I visit YAFO on Central Ave. often, but I now work in SouthPark and am excited to hit this location more often! And I absolutely have to write a glowing review after my first visit at this location. I had a $15 birthday coupon to use and place my order online, then when I went to pick it up, the manager kindly let me know I had accidentally sent my order to the Central location - but he still made my bowl quickly and didn't charge me for it. Absolutely wonderful customer service (and of course the bowl was amazing). read more

Everything was amazing! Can't wait to go back. Best Mac and cheese we've ever had. Great service and flavors. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Build your own bowl. Jasmine rice for the base and chicken shawarma for protein. It did look prettier but I was eager to eat it! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Delicious healthy food, there's always a long line cuz they're busy but that's expected when the food is that good. It's definitely on a pricy side. Went for the first time for lunch and somehow came out with $28 worth of food. I'll say tho that it was a lot of food. Got me a hummus bowl with everything on it + chicken on the side. read more

This is my first time ever hearing of this restaurant. My coworkers & I stopped by for lunch & I must say, I enjoyed every bite. The ambience, food & service was amazing. Thank you to the kind person who assisted me with the menu and walking me through ordering my build-your-own-bowl. First you choose the "Base" I selected the Kale Crunch Salad, tomato & cucumbers; next "Toppings" I picked quinoa, feta, carrots, corn, cauliflower & brussel sprouts and my "Protein" option was the lemon chicken. DELICIOUS. I will definitely come again. 10 out of 10 highly recommend! read more

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This is by far the best BYO Mediterranean place I've had since moving to Charlotte. I had the chicken shawarma as my protein and the portion was very generous. I really enjoyed the sauces that came on the side as well. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Group BYO Bowl with chicken shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We first heard about this place through Midwood Smokehouse (which we love!), as they are owned by the same company. We finally decided to give them a try, and we are glad we did. We stopped in for lunch today. There are plenty of parking spots, and then some. We got there around 1 p.m. and the line was relatively long, especially for the time; however, it did move quickly! This was our first time, so it was a little bit confusing ordering. I think most of the people working on the line were new, so there were a couple hiccups, but to be expected! Everyone was SO friendly, though. I ordered a build your own bowl and my husband got the Kibbeh Pita Tacos. Everything tasted so fresh and was so filling. There was also plenty of seating available. We will definitely be returning! read more

In addition to the great food, the staff is WONDERFUL!! I LOOOOVE THIS PLACE. I have sent many repeat customers who are equally impressed.

I loved my make your own bowl--you choose a protein and 8 toppings -- lamb with schug sauce, amazing spicy sauce that is not too hot, wonderful and full of flavor. I loved the pickled vegetables, that was a new addition for me and really elevated the flavors. The goat cheese, tabouleh, olives, grape leaves, jasmine rice and cucumbers. Definitely try the homemade bread!! It's awesome and soft like the best pits bread you ever had! The service was phenomenal and prompt. I accidentally had ordered my takeout for the wrong time and when I called to fix it the manager helped me change the time. Wonderful customer service!! Parking is in the lot, if it's crowded go over to the garage by the Earthfare. Or surface lot by B&N. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Marrakesh Lamb Bowl yummy! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I love this place, portion size is generous and the service here is always good. Employees are friendly and helpful, which is always appreciated. The food is delicious and healthy. read more

It's been 2 years since my review and my last several visits to Yafo have sadly not been 5 star. The portions are smaller and the prices have increased substantially. I know prices are up everywhere but $20 for a small bowl is just too much. Sad to say Yafo is not on my preferred restaurant list anymore. read more

Tried this place with a friend for lunch and the food was a lot. Large portions so we couldn't eat it all and had to pack to go. Actually you can add certain items on your plate for extra $$.The initial cost of making your plate was about $15. Two plates with 2 drinks cost me about $50. Yeah kinda of pricy. The plating is like a Buffett which the server asks you what you like. Food is flavorful and delish. I like variety on my plate so it's a plus! This food is different from Cava or Zoe Cafe. I have to bring my kids here to experience this food. Atmosphere was hot due to the a/c being out and a bit loud with the music and cooks cooking so gave it a 4 star. Overall I would come back again to this side of town. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Make your own plate. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I've never had a bad experience at this Yafo Kitchen or any others in town. It is one of my favorite places to eat when I'm craving something healthy and filling. And that's facts, even down to their Greek yogurt Mac and cheese! I usually build my own bowl and opt for a mixture of a grain and hummus. I add everything from peppers and chicken and olives and tomatoes, feta cheese and more. As my quest for the best chicken sandwich continues around town, I tried the Israeli Hot Chicken Sandwich and I was pleasantly surprised. This sandwich is hot! If spicy level 0-1 is your thing, I'm not sure this is the sandwich for you. I'd place the spice level at about a 2 (but I'm weak sauce) and I enjoyed it. The crunch. The flavor. All rolled together, the sandwich is fire -- pun intended! They have awesome service whether you're doing standard pickup or curbside and double check all orders before handing them over to you. Thank you for fresh, friendly, flavorful food! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Israeli Hot Chicken Sandwich - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Great food - fast service Ordered online and had it delivered - food was warm and yummy - especially the dolmades ! read more

Made a last-minute decision to eat here after shopping at Eathfare next door at lunch on a Saturday. First, finding a parking place in this location for any of these stores is difficult. I've eaten here before and their meat options are always too dry, so I always skip any protein option and just get a bowl of veggies on a grain. I wish they had quinoa as a base. Instead, I had to get couscous. I topped it off with a babaganoush spread, pickled onion, red cabbage, chick peas, diced cucumbers, tabouli, kalamata olives, stuffed grape leaves (dolmas), and roasted brussel sprouts ($1 extra) with a lemon-sesame dressing. My veggie bowl was $9, but there is a very nice quantity and I ended up taking some home. The seats are comfortable and the place is clean. However they were completely out of forks. I was told they were being washed. They handed me plastic utensils to use since they were out. I went and picked up a spoon to eat with instead. My fiance is more of a meat and potato-loving guy. He wasn't impressed with the food. I guess you need to like Mediterranean food to appreciate this place. All he ate was the bread they gave with it. Personally, I like it. I just don't ever order their dry meat anymore on it. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Veggie bowl with couscous - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Yafo is by far, one of the best Mediterranean restaurants that I've eaten at, more times than I can count! Whether you want to dine in or take it to go, it's absolutely amazing! When I think of somewhere I could literally eat every day of the week, it's Yafo. There are so many options to pick from a food perspective - chicken, lamb, falafel, beef kofta, etc. Then you have so many toppings and spreads to choose from, to make your perfect mix! The mezzes/sides are also great - cauliflower, brussel sprouts, mac-n-cheese, etc. You truly can't go wrong with anything on the menu! And just about everything is HEALTHY! Can't go wrong with Yafo! The restaurant has tables inside, but also a small patio area outside, if you decide to dine in. If you order for take out, the parking lot is a decent size, but somewhat difficult to find a space. You will most likely circle the lot once or twice and end up parking just a little further. But if you have to walk a little or circle a few times, it will all be worth it! The staff is super friendly and helpful in providing descriptions of the available options and helping you check-out when complete. If you have not yet been, PLEASE make a trip to any of their locations. You will be thinking of your next trip there! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Grain Bowl and Cauliflower - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

yafo is just such an amazing and solid choice! i've always gotten the build your own bowl and they have a good amount of fresh choices. they also have other items for you to order along with sides. it may be overwhelming at first but once you understand the menu there are endless options for you to try! read more

First timer and absolutely loved it!!! The lady told me to make a DIY bowl and it was great! Husband got a Pita with lamb and enjoyed it; but, he said next time, it will be a build your own bowl. Kids got a one lemon chicken and One Chicken Shawarma with rice. The Lemon chicken was a little dry. The shawarma was delightful. Kids meals also comes with a drink for $5. We will be back! read more

Wanted to try Medeterranean street food so we had lunch at this Yafo Kitchen in South Park. The place was packed and noisy but the food line to order went quickly. Everything from hummus, tzatziki, babaganousch, falafel and homemade pita bread baked on the premasise, was only an inkling of other food selections. Salads and dressings, roast chicken, lamb, salmon, variety of cooked and cold vegetables and sides. We ordered build your salad. The added protein ingredients cost extra. The felafel was delicious, the curried chicken salad just ok for me. Food attractively displayed, staff friendly and attentive, prices reasonable. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian , on keto or just enjoy Mediterranean food, you will enjoy the Yafo Kitchen. We would certainly return. read more

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We absolutely love this place!! Their fresh pita is so delicious and the hummus is so fresh too. I love the falafels they are not too dense and they are extremely flavorful. My husband gets the chicken Sharma and he says it's the best that's he's ever had. This is a little far from our house but we make sure to come here as much as possible because we love it so much. The only downfall about it is it is a little expensive for the amount of good you get read more

Overall great food and service! I enjoy going here when I need something quick and easy but delicious.

This is the absolute best bang for buck as a vegan or vegetarian ! For just 10 bucks you can load up on fresh carbs and veggies! I really love eating here because the food is fantastic! The service is quick and the staff typically is pretty friendly ! You can sit in the restaurant but I generally like to take mines to go ! This is casual place so need to dress up ! read more

Delicious. On point. Clean. Great lunch! Introduced CAVA to some out of town guests and it didn't disappoint!

If Chipotle and Fresh Kitchen and Greece got together and made a delicious food baby, this would be their love child. It has the structure of a Chipotle while having the delicious freshness of a Fresh Kitchen and the delicious Grecian/Mediterranean flare. It has far more options than a Chipotle which makes it tough. EVERYTHING looks so good and everything I tried (hummus, spinach, tabbouleh, pickled onions, Brussels sprouts, roasted cauliflower, and a Cilantro dressing) was delicious. Ohhhh! And it comes with freshly made pita that you can actually watch them make. Plenty of fresh iced tea drink options and even a couple beer options. Decently priced, huge portions. Easy to get you and the whole family plenty full. And it seems nice and quick for the quality! The line did move slower than Chipotle, but with so many options, I get it! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Just goodness. Lots and lots of goodness! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Jumping on the Yafo bandwagon- I dig it! I LOVE the build-a-bowl type places, but Chipotle's service and quality has always left something to be desired for me. Yafo, on the other hand, seems to have a great system down as far as line management, ingredients are always fresh and plentiful, and I leave stuffed and happy. The indoor dining area isn't huge and seating is limited due to COVID, but they do enclose the outdoor patio space, and I found it to be comfortably warm even in winter. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Kale, Spinach, Hummus, Tomato-Cucumber salad, Purple Cabbage Slaw, Chicken, Tahini - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Delicious and varied menu. Excellent sides and sauces. I get the chicken and always happy. Family meal is a great option for 3 or more people. It bugs me the tables are dirty many times but otherwise it's a fine dine in experience. read more

I ordered the Rice Bowl (with hummus) and chicken (side: Cream corn and Falafel, Grilled Brussels). Everything was soooo fresh and good. I will definitely visit here again. And I highly recommend Falafel. Seriously, the best Falafel!! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Rice Bowl with hummus. And Grilled Brussels, Falafel.. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I just had a very interesting experience. I wemt with a friend and one of the workers sprayed hose water on her without apologizing or checking if she was okay. While the others giggled and stood around watching. Only one person offered to take care of her meal. 2/10 experience read more

Great food! Great atmosphere!! Great service and great experience!! Do not sleep on this place, please give it a try and believe me, you will not be disappointed. I have to come here every time I am in Charlotte. read more

Food is great. Speed is not. At lunchtime it took 40 minutes to serve less than 20 people. read more

The food here is delicious and it is a great addition to the SouthPark area. My one suggestion is to get here early for lunch! We came here around 1145am hoping to beat the lunch crowd and the line was almost out the door. The good news is that the nice goes by pretty quickly. It's hard to pick what you want to eat but I decided to try the BYOB with rice, chicken, onions, cucumber, chick peas. I wanted a few sauces on the side. I tried their really hot sauce (I forgot the name), granch (amazing) and their jalapeno one. They were all good. I got my husband a chicken wrap to go with a side of brussel sprouts. He loved it as well as the sauces I got him. We were lucky to find a table after we paid. They do have a drink station as well as utensils and napkins in that area. The layout of the restaurant itself is weird, you have to pass by people in line to get to it OR go outside and around the the other door. Overall, good experience. I would definitely come back and try something different. read more

YAFO Kitchen - BYOB - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Returning to Yafo, this time I brought the lovely Mrs. K. with me. She's on a keto diet (very low carbs) and so I expected a certain amount of challenge with finding a way to fit that into her program. As it turned out, that worry was unfounded! Mrs. ordered the quarter rotisserie chicken and for her sides, the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Maybe there were hidden carbs in the sauces, but overall this fits well on her eating regime. As well, she declared it super delicious and "five stars worthy." I chose the lamb bowl, with a base of white rice. Nicely loaded with tzatziki, tomato cucumber salad and garbanzo beans, it was delicious and super filling. The lamb was very tender and very tasty. I enjoyed it thoroughly. We really like Yafo and I can see being back here soon! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Rotisserie chicken with cauliflower and Brussels sprouts at Yafo Kitchen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I would not recommend dining here. The staff seems to be overwhelmed with online orders. We waited in a short line for a good 30min, just to find out the schnitzel they had been passing out to online orders was out. They had us start ordering a bowl instead, and then said they found one. So while one of us waited on the schnitzel, the other was completely finished eating their bowl. Then, the employee tasked with cleaning out the trash was handed our schnitzel plate (still with the same gloves he had while cleaning out the trash) to bring to our table. Very frustrating experience. Will not be back. read more

Yafo is one of my favorite restaurants in Charlotte. I love all of Frank Scibelli's restaurants, but Yafo is my favorite. It's the first fast casual restaurant he's done and he did it well. It's a Chipotle-style Mediterranean restaurant. I always get a build your own bowl. For your base you can choose hummus, salad, or grain. You can also do half and half. I got hummus the first time, but it was a ton of hummus. I love hummus, but it was too much for me. I recommend either doing a half and half or getting a different base and just getting hummus as a spread. I get almost all of the free toppings. They're all great. The Brussels sprouts are really good if you want to pay extra for them. For the protein, I've had falafel, chicken shwarma, and lamb. The falafel and chicken are my favorite. It's also served with awesome warm laffa. I also highly recommend their cucumber lime mint drink (also good mixed with the lemonade). The portion for the build your own bowl is huge, so come hungry! It's pretty popular, so the line can get long at popular lunch hours. It moves pretty fast though. If you haven't been already, Yafo is a must try! read more

YAFO Kitchen - BYO bowl - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Came here with a friend for lunch after being down with food poisoning for a day and a half. This was the first meal I'd had since then. It probably wasn't a good start a meal because of all the flavors, but it was definitely delicious and worth it. As many others have said, the concept of this place is like Chipotle. You walk up and order your food from a steam table with lots of options. They have some premade options and some build on your own. They also sell rotisserie chicken. Per my friend suggestion, we both got the Marrakesh Lamb Bowl, as is. Of course with the delicious Mediterranean flatbread that comes with it. The line was pretty long when we got there. So in an effort to hold the table, my friend stayed seated while I ordered for both of us. The Lamb was pretty pricey, coming in at about $15 bucks a piece with tax. But honestly, the food was spot on and worth it. The lamb was shredded in a way that I haven't seen before, kind of like pulled pork. Admittedly, I was initially a bit leery. I like my lamb sliced. But it was absolutely divine: tender, juicy and perfectly seasoned. The other flavors of the ball were amazing and all melded together very well. I only wished that the harissa yogurt was a bit more spicy. The flavors of this bowl were very rich in a bit too much for coming off of a two-day food poisoning induced fast, but I still managed to about a quarter to a half of the healthy portion. The flatbread was absolutely wonderful: Pillowy, soft and chewy. We didn't try any of their signature drinks though there were many. We were advised of the coconut limeade was absolutely divine. The customer service was excellent overall. Very fast and efficient and we ended up getting through the line fairly quickly. As we were finishing up and engaging in conversation, a nice lady came by and bussed our table for us. The one blip I will mention is that when I walked up to request take away bowls for our leftovers, two employees were engrossed in a personal conversation. They looked at me, but never acknowledged me. I waited patiently and after I was finally acknowledged, I was passed the bowls as the conversation continued with no further eye contact or apology. This is significant because one of those individuals appeared to be the line manager. Overall the experience was great wait to go back and try them again. I think that this will be a great lunchtime place in a day off since it's on the opposite side of town from me. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Menu - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Food was fresh and delicious. The service was quick and helpful. It was our first time and we were from out of town. This was a great little find for a not so heavy dinner. Good kids options as well. read more

Ok I must tell you I now wait to review a spot until I've had 3 visits at least AND THIS PLACE IS GREAT!!!! Each visit was filled with friendly staff; fresh food; clean and bustling (meaning others like it as well as I do lol) We usually do a CREATE YOUR OWN bowl with grains hummus (creamy and delish) tzatki (hope I spelled that right) followed by 3-4 of the toppings such as marinated beets, tomato cucumber relish; pickled onions and other deliciousness The pita-ish bread is soft and chewy and wonderfully warm to accompany any order! There are various meat and vegan toppers like falafel- lamb- grilled mushrooms - chicken ...... But let's talk their Shug sauce insanely simple (oil cilantro salt n pepper n garlic) but ohhhhh so good I mean slather that stuff on everything y'all They have an assortment of sweet or non sweet black and flavored teas and your basic fountain drinks We don't live on this side of town and good thing as I'd find it hard not to keep this in heavy rotation read more

Why do I crave Yafo Kitchen all the time??? Maybe because it's delicious maybe cause it healthy!!! Plus It's really close to work so I can pop in anytime. Now when you come in might be overwhelming looking at the menu board, the employees on the line and the cooking process going on in the background but take your time. It's very simple. They will also let you sample anything on the line. I'm in love with their mezzes. My faves are the creamy Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese and the Roasted Cauliflower. If I'm not that hungry I grab those two for lunch and will be completely satisfied. Now if I'm trying to get 2 meals out of one order than I get the create your own options. I'm normally a half grain half salad type of girl however today I chose the half hummus half salad option. It was soooo delicious!!! I added shawarma chicken as my protein and tahini on top. I always get the purple cabbage slaw, the pickled sumac onions, pickles, feta, the chick pea red pepper salad and the quinoa salad. I tried the black kalamata olives once and they were too salty for me. I also really like the green Schug sauce they have on the side. You have to request it. It's amazing and really add a lot of flavor to your bowl. I rarely eat inside but always take it to go. The meal really holds up well and I'm able to eat part for like lunch and save half for dinner. All of the employees have been helpful and really know the menu. Yafo Kitchen 720 Gov Morrison St, Ste 120, Charlotte, NC 28211 Friday April 27, 2018 5:15pm read more

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I love this place. Good food, GREAT lamb, it doesn't even taste like lamb. Actually, Yafo changed my feelings on lamb, because the way they make it, you could tell me I wasn't eating something more familiar like beef or pork. Delicious. The variety of options and the well seasoned food keeps me coming back. I have tried the Brussels sprouts as a side and they're amazing. Honestly, I think this is the only side I've tried, because .. well, if it ain't broke don't fix it, right? I usually get the Marrakesh Lamb bowl because again, the lamb is amazing. This time I got 1/2 salad and 1/2 hummus as a base. Before I had grains. Now the part I'm not happy with .. it's a little on the pricey side. $17 for lunch is a bit much IMO. I prefer to keep it around the $10 range. Get more for my $$. But I don't come here often, so I splurge every now and then. Fortunately I'm not feeding a family at that price. read more

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Review update: I love YAFO!!!! It is my favorite lunch spot ever. There is never any parking at all. Never!!! So that really sucks, especially if you're in a pinch for time and trying to beat the ridiculous 12PM lunch line. But the food....ahhhhhh...the food. So delicious. I get the 1/2 hummus & 1/2 romaine bowl. I like to add babaganoush, beets, tabbouleh, tzatziki, cucumber and tomato mix with sometimes onions. The Granch dressing is the best. And of course, I love the pita!!!!! It's my favorite part. I will keep battling traffic to get here for my lunch! read more

Headed here right before pandemic hit. I was so overwhelmed! Everything I tried was delicious. First falafel in history of falafels I've liked (I had given up in them...alas in steps Yafo). I loved seeing the pita bread being prepared- aka fresh!! The hummus is out of this world creamy- I love that you can never get bored here as the bowls lend lots of choice and also that helps with families who like different things- you can be healthy or not, vegan, load up on the chicken, your hearts desire! Round of applause YaFo!! read more

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