. There's comfortable seating, the employees are friendly, and they have parking. Would I come back? Absolutely. Enjoy :D

Love this place! Always consistent and quick. I usually get the falafel bowl, but have also tried…read morethe falafel sandwich and zaatar fries, all of which were fresh and tasty. They give a good amount on the fries (double the bag!). There are a few tables inside and outside. Parking is a little limited, but never been a problem to find. It's also free to park under two hours.

This was a great lunch spot for me, close to my office but it now appears to be closed permanently…read more I will miss having them as a food option.

I have done carry-out from here many times over the years but mostly pizza. The pizzas are…read moreexcellent, especially the white pizzas. There are only couple little tables inside and couple of tables outside during the warmer month. The staff is very friendly. For this visit, I got the Doner pita sandwich and Greek salad with Doner. Both were very tasty. Definitely a place that we would visit again.