This relatively new and unassuming family-owned and operated restaurant and market is known for its…read moreauthentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Located in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke, Virginia, I decided one day to going with a friend to try it out and see for ourselves if it offered an authentic Mediterranean dining experience. While we were driving in search of the restaurant we couldn't miss it. It small size with a cute and unique architectural design structure immediately caught our attention. It's prominent triangular roof and black square sign stood out from the normal restaurant designs. The front of the restaurant was one large window with a red framed glass door. It had a covered front porch with a dining table for 4 on each side for the convenience of customers who enjoyed dining outdoor during nice weather. We parked in their small parking lot and walked in. To our surprise, it had a simple minimalist interior design decor with white tile floors surrounded by black grout, white painted walls with poster size photographs of places from the Mediterranean hanging from the walls, and simple tables with different colored chairs. One ordered from the cashiers counter located in the middle of the restaurant / market with a display case next to it with the desserts in individual plastic containers. The menu with photographs of the main dishes was high above as well as one posted on the large window outside, and small size regular menus as well. Both my friend and I ordered a Kufta Kabob Sandwich and bottled drinks. My friend ordered a Freez Pineapple Coconut and I ordered a Mango Peach one. We were asked if we wanted fries with the sandwich and we both said yes. I also asked them to include a Falafel appetizer, that oddly enough the price charged for it was $7.22 before taxes. At the end they told us what the total price was and I paid, since I was inviting today. And then was given the receipt. Later on at home I saw that we were charged a Make It Combo fee of $8.22 just for including the fries, because the drinks were charged separate a $5.18 charge. After the order we went and sat down at one of the tables in the restaurant side of the business while they prepared our order. The fact that the Market was on the other side of the small interior of the business detracted from dining ambiance of fine dining, especially with having unopened and some partially opened boxes all around. After we finished dining, we walked around the Market to take a look at the different products they carried for sale. Now as to the food, the 6 Falafels were good but a bit towards the dark side meaning overcooked. The sauce that came with it was very good however. The Kufta Kabob Sandwich was amazingly fresh and delicious and the accompanied fries were well seasoned and nicely fried. And the sauce that came with them was also one of a kind. Judging from the friendly and welcoming attitude from the owner and another employee we met, from the variety of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern items on the menu, and the amazing flavor of the food we had, this is definitely the place to go if you're in the area for Mediterranean cuisine.

Petra was ok, but given the area it may be the best Roanoke has to offer for Mediterranean food…read more The service was good and the wait for the food wasn't long. However, the food itself was just ok. The falafel was tasty, but the rice had peas and carrots in it, which I never seen at a mediterranean spot. So much of the food left a lot to the imagination. Again, compared to other local spots, this may be top notch, but it was just ok to me.

Today was the second time I ate here. It was via door dash. It's so good. Way better than Chipotle…read more A lot of the lower reviews are for trained staff and wait times. Whatever. Nobody is mean and It's so good I don't care if they're a little slow.

We're in from out of town and stopped in. Delicious food and very polite & accommodating service!…read moreMy bowl was really good with plenty of food and the pita chips were really yummy! We need one in Cincinnati!

This was my favorite place when I went to Liberty. The food was always so good to me. Sometimes I…read morefeel it could've been packaged better, but it was again my favorite place on campus. I got their food every day and never got tired of it!

From the owner: Counter-serve Mediterranean eatery known for customizable pitas, bowls & scratch-made flavors.read more

We ended up getting a few things to go instead of dining in as the smoke shop next door has copious…read moreamounts of smoke coming out of their exhaust going directly into his air intake outside. The shop next door should be ashamed and the landlord should do something about it. The hummus was phenomenal. I would have loved to see it served with homemade pita instead but it was delicious nonetheless. The Ma'amoul was great. Highly suggest getting food for pick up!

Enjoyed the food I got. Service was absolutely top tier and the food was fresh. Tasted decent, but…read morethe portions were a little small for the price.

It is said that good things come in small packages, and this tiny Mediterranean and Middle Eastern…read morerestaurant perfectly embodies this saying. Since it opened its doors in 2017 in Salem, Virginia, this small but very popular, family-owned restaurant by Egyptian immigrants is known for its fresh made-to-order gyros, falafel, and Greek salads, just to name a few. Today I had the opportunity to visit this restaurant and discover the qualities that make this tiny restaurant in the middle of nowhere so popular. Because of its small size, most of its customers orders are take outs. But it also has a counter inside with around 3 to 4 stools so that customers who prefer to eat their food in the restaurant can. When I arrived, I parked my Lexus in a space right in front of the restaurant and noticed that there are not that many parking spots around. That is another reason why most of its sells are take-out orders. Customers can either call in their orders and drop by to pick it up, or park for a few minutes, make their order, and watch it being made, and then take it with them to enjoy at home. In good, warm weather, they do have two picnic tables outdoors where their customers can eat. Inside, I was able to meet the husband of the family who runs the business. He was very friendly and kind, a native of Egypt with a wife and 5 siblings. He gave me a warm welcome and took my eat-in order. The menu (which had Halal food) was displayed inside a Coca-Cola stand. To drink I grabbed a Mountain Dew from their drinks display refrigerator they have with Coke products. To eat I ordered their Gyro Special: Gyro meat served with rice and a small salad. It came with a special salad dressing and a sauce to put on the meat. The kitchen and the restaurant itself were very clean and all the ingredients used were very fresh and quality products. I sat on one of the stools, in front of the counter and watched him prepare my food. After paying for it with a credit card, I began to enjoy eating it. The salad was very fresh, made right before my eyes. The meat was Broiled right then and there, and the rice had a yellow tone and tasted unbearably delicious! As I was eating, the owner/chef put up a sign on the counter that read: "Please wait. I'm praying. thank you." I then figured out he must be Muslim and as soon as he finished praying I said to him: "As-salamu alaykum." He appreciated my nice words. While I was there, two other customers came in and ordered takeout food. For dessert I ordered an in-house made Baklava. The shape didn't look so good but the flavor did taste good. He told me that I could eat it with my hands but since they didn't have a restroom to wash my hands afterwards, I asked for a plastic fork to eat it with. Their prices were very reasonable and their portions very generous. I paid for the Baklava and thanked him for the wonderful service. The food was so genuine and delicious that whenever I'm in this area next time, I will definitely stop by and dine there again.

Best gyro I've had in years. No frills. The meat shines in its simplicity: seasoning and texture…read more The ingredients in the pita were fresh and proportioned well, and the tzatziki (as another reviewer pointed out) was top notch. I also got a pita and side of hummus, and the hummus was special. I didn't ask, but I think the oil may have been grapeseed? Either way, delicious. The proprietor was kind and took pride in his specialty. I wish there was a bathroom, but you have to appreciate the intimacy of a "hole-in-the-wall" corner shop, which I say with the upmost respect.

We are in town celebrating the very recent birth of our grandson. We offered to bring dinner and…read moreasked our daughter what she would like. She said she'd love to try Downtown Cairo. Her wish was our command, so we found their restaurant on Forest Ave. We are no strangers to Middle Eastern cuisine so we were interested to find out what an Egyptian place around here would be like. Wow! It was fantastic! We ordered the "lunch" gyro combo for our three year old granddaughter... she will be eating it for the rest of the week haha! Son-in-law got the Egyptian street burger, and the rest of us ordered bowls with shawarma meat. The meat was flavorful and tender. All the toppings were fresh (there are lots of great options). Falafel was spot on! I hope they're fabulously successful, because we can't wait to come back the next time we're here! There's lots on the menu (grape leaves and Habibi fries) that I want to try.

Yummmmmm. What a nice change of pace! Super fresh food, and super delicious dessert!! I built my…read moreown bowl- lettuce/rice, chicken schwarma, hummus, veggies, falafel, tzatziki and hot sauce. I only got the small bowl and I ate maybe 1/3 of it! That falafel is to die for! Next time I will be getting just the falafel as my meat, for sure. Everything was so so good and fresh!

I underestimated the small town vibe, as this is the sort of place where the owners do everything…read moreand I had a meal freshly cooked for me in an open kitchen. It's part of the historic area of Lynchburg and has a nice brick line space that has been amply decorated. They offer a large vegetarian and vegan selection of both Indian and more Middle Eastern cuisine and because of the nature of the place, you can have a conversation about exactly what you want. I insisted that I wanted something spicy and managed to talk them into it. I got some okra that did have a significant kick to it and was otherwise fresh and aromatic. I also added a large chai which was sweetened to taste. I did not have room to really indulge on dessert, but nonetheless decided to take one small baklava to go. It was quite wondrous in texture and the flavor explodes out of it. The reason I had not been in before is that their hours are rather limited, but for anyone looking for vegan/vegetarian food in this part of the state, this place stands out.

Love the Hot and Cold cafe! They treat you like family there and the vindaloo curry is amazing!read more

Nice lunch for a workplace Cafe:) Service prompt and courteous. Nice ambience for an office park…read moreCafe, was pleasantly surprised:) Would go again when in the area...

Quite frankly I'm shocked at the amount of good reviews, maybe they used to be good but have since…read moregone downhill? Usually I wait until I've tried a place a few times but I feel comfortable making a review based on my first try since 1) their catering had a variety of options so I know it wasn't just one dish that was bad and 2) I couodnt imagine spending my money to give them a second chance. Really. It was this bad. They catered an event I attended today and I had pita bread, hummus, dolmas, chicken and squash shish kebabs, pasta salad and Greek salad. Every. Single. Dish. Was an absolute let down. Chicken was completely dry and flavorless. I threw the rest of it away. The pita was so dry it crumbled and I couldn't eat it. Surely the hummus would help boost the chicken and pita? Wrong. The hummus was basically ground chickpeas with no other flavor. The pasta salad just tasted like plain pasta with oil. Nothing else. The dolmas were decent (but it's grape leaves and rice, how can you mess it up??) and the green salad was ONLY good bc there was some feta to put on top. The dressing was just straight oil no other flavors. I can't comment on their ambiance, I'm not sure if you can eat inside since it was catered to us. Maybe the place is nice but I haven't been there so I wouldn't know. This is the worst meal I've had in awhile and I do not recommend their food. The others at my table all said the same thing, we were not impressed. Would not recommend.

Wow, best we've ever had. If you like All the options of middle eastern street food: gyros,…read morefalafel, baklavas, hummus, falafel, shawarma, and kebabs, as well as salads like fattoush and tabbouleh, Baba ghanoush, dolmades and mansf. I've never seen such a wide variety of baklava The numerous options for spices and condiments was awesome to cover everyone's individual tastes In a nutshell, if you've never tried this style of food this would be a great introduction. ALL the ingredients are fresh! Portions are generous and the pricing is reasonable So give it a try and report back. We were in town visiting from west coast. I've eaten at several restaurants that serve this style of food. None compare

This restaurant carried Mediterranean and Greek food. It was very clean and contained very fresh…read moreingredients. The decor was very simple. It had booths to seat in and the walls contained poster size enlarged photographs of different Mediterranean food. The owner was very friendly and took my order when I arrived. I ordered a Falafel appetizer and as main course a Beef Shawerma Sandwich. He asked me if I wanted it with fries and I said yes, and they were very good, but given the option I would have probably taken a salad. The Falafels were amazingly good; crispy in the outside and soft and moist in the inside. The sauce that came with them was also very good. The meat of the Shawerma was nice and tender with just the right spices. For dessert I asked for a Baklava. It was good but a bit dry. There was another tray with Baklavas that looked fresher in the bottom of the display case, but it was covered with a plastic wrap and hadn't been opened yet. Overall the food was very good and I will definitely come back for more when I want to eat Mediterranean food again, and I recommend the restaurant to all those reading this review.