I have been going to this restaurant for almost 30 years. Never have I ever had an experience like I did today. I ordered lunch to be delivered to my work. When my order arrived it was missing items. I called the restaurant and was told that there was nothing they could do about it. The first person I talked to said that they couldn't bring the items and that unfortunately I she could also not give me a refund. She put another person on the phone who said he was the manager and he said I could come and get the food or contact the app they use for delivery but that there was no guarantee. This man was so rude!!!!!! I can't leave work so couldn't go and get the food. He was unwilling to even apologize, let alone give me me a refund. The order was over 60 dollars. I don't know if that is a lot of money for any of you but, It is for me. The "Mgr", who refused to give me his name or tell me when the owner would be in, that I was entitled and called "lady" about 10 times. When I asked if this is the way he speaks with all his customers he said, "That's the way I talk to you lady". I was so shocked. Am I not allowed to be disappointed that our lunch was half here? Am I not allowed to be even a little mad that the restaurant will not make it right or give me a refund? I wonder what that "Mgr" would do if it were him or his money? I said WOW, I've been coming there for 30 years. He said "Good for you Lady!" So, after almost 30 years, this "Lady" will go where people know how to be kind to their customers. read more

This was our first time. Okay, it's tiny. But the food is to die for. The staff was WONDERFUL. Every single bite of everything we ate was fresh and delicious and warm and toasty. Falafel crispy, steaming inside. Awesome. Special combination #15 gives you some of everything. Saffron rice----perfection. Also added chicken schwarma and extra falafel. Warm and soft pitas. More than enough for the 3 of us. Delicious. I wish that I could give more stars read more

Jerusalem Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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My two favorites are the lamb shanks and combination super dish. The lamb shanks are always moist and full of flavor and the combination dish offers a variety of food that always tastes fresh. read more

Every once a while I get a craving for Jerusalem's. Not because its a beautiful place to eat. Not because the wait staff are especially cordial. Not because the dining room is impeccably clean or roomy. I get Jerusalem's cravings because they serve food I can't get anywhere else (that I've found). They have hummus and baba ganouch, cucumber salad, pita bread, gyros, and baklava. When I want this sort of food, I prepare myself for the atmosphere, harsh servers, and somewhat sketchy cleanliness. It's part of the whole experience of coming here. I'll continue to dine here when my cravings hit. AND I'll love it the whole time I'm eating it! read more

Seems like quality and service has gone down over the years. I placed a takeout order for two chicken shwarma - one with no onions/tatziki and another with everything and baba ganoush added) and was told it'd be ready in 10 minutes. I ended up waiting close to 30 for my order that wasn't even right - ended up receiving two tiny and overcooked/dry chicken kebab sandwiches with nothing but a sprinkling of lettuce and maybe a little tahini. Bummer! read more

Excellent food, great service. Affordable. Family owned place. Usually busy which means quality food. The deserts are excellent.

Sometimes you really just get a hankerin' for some falafel and hummus and nothing else will suffice! When that happens, head straight for Jerusalem! We came here on a frigid Sunday afternoon. Sat down right away, and ordered the vegetarian combo. The bf ordered a meat something or other..lamb gyro, mayhaps. Our food plus some warm pitas came out pretty quickly. Heaven!! The veg combo is a mountain of rice in the middle, a couple falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, tabouleh, a cucumber salad, stuffed grape leaves, and crispy french fries on top! So good. The falafel are crispy and savory, the baba ganoush is smoky and creamy, the hummus is tangy and smooth...oh so good! I embarassed myself by almost cleaning my plate, and then ordering a baklava for dessert! The baklava was also delicious - packed full o' nuts and spices! The only drawback to our meal was that this place is drafty!! I was wearing my coat inside and was still cold. We were sitting close to the door, and people are constantly coming in and out to order at the counter, so it was pretty chilly. And I ate tons of sriracha hot sauce and still couldn't warm up! But this would be a great spot in the summer and I can't wait to come back! Veggie combo platter, I'm coming for you.... read more

Worst Chicken kabobs ever!!! Don't visit this place if you want to eat the kabobs. My wife and I visited this place due to its amazing reviews. My wife got the veggie combo and I ordered chicken kabobs. The kabobs were dead cold and rubbery. I felt like I was eating cold blocks of rubber. The veggie combo had falafel which were decent. Tabouleh and hummus were okay. We were terribly disappointed with the food. I wonder why this place has such good reviews. My 2 stars are for the hummus, falafel and tabouleh. Would have given 0 stars otherwise. read more

Yum, yum, yum! I really missed this place when I moved from CO and haven't been back as often as I've liked since I've been back but I fell back in love last night. The food is super tasty, comforting and wallet friendly. The late hours and quick service are bonus selling points. I prefer take out to their dining area and the gyro plate with cucumber salad after a stressful day is the perfect treat. read more

In a word: meh. I wasn't impressed. I got a falafel sandwich which was just so-so, and the pita was ... pitaful. Okay, that was bad, but so was the pita. And it was small. (I'm partial to lavosh wrap, but it seems nobody around here does that.) The service was a little sharp, but not in a charming east-coast/old-world kinda way. This is, after all, Colorado. The food was just good enough. read more

I love Falafel - I'm not a vegetarian but I would probably pick a good Falafel sandwich over a burger most days. That being said, I must reveal that I've never really been a fan of the Jerusalem. This is based my overall impression after many visits over the past several years. Jerusalem is close by so when in the mood for Falafel I would either go there or to Falafel King on Colorado Blvd. I know that this will P-off Jerusalem die-hards but I don't understand the appeal. I'm fine with older, shall we say "less modern" restaurants, however this place is, quite honestly, a dump. Given all of the years that it has been in business, you would think that they could spruce the place up - maybe even pull out the 1,000 year old carpet (I exaggerate only slightly). If the food were magnificent, which it's not, I could almost forgive the surroundings however the food is really only okay. I'm probably paranoid (after watching too many episodes of Kitchen Disasters) but I'm not sure I want to see what the kitchen looks like. Now that Garbanzo has opened down the street, I've been satisfying my Falafal craving there. And for those who will inevitably accuse as being one of those evil people who only frequent new trendy "Chipotle-ish" restaurants thus dooming traditional family-owned classic restaurants - pish posh (yes, I actually said that). If you can't offer a clean comfortable environment, with fresh and delicious food, then you don't deserve the business. read more

Based on yelp reviews, I went to check the place out. We ordered hummus, lamb shanks and chicken shawarma. The hummus was ordinary. I get a better hummus in my grocery store. The chicken Shawarma was dry. Lamb shanks were their saving grace. One would think that they would at least make fresh Pita. I was really aghast at seeing store brought Pita bread packets in the kitchen and that is after I woke up from the shock I had from seeing their very tiny kitchen. There were three ladies in the kitchen, including our server. They had long hair and were working in the kitchen without any caps or bandannas holding their hair in place. Yikes! read more

So you find that you're having a late night craving for falafels. What on earth should you do? You should immediately hop in your car and cruise on over to this glorious piece of heaven called Jerusalem. The only times I've been here has been late night. And it's always packed. But they're always quick and friendly, whether dinning in or grabbing take out. The portions are crazy huge! My last order of falafels, baba ghanouj, and chicken shawarmah, along with the pitas, lasted the BF and me nearly three meals. Seriously. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu! Jerusalem can be a bit pricey, but for the amount and the quality of the food, it's all worth it. Forgive me, I'm starting to drool thinking about their delicious food. Time to grab the car keys! read more

I've been coming here for years, starting sometime in the early 90s. I'm hooked on the lamb shanks, which is usually enough food to make 2-3 meals for me if I take it home. The lentil soup is amazing and the hummus is the best I've ever eaten. The service is usually pretty haphazard, but the food usually makes up for it. I was underwhelmed more than usual with the service a couple of weeks ago when I sent some fettouch back. The tomatoes tasted rotten in it. I've never had bad fettouch there before, but this batch was definitely off. The waitress brought it back, saying that the cooks told her they'd made it just that morning and nothing was wrong with it, and she set it back in front of me and walked off. Perhaps she thought that telling me it was perfectly fine would somehow convince me that taking a bite would suddenly make me less inclined to barf up rancid tomatoes. Apparently, this refusal to eat the fettouch was upsetting enough to the waitress that she couldn't deal with our table anymore, and another one took over serving us. I told the new one that the fettouch was inedible and why and she also left it on the table with a shrug. Room-temp french fries last week were a bit of a surprise, too. Note to wait staff: if a customer tells you something is inedible and you're not going to replace it with something else for whatever reason, the least you can do is take it off the table. Taking it away and then putting it right back in front of the person is not going to get you a tip or any customer service awards. read more

This is a scandal. I haven't the slightest idea how this place won awards. Who eats here? Not Middle Easterners. They go elsewhere. Naive DU students and unworldly locals who don't know any better? Yes. Friends have dragged me here several times over the past few years, and every time was a disappointment. I do not mind the bad service. The food is the problem. Falafel is a beautiful thing, but not when you store it in a fridge and microwave it. That's called sacrilege. They don't do this in the Middle East. "These foolish customers don't know any better," they must snicker in the back room. Also, low-quality meat and iceberg lettuce are not a shawarma sandwich. Again, I think this is some kind of practical joke they are playing on the customer. It is funny, as long as I am not eating it. In sum, stay away from this place. Don't embarrass yourself. There are plenty or good Arab/Middle Eastern restaurants either near DU or on Colorado Blvd. On a separate note, the atmosphere and music here are quite nice. At least they do something right. Nonetheless, I feel one star is generous for this atrocity of restaurant. read more

Now this is how I like my Arabic food. A tiny little place out of the way with wonderfully friendly staff, some Arabic music popping out of the speakers, and just tasty food. One word of warning! Do not order a combo plate, because you've got so much food you don't know what you're going to do with all of it! They probably have the best Baba Ghanouj that I have ever had. Wonderful, and you can taste the eggplant. The hummous I hate to admit, is just as good as my mothers! Don't tell her I said that, otherwise she will never cook for me again. I had the kibbe which also was good, but honestly, the hummous is what stole the show. Plenty o' garlic (bad if your significant other is a vampire), and light on the tahina, so not so bitter. I was hoping the pita bread that I had was going to be local, but it was actually from California; a small knock on them, but very minor b/c it still tasted good. The deserts were wonderful too, just what I like. Not only did I get my pistachio baklava, but I also managed to get one of damn near everything in the case. Sticky, sweet and just oozing with honey. I was almost in a sugar coma, and loving every second of it. read more

I love this place for a slightly healthier late night dinner option than going to Illegal Pete's, some other diner, or going the pizza route. Jerusalem's has a great menu with the typical middle eastern fare. Delicious hummus, baba gannoush, and falafel, all of which I love to eat with the saffron rice. The shawarma and kabab and kifta are all good too, but be prepared to share. LARGE portions. (alternatively, yay for a box lunch for the next day!) -1/2 star for the new decor. I do not like the blankets tacked up onto the wall. It makes the place feel... dingy. - 1 star for store bought pita. I mean, it's serviceable, but after eating homemade pita at Damascus, I'm spoiled. read more

Somehow, I made it through four years at DU without ever visiting this gem. Now, 23 years after graduation, I decided to give it a shot. Although this little place is decidedly a "hold in the wall," the food more than makes up for the ambiance. I had the chicken kabob, which was tasty, fresh, and plentiful enough for another meal the next day. My husband snarfed down the beef and lamb gyro and quite enjoyed it. We'll be back! read more

Customer orders something. Kitchen changes it. Waiter brings out changed order (NOT what customer ordered!) with no explanation or information, and just plops it down on the (dirty) table. Fail, Jerusalem. (And that's not even mentioning the burnt-to-a-crisp falafel, sour (yes, SOUR, not Tart) cucumber sauce, and dry-to-the-point-of-sawdust chicken.) After we took one bite and walked out, we ended up at Garbanzo's and had, for a fraction of the price, a better meal. I notice a trend here in the reviews: First visit: Okay to good. Subsequent visits: "What the hell was I thinking?" So it seems that the "Good" experience here is the exception, not the rule. There are many other Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean options nearby. Choose one of them. read more

Reading the other reviews has led me to two conclusions. Either I came here on a really off night, or a lot of yelpers really like shitty Middle Eastern food. Or maybe both? What I do know is that the chicken gyro I had at Jerusalem Restaurant was by far the worst I've ever had. The chicken was deep fried (?) to the point of having more breading than meat, there were no tomatoes or onions, and the pita tasted like it was from a bag. Fries were sad. The salad I had to start was alright. Also, the bathrooms make the ones at The Squire look like the Ritz. Earwigs were crawling all over the floor... ewwww In sum: weak sauce. read more

Holy hangover food, Batman! Jerusalem always hits the spot whether its a casual lunch or dinner. They have THE best babaganoush in town and they're in the top 3 for hummus. I always get the "super dish" combo and- for the price- you get another meal out of it. Go get you some! read more

One of my favorite late night spots! I love the gyro sandwiches, and we usually order a plate of fries to share. Love the hummus appetizer too. Everything comes out fresh and hot! Service has always been great. It is a small little place with outdoor seating as well. Their desserts in the window all look delectable--baklava was the best I e had! read more

Amazing food. I could never give this place less than 5 stars no matter what! Their lamb is delicious and the hummus is too. Do yourself a favor and just order one of each dessert in the case and have a try. They are fabulous! read more

This place is really cool. I believe I've been going here for over 4 years now, and still by far one of the best places to meet people and/or hang out. I've always loved their Meat Combos w/Hummus. Great collection of chicken, beef, gyro meat, and hamburger. Served with yellow rice, and a side of mediterranian salad. There is also pita bread to accompany the meal. They can be used to be hold all the mixed foods together that you choose to put inside of it. The ambience is great. A constant flow of diverse cultures come and go as they please. It sits near the heart of Denver University, and is a focal point for the college-bound, or those who live near the area. Because many college students and even professors go to eat there, they get the word out quickly about the restaurant. The service pretty much matches the way others feel about the restaurant. It can, at times, be slow. But, most of the time, the moment you walk in, they greet you and give you menus, and sit you down. For the most part they check on you and make sure you've been taken care of. There've been times where the waiters/waitressess are being distracted, but, don't let that deter you. read more

I'm not a Middle Eastern food connoisseur, so take my review with a grain of hummus. But I think this place is good--not great--but good. This place is a true hole in the wall. It's cramped, there are tables squeezed into the tiniest corners (my elbow was literally brushing up against the ATM). It's not exactly spic-and-span either, but I figured since I was eating vegetarian they couldn't actually kill me. I had the vegetarian combo plate and it was pretty tasty. The babaganoush had a great smoky creamy flavor, the tabboluleh was divine, and the falafel was great. I thought 2 falafel balls was a little stingy (three would have made me happy), and the pitas were cold and mediocre. My hubby had a chicken kebab sandwich which was pretty good. And the cucumber yogurt salad was not bad, nice and garlicky and lemony and minty. If you're in the DU 'hood its a good place to go. I suspect there are better (and cleaner) places though. read more

This place really is pretty hit-or-miss. I lived right across the street from it before the houses got torn down, and would go here once a week. Vegetarian Combo is an absurd amount of food for the price--I would get that with the intent to have it for lunch the next day. For lunch, every now and then, the spicing on the shawarma sandwich is amazing. I drench mine in Sriracha, though, and you should too. Really though, I honestly believe these guys are under new management since about a year or so ago, because the food got a lot less consistent. Whereas I loved their falafel sandwich, the texture got way too crunchy, and the insides seemed more bland and dry. The hummus still seems good but often gets drenched in paprika. Overall, I don't know, I go a lot less, but at the very least try the vegetarian combo. read more

Wow has my mind changed about This fabulous gem by DU. The food is consistently excellent with fast and courteous service. I might of been in a bad spot when I did my first review (below). Well, I'm changing my rating from 2.. ? to a solid 4 stars. Thanks for being patient with my review. Have a nice day -------------------------- I was in the mood for Greek food so I thought to drive up the street and treat myself to a nice gyro. The open faced beef gyro platter came with rice, hummus, pita bread and a side of tabbouleh. It sounds like a nice conglomeration of ingredients on paper but in reality it was a let down. The description of tabbouleh says it is finely chopped but it's not. I think it's pre-made. The hummus isn't the best and neither is the beef. I feel like I overpaid and was not impressed whatsoever. It's popular cause it's by Denver University but I definitely think it's a solid 2/5 star place. read more

I recently had lunch at Jerusalem and enjoyed it! I had the Stuffed Grape Leaves and the Combination - Super Dish. In addition, I tried some desserts. I really enjoyed the Stuffed Grape Leaves and the Combination Super Dish. Everything was full of flavor just how I like it! The desserts were not my cup of tea. read more

We came in for lunch today after the DU Lacrosse game. Wow, I've never been so disappointed with a meal in Colorado. The place itself is exactly what I expect at a dive near a college. If the food is great, I could care less what the place looks like. Let's start with the one shining moment- the hummus is excellent. And that's where the shining moment ends. The food was awful- the meat was cold and tasted like it had been cooked earlier in the day and they didn't even bother to reheat it. The rice wasn't worth eating, so I didn't. I pretty much ate hummus. One of my friends ordered a gyro and asked that they add hummus instead of tahini. When the waitress brought it out and my friend asked whether they added hummus, the waitress said the only way to know is to eat the gyro and if my friend didn't like it, then they'd bring her a side of hummus. And then....the waitress disappeared and the gyro had no hummus. Which brings me to why this little dive truly deserves one star and that's generous, because the food alone is barely worth a star- the service. I waited tables for many years- which is why I feel that I can truly comment on the service. Our waitress was rude, snotty, had an attitude, and managed to make our meal even more unpleasant than the food itself. There were four of us and she only brought three waters- when I asked for a fourth water, she seemed annoyed. Let's just sum up this experience as a complete disappoint. Save your money and go to McDonald's, get frozen food at Trader Joe's, or just go hungry. This place is not worth it. read more

This place was surprising in a few ways- 1. I expected to be crazy about it. Wasn't. Our circle of friends has been hyping this place up like woah, when in reality it doesn't hold a candle to the Shish Kebab Grill on Colfax. 2. The stuffed grape leaves were delicious. I usually use the word "slimy" or "rancid" to describe stuffed grape leaves. This surprise was a pleasant one. 3. It was a great place to have dinner on a semi-balmy Denver night. It's porch is protected, so it was nice to be outside without being exposed to all of the elements. 4. Their baklava was OUTRAGEOUS. Oh my gosh, perfectly made. Light, airy, super sweet, small enough to be eaten in its entirety without your pancreas wanting to end its life. 5. CHEAP-ISH. We walked out of there for $25 (including tip) and had too much food, and dessert. Score. While I wasn't blown away, it was a nice place to go for a meal. read more

Jerusalem's "Baba Ghanouj" was listed by Denver Magazine as one of the top 100 must eats in the city, so I gave it a shot: Rating: 4 (out of 10) Price: $5.50 The Skinny: I have no doubt that Jerusalem's has a very vocal and loyal following. I got there on a late afternoon and nearly sprinted to claim the only open table in the place, barely beating the other disappointed and slower patron. Once I did, a quick look around revealed the college-cult atmosphere: scruffy faces, backpacks, hats slightly askew. I half expected to see a philosophy club meeting complete with thoughtful expressions - perhaps that ended before I showed up. Regardless, it's a decent little hang-out spot. One that's certainly beloved in that area. I wondered if it was the proximity to the school, or the food that made it so. Whatever it is, it can't be the Baba Ghanouj. I'm no expert on the dish, but I do know bitter pretty well and this had it in spades. At times, the bitter seemed almost pleasant, like the taste of unsweetened cocoa, and other times it wasn't pleasant at all. In consistency and presentation, it's very similar to hummus, which for my money had to have been better. As I was leaving, the table next to me asked what I had and whether I liked it. I was honest and told them my thoughts. Upon hearing it, they were shocked and unanimously insisted that I had to go back - I had to give it a second chance. Ok, cultists, I'll give it another try... just don't ask me to start building a village in Guyana. I've got a picture of it up on the blog in my profile (was recently told by Yelp corporate that I cannot put the link up anymore) jko read more

Not a big fan. The pita seemed like it was out of a bag and just warmed up. The hummus just wasn't good. And the waitress acted like we were an inconvenience to her...hey, just a thought, but you might want to be nice to the customers if you only make $2.15 an hour...just a thought. But I had good company and that's what matters. read more

The best dolmas I have ever had. Creamy, delicious hummus. Awesome falafel. A bakery case filled with the most delightful looking middle-eastern pastries that I have ever seen. Stop taunting me chocolate filled pastry cup. Stop it now. So, why the 3 star review you ask? In short, they are liars. I called a takeout order in - 2 orders of hummus, 1 order of baba ganouj, extra pita. The gentleman said it would be ready in 5 minutes. I arrived in 10 minutes, waited on a line of 5 people for about 10 minutes, and when I got to the window, they took my money and proceeded to fill the orders of the people who placed orders at the window ahead of me for the next 10 minutes. So, 30 minutes for what I was told would be about 5 minutes. I was on a time crunch and even asked the guy at the counter why he didn't fill my call-in order ahead of the people who ordered after me at the counter? The flimsy and straight-up unbelievable excuse? They were out of hummus. Huh? I watched you give hummus to three people ahead of me. You can't fool me, man behind the counter. Jerusalem, your food is wonderful, but your pants are on fire... read more

I've been here so many times. It's always amazing. Service is always great. They are open all day and night, with only a few hours off. Parking stinks. read more

I first found Jerusalem's back in 1996 when I moved to Denver - the first time ;) Now, I am back and it is asgreat as I remember. It's small, crowded, quirky, cold in the winter and parking can be a headache... yet we come back again and again. The food... I absolutely love the lentil soup and the falafel appetizer. The lamb shank is really great too. And you can really never go wrong with a chicken shawarmah sandwich. Unfortunately, I am not in love with their hummus. I am not sure why, it's good... but I've found others I enjoy more. Overall a fun experience with great food. And don't forget to grab a piece of baklava for later. read more

Jerusalem never disappoints!! Place is amazing even after 25 years. Love it and keep up the great work!!! read more

Jerusalem Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Denver, Colorado

always delicious - so glad UberEats delivers now. Literally took 30mins from order to delivery, and we're 10mins away! 20+ years of eating here, it never disappoints. read more

2 immediate stars for being open 24 hours. One more star because it's not diner food. The fourth star goes to good food. The fifth star is for decent prices. A sixth star would go for Arabic coffee and really great desserts, but we only get 5. I love the veggie platter. This place is definitely one of the (few) things I miss about Denver. Parking can be tricky if the lot is full. The space is a little strange (you walk behind the dessert counter to get to the semi-outdoor seating area) and cramped. But it's worth it. The food is yummy and relatively inexpensive. read more

OK, ok, so I've only been there once and it WAS at 4AM and I was drunk--but, come on it was good, ....right? Well, good or not, it was open and that's pretty much all the matters to me, myself, and my buddy Mr. Alcohol at 4AM. If you're a DU student and are hungry--go to J-Ru's. Night or day. Just don't blame me if you have a bad experience or dont' like the food, really, look who you trusted--drunk girl. But, if you love it, I SO told you you were going to.....didn't I? read more

The most important thing about this review is to alert others that my boyfriend left this restaurant with food poisoning that lasted 4 days. It was the only thing he ate the day he got sick, and yet when we spoke with the manager, he insisted that my boyfriend must have been allergic to something in the food. My boyfriend is not allergic to anything, and if you've ever had food poisoning you know it is a very distinct, very painful illness. After reading that, if you still want to risk it, here is my review of the food: My boyfriend and I just moved to Denver from a neighborhood in Florida rife with authentic middle eastern restaurants, which we frequented. We were eager to try some in Denver and chose Jerusalem Restaurant because of its great reviews online. We were disappointed in their food. I have never been to a middle eastern restaurant that does not offer fresh pita bread. Theirs was clearly store bought and flavorless. The veggie appetizer was wimpy, offering very small servings of the good stuff (hummus, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, etc.) and instead was loaded with french fries. The chicken shwarma sandwiches were very dry and bland and were nothing I would ever spend money on again (This is coming from someone who LOVES chicken shwarma sandwiches). Service while in the restaurant was okay. The bathrooms are the smallest bathrooms I have ever seen. They have clearly tried to make the inside of the restaurant look authentic, but the blankets hanging on the walls just made it feel a little dirty to me. Overall, even if my boyfriend hadn't gotten food poisoning here, we probably would not have returned. read more