I didn't expect this to be such a nice place in a nice medical building. It's a pleasant place to hang out, and the food is very reasonable. Service is pleasant and helpful. I had the day's special, which was a chicken dish with potatoes in a lemon gravy. I got 3 drumsticks, with rice for $10. It was very good. My wife had the chicken schwarma salad, which was a generous portion. Also had some good falafel, and hummus. Our friends had meat pies, onion rings, lentil soup, and a salad. The atmosphere is nice cafeteria with bright lights, and simple decor. The cafe is around the corner from the market. read more

This has become one of our regular lunch places and the food is always fresh and very tasty. I give the food 4 stars or even a 5. However, it is very sad that the old couple that own the place have passed it down to their son, Elias. With this move, the warmth and family feel of this place has gone down the drain. There are 2 employees in particular who have made it difficult to go back and enjoy the food. They are downright rude and condescending. The most unfortunate thing, Elias does not correct it! read more

Been a happy customer here since the early 1990s (when it was located just off Wisconsin Ave.). Consistently fantastic food. Friendly staff. Great sandwiches in the cafe, and excellent Middle Eastern options to take home (like kebbe) in the market. They also did a great job catering an event I held at American University. Can't beat the quality or the price. A real hidden gem. read more

This is a review for the cafe, not for the supermarket. So, first, the word "cafe" in the name Shemali's Cafe is a bit of a misnomer - I was expecting someplace cute (think Figs in Palisades), a place where I'd want to hang out, a place with cool music. Shemali's feels a bit more like a cafeteria. It is quite institutional and, with its fluorescent lights, it's not the kind of place where you'd want to linger. Of course, I'm always down for amazing food no matter what the ambiance is like (after all, you can't eat ambiance!), so I don't fault Shemali's for it's spartan decor, but what we sampled here was really quite unexceptional. The chicken shwarma featured some painfully dry, leathery chicken (it was barely saved by the garlic sauce which we had to coat the chicken in to make it palatable) and the veggie platter was, sadly, pretty bad - the spinach pie, which I was thrilled to try, tasted as though it had been reheated in a microwave, so the pastry shell was doughy and incredibly chewy, and once I gnawed away at it, I was left with tasteless spinach filling. The same leathery consistency issue was true of the falafel, except that it had become just terribly hard when re-heated. The hummus and tabbouleh were both fairly unexceptional (and served with tasteless, soggy pita), the grape leaves were the best of what I sampled. Our lunch for 2 was $19, a great price, but there's not much at Shemali's that would bring me back here. read more

Amazing! The hummus was very yummy and the pita was good. The stuffed grape leaves were very good. But my oh my. The kibbeh is AMAZING. first of all, the kibbehs are huge compared to other places. I'm in love and I'm so happy that it's near my university. The kibbeh has great flavor and is cooked perfectly. I recommend this place to everyone. I wish the kibbeh was available on the food delivery apps! I found the rest of their menu but not kibbeh read more

Shemalis is awesome. If you live near AU there is no better lunch spot. Really good, affordable food. Service is fast too.

This place is consistent with any deli/cafe you would find in Lebanon or Israel. Very authentic.

My family has ordered catered food from here several times and it's always been fantastic. The spinach pies are one of my favorites. In the past we've ordered the appetizers - fatoush, hommos, kebbe, spinach pie, meat pie, vine leaves stuffed w/ veggies. Entrees -shish kabab, kafta kabab and meat stuffed grape leaves. It's a little difficult to find the first time, inside an office building/inside mall area. Deli style set up with some grocery items. read more

I am so sad that I did not find Shemali's sooner than I did. Maybe there are cheaper places out there to get Middle Eastern/Lebanese food, but to be honest, any of the cheaper places I've been to don't even meet Shemali's halfway when it comes to flavor. You can't go wrong with anything that has falafel or chicken shawarma. Their hummus, whether you get it at the restaurant or at their little market around the corner, is probably the best hummus I have had. I refuse to eat any other hummus that comes from the grocery store and buy exclusively from this place now. The only real downside to the place are the limited hours, which prevents me from eating at this little joint in the evenings and on the weekends. read more

Since I discovered Shemali's, it immediately became my favorite place since their food is so DELICIOUS consistently no matter what day you go (and I go almost each day!). My favorites include: gyro, lamb platter, beef shawarma, steak&cheese sndw and lentil soup! Their food smells like home, looks appetizing and tastes tasty!!! The staff is affable and willing to go the extra mile. Highly recommend!!!! read more

The ladies in here are so friendly and helped me find all I needed to make one of the meals I missed most from Morocco.

My friend recommended that I visit Shemali's, after going into several praise-filled rants over their quality mango juice (with real chunks). It's a small family store, but it has a nice selection of goods. There's quite a few spices, jams, and grains. But what really impressed me was the order I heard when I walked in. The woman before me in the checkout line sounded like she wanted to raid the entire supply of baked goods. So I said to myself, okay, she's purchasing half a dozen meat pies. They must be good. That kind of logic has usually worked for me, especially at Great Wall Supermarket in Rockville. But I just wasn't that impressed with the meat pie. For $1.25 a pie, it was filling enough as a snack but not satisfying enough to tide me over until dinner. They have a couple of options as far as dates are concerned. The Medjool dates looked a little old and wrinkly, and for 8.99/lb, (it's weird to say but...) Wholefoods is cheaper at 7.99/lb. The other boxed options for dates were a lot more reasonable, especially since they were pitted. I purchased a 16 oz (1 lb) container for about $5. The other option was $3.50 for 10 oz. my container of dates wasn't as sweet as I would have liked, but they were relatively fresh and satisfied my craving. I came here because of the mango juice, but I regret to say I didn't end up buying it. There simply wasn't enough space in my bag to accommodate it, but I did have a fairly good experience during this visit. The woman who assisted me was very friendly and helpful, and I fed myself for a reasonable price. While I wasn't that impressed with the food I purchased, since it's in the neighborhood, I'll definitely be back to enjoy the food options at this local Middle Eastern store. read more

I had the Steak and Cheese with French fries and they both were delicious. Nice and hot and full of onions, peppers and mushroom

What a find! Falafel, 6 types of Feta cheese, spices, nuts, olives... I love this place. I come here for the ingredients to make the perfect vegetarian pita roll and a small bit of baklava for the drive home. read more

Shared two daily lunch specials with a friend. The meatballs over rice was tasty. Definitely middle eastern flavor not Italian. The eggplant and ground meat over rice was bland. Needed more eggplant and more flavor. Both came with fresh crisp salads. But no pita bread. Next time I'm trying the chicken gyro. Looks authentic on the spit. read more

Excellent mom and pop Middle Eastern place somewhat hidden in a mini mall. I had a delicious chicken shawarma plate while everyone in my group loved their dishes and the pitas are amazing. Note that it is invisible from the street and you have to go to the back of the mall and then to the left- do not go to the small store they also have and think that you are there. This is a sit down restaurant down the hall. read more

The food was some of the best Middle Eastern food I've ever had. The babaganosh was deliciously smokey and the hummus was creamy with the right touch of tahini. Great kebebe(?), shawerma, and the things they can do to salmon will make you smile. Now I just need to find out if they have takeout. Yummo! read more

I visit a couple of Doctors in the FoxHall building and I always look forward to go have lunch while im there. This is a family owned business and they area all so pleasant. The food is fresh and delicious. From the hummus to the falafels and the lamb. hmmmm Great place!!! read more

I have been buying Shemali's prepared and packaged food for about ten years. Everything I get is consistently wonderful. It is not a large market, but there is enough to choose from. Their pricing is very, very reasonable considering the quality of food available. Definitely the cheapest source for tahini. Their couscous and lentil salads are among the best I have ever had. It is a family-run business and the people are lovely. read more

Shemali's is amazing. They have a nice selection of products for cooking Middle Eastern food (Lebanese/Turkish/Etc.) and a great selection of home-made fair. And it doesn't cost a fortune. I'm not sure how it manages to stay open in Foxhall Square with such reasonable prices, but Shemali's is amazing in so many ways...yum. Also: props to the staff--they are nice and helpful without being overly nice and overly helpful; I don't feel put-upon when I come in. To summarize: go here. You'll leave with some good baklava, kibbeh, and some cash still in your pocket. read more

Excellent market and definitely essential for any who like to cook Arabic/Mediterranean food, or stock their pantries with familiar regional staples (hummus, labne, tahini, spices, pita bread, etc.). They also have a great selection of coffee and teas, as well as great prepared goods such as spinach and meat pies, kibbeh, and falafel. I also have had their catering a number of times, and it is unbelievable - they make excellent Lebanese dishes like stuffed grape leaves. read more

Great service. I like my gyro, although I found the sandwich to be smaller than I would like. I will definitely return to try the fries!

My husband and I are long-time customers (yes, back to the days when they were on Wisconsin). It's worth the trek over to Foxhall. My husband eat their hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouli, and turnip pickles every day. Every. Day. And he's picky. The hummus is smooth and has the right amount of tahini, and the baba ghanouj is smoky. Excellent. They've added some new salads now that the cafe is open and they're good, too, but my favorite is the Lebanese moussaka -- eggplant, chickpeas, and tomatoes -- yum. read more

Love this place. I went in for only grape leaves (which the Harris Teeter stopped carrying) and came out with like half the store. It's true that it's small and at first glance, looks like there's not much there. But it's such a smartly-stocked store that after a few seconds, you kind of realize: Hold on, I need one of those and one of those and OH MY GOODNESS i forgot those even existed I need one of those and that looks fresh and delicious and oh what the heck those look good too...which is how you end up buying half the store. And the quality of everything is so good that it's completely worth it. read more

Had some time to kill before an appointment in (NAME of Shopping Center) so we decided to grab lunch. We are glad we did. Shemall's was a very pleasant surprise. Our food was excellent. read more

The people here are so nice! The food is delicious. To continue with my story, the manager allowed me to have my matza at her place. Eventhough this would make me be unable to order the pita bread that comes with the hummus. I appreciate this a lot! The people are super friendly as well. read more

The shawarma here is amazing. Perfect made and so delicious. Also the portions are huge so make sure you come hungry.

I think that I may have been dazed when I first came to this store today. I cannot believe that it has taken me 3 years to hear about it! I've been resigned to going out to NOVA to find a good middle-eastern market. No more! Shemali's has a surprisingly large selection of products for the small size of the store. I only bought some baklawa for my landlady and her son, but the display case filled me with longing and nostalgia. If you live near American U and enjoy cheap snacks like kibbeh and freshly made cheeses and yogurt, you will LOVE this place. The owner is very friendly and helpful and the store is very nice. read more

I live close to Shemali's and always stop by when visiting a doctor in this professional building. The sesame cookies are fabulous along with the halavah sold there. Also, the hummus and babaganosh cannot be beat. A family owned and operated business with great service with a smile. read more

I love eating here because the food is amazing. Great home cooked middle eastern cooking. The service is really good too. They are always warm and friendly and i get my food fast. read more

Shemali's has both a cafe and a store. Because there are limited options to eat in the area (I work at the nearby university), I come to Shemali's on a pretty regular basis. Not anymore. The food is okay considering there aren't that many options to begin with. But I still wanted to support their business. However, the woman they have working at the store is horrible. Despite the fact that I'm a regular and always come in to buy something or another at the store usually WHILE I'm waiting for my order to finish at the cafe...despite the fact that I'm always very friendly and talkative and she knows me...her behavior was deplorable. As I'm looking around--hungry for an afternoon snack and some sweets, I walk around the aisles trying to figure out everything I'll get. Because it's a specialty/imported goods type store, I enjoy seeing everything they have. She stops washing the dishes, and comes and stands leaning against the aisle I'm in staring at me. I tell her politely that I'm really just looking--she tells me that's okay, and continues to watch me. She then asks me what my ethnic background is. She refused to walk away wanting to see what I was doing. The woman didn't even try to be subtle about it and go stand behind the cash register where she could have easily "kept her eye on me." This after all the business I've given them--I even brought my large classes of students treats from their store. I was so offended I put down the turkish coffee I was considering buying, and walked out without saying a word to her. As if I was trying to steal something. She treated me so terribly I have no plans of returning there or the cafe again. If they don't know how not to treat a regular, loyal customer then that's an issue. You've lost a long-term customer, Shemali's--and all because of that woman you have working in your store. read more