Lunch today was a VERY pleasant surprise. I found Al Forno on Yelp, we were interested in finding…read morea good Shwarma sandwich place in the Sarasota area (we eat them a lot in NYC), but had, we'll say, "moderate" expectations. The storefront is nothing special at all, you order from a big tablet screen and then they have standard fast-casual seating. It doesn't look fancy at all and the restroom situation is weird (you have to go outside through a back alley for the men's restroom?). The workers were nice but I was only hoping for "solid" food. Then I took my first bite of the mixed-shwarma sandwich, and it was sublime. Perfectly cooked and well seasoned tender meat, they press the pita with just the right amount of salad/pickles, so the pita is crunchy and the meat isn't overwhelmed with too much salad like so often happens. Their house fries were spiced deliciously and fried fresh (which makes us want to try the Falafel, which we also saw them frying fresh). The food was *fantastic*, making it one of those diamond-in-the-rough places that you'd never guess had such good food. We're looking forward to going back and trying more on the menu, highly recommend if you're near UTC mall.

Stopped by Al forno Mediterranean Grill in UTC Sarasota with my uncle and had a good experience…read moreoverall. The food was solid, your typical Mediterranean cuisine but I will say it's a bit on the pricey side if you're just trying to grab a quick lunch. The tabbouleh parsley was chopped a bit larger than I personally prefer. I usually like it more finely chopped, but it was still fresh and enjoyable. Service was quick and the food came out fast, which I appreciated. There's limited seating inside, so it seems like it's set up more for takeout than dining in. Overall, a good spot. Just keep the pricing and seating in mind depending on what you're looking for.

AMAXING. Reminds me of NY halal food. Super quick and done right. Get the combo bowl with extra…read moregarlic sauce.

I used to come here regularly because it was a reliable late-night spot. I typically ordered the…read morecombo platter with fish and lamb and always enjoyed it. One night while waiting for my order, I noticed a roach on one of the booths inside the restaurant. I was uncomfortable but ultimately brushed it off. A few months later, I picked up my order and brought it home. As I removed the platter from the bag, I found a dead roach inside the bag. I immediately called the restaurant to request a refund. The employee said she needed manager approval. When the manager called, he initially offered a replacement platter, which I declined due to how off-putting the situation was. He then agreed to issue a refund and said it would appear the next day. Unfortunately, the refund never came. While I previously enjoyed the food here, the repeated and evident roach issue, combined with the unfulfilled refund, leaves me no choice but to not return.

I have to laugh. I was prepared to initially give Zalabia a very low rating. When we entered, the…read moreplace was dead. A gentleman was standing in the kitchen, & he just looked at us with no greeting. We sat down, looked at a menu, & waited 7 minutes before he came out. Finally he appeared & we ordered the small chicken shawarma wraps. The gentleman replied we could not have chicken shawarma wraps today. I laughed & we ordered a beef shawarma wrap, a falafel wrap, & a side of baba ghanoush, & 2 waters. We sat for 23 minutes, lol. I told my wife this is turning into such a bad experience. Finally the man showed up with the wraps. I mentioned we also ordered waters & baba ghanoush. He seemed confused but brought them out. A moment later I sank my teeth into some of the most delicious beef shawarma I've ever had. The shop owner was from Egypt & his beef had been marinated in warm spices like cinnamon. It was unexpectedly excellent. Then I tried the baba ghanoush. Wow!! It was not the usual flavoring that I love. It was totally unique & also excellent. It also had a tiny bit of heat in it from a chile pepper. Finally, the falafel was way above average, tasting so great. Anyway, I was ready to give Zalabia one star, but it always comes down to the food. And the food was 5 stars.

What a delightful small restaurant with very attentive staff. The vegan options were somewhat…read morelimited, but absolutely scrumptious. There's a few other vegan options. Looking forward to trying, I can't not wait till I come back. Recommend 100%

Favorite local Indian food! My go to when I'm wanting some tikka masala chicken or butter chicken…read moreand naan!

First bite into my butter chicken was filled with gristle and they put bell peppers in their butter…read morechicken. I'll never come back here again. Update: three bites in and I threw it away.

I found this place one day on Uber Eats and every chance I get I'm ordering take out or I'm…read morestopping by because honestly everything is FIRE I almost always get the chicken Shawarma with white sauce and hot sauce extra white. But let's be real the gyro over rice and with pita is amazing I've also done the beef and chicken shawarma. Just typing this out makes my mouth water and belly rumble for more

5/5 I finally…read morestopped into Fire Up Halal Grill after passing by so many times--and I'm so glad I did! I ordered the chicken kebab over basmati rice, and everything was amazing. The grilled chicken was full of flavor, the veggies were super fresh, and the sauces tied everything together perfectly. The portion size was great too--definitely worth it. So happy I finally tried this place. I'll definitely be back!

Daves Hot chicken is my new favorite spot. First of all. I love the vibe when you come in it's very…read moreconveniently located and also the food is amazing every time I've gone it's been a good experience. The chicken is very fresh and they have big portions. I love their Dave's sauce. And I love the fact that you can change the spice on your chicken sandwich depending on what mood you're in the service is always good and fast and the quality of the food is really good. I got the slider meal with the fries chicken was juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside the pickles on the side are a must if youre a pickle lover like me they just add a great crunch and freshness and overall it was delicious.

Dave's continues to be basically the Culver's of Nasvhille Hot Chicken Sandwiches. It's weird now…read moreseeing this chain all over America when I remember going to the original one in LA about a decade ago. I decided to go with just a hot chicken sandwich today, and I got their new saucy bites. The sandwich is standard and is the same across all of their chain restaurants. I think it's the definition of average. I got my saucy bites with hot honey. They were ok. Super saucy, and lots of honey. I feel like Dave's has started to lose it's luster now that it's basically all across America.

Best lentils soup in this hemisphere. Love the Turkish tea w/ sugar cubes. And the sea-bass is…read moreamazing.

all the meats in the fridge looks so old and moldy Next to…read moreit was red peppers with mold Chicken wings are half cooked and sitting in the fridge looks terrible Fishes in the fridge look like thy have worms bad colors of fish I tried the mix wrap one of the worst !!!wrong place to go to And if you pick up products and go pay in the check out thy will change prices And service its not that high quality

Hands down best chicken sandwich spot- consistent, straight forward and fairly priced…read more Service is great and you can get 2 chicken sandwiches and fries for like 13 bucks AND it's delicious. I get hot and extra hot- perfectly spicy without regret. The building is modern and the vibe is clean and comfy room for groups or just yourself. I love this place HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Any time I'm in temple terrace I come here.

My colleague told me about The Red Bird, so we went there for Friday night dinner. We ordered two…read morehot chicken sandwiches, served on buns with fresh broccoli, crunchy pickles, and fries with the signature big bird sauce. We got our to-go food in just 10 minutes! We enjoyed the chicken sandwich. We got it with spicy sauce and the spice level was perfect. Someone who's a big fan of coleslaw in their chicken sandwiches will probably love this place. The chicken burgers were also good, but not anything out of the ordinary.

I was seriously craving chicken kebabs, so I ended up checking out this local Mediterranean spot. I…read morewent with the Shish Tawook two grilled chicken skewers that come with your choice of sides. I picked the hummus and salad, both of which were super light and refreshing. The only miss for me was the raw white part of the green onions in the salad, they were a bit too chunky for my taste. The chicken, though? Perfectly grilled...crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. It came with a tzatziki sauce that was more on the liquidy side, which isn't my favorite texture, so I just used it as a dip for the chicken and hummus. Heads-up: the menu on their official site isn't updated, but if you Google "Tasty Mediterranean," it shows accurate prices and lets you order online. It came out to $17.99 plus tax , which is a little pricey for lunch, but the portions were solid and the staff were super friendly so no complaints there!

Popped in here for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by the fresh variety of offerings, friendly…read moreservice, and generous portion sizes. I got a bowl with and they allowed you to pick a base, protein, 3 toppings, and 2 sauces for $14. The chicken shawarma and baba ghanouj were the stars of the show. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for great middle eastern cuisine in the Westchase area.