I stumbled upon this Egyptian Grocery, and I gotta tell you I was thrilled once I got inside…read more Service 5/5 Selection 5/5 We ordered pizza next door and decided to get our drinks at the grocery next door. What we found was a huge selection of Egyptian food, drinks and prepared foods. While we did pick up drinks, we also picked up olives, cookies, juice, and bread. I have to say that everything we tried was delicious. Better than that, the owner, who said he opened the store four years ago, will be your personal shopper. He will let you sample items, make recommendations and just overall make your shopping more pleasant. What did we like: Fanta Apple - think amazing carbonated apple juice. Mango Nectar - love the mango puree. Date Filled Cookies - much like a fig newton, just more refined. Cool shop, great prices. Definitely worth the trip.

Great market selling everything I need to making the dishes I need. They have a nice selection of…read morecheeses and candy. My partner was excited to see the amount of variety in the selection of goods. It's all reasonably priced and the store workers were friendly and quick to answer any questions. This will be my go to middle eastern market in town.

I have been eating Falafel King since 1984 and it is still as good today as it was back then. I was…read moreintroduced to it by words that became a staple every time I walked in, "My friend. Come and enjoy a falafel!" It was 1984, I worked at the Florida Bookstore and was sitting out back in the courtyard behind Chaucer's during my lunch break. That's when I heard those words. It was a smiling man sticking his head out of a kitchen window behind Cafe Gardens, which shared the courtyard with Chaucer's. "...enjoy a falafel!" "A flawhatel?" I asked. The man was Ghassan Chehab, and after serving me my first ever falafel, I ate there nearly every day. He soon moved out of the small shared-kitchen window to the famous 13th and University location, next to Burrito Brothers and Goerings Book Center - which I eventually moved to myself - and a block from my house. Falafel sandwich, spinach pie, strawberry-banana smoothie, and complimentary baklava - that was my go-to meal, always accompanied by great conversation with Ghassan. I left Gainesville in 1992 and The King moved out to Butler Plaza. I returned there a number of years later and was not only delighted to see the place still existed, but it was as good as ever! Ghassan was no longer there in person, but he certainly was in spirit. I continue to eat there whenever I pass anywhere near Gainesville, and always take home a bundle full of the falafel and pies. In fact, I'm actually writing this review with the taste of that falafel and spinach pie in mouth right now because I recently made one such trip. My friends, go eat a falafel at Falafel King!

Delicious and freshly made Falafel. Good service and clean restaurant. I look forward to eating…read moreagain.

Stepped in here with my friend for a good cup of tea and was immediately impressed. The atmosphere…read moreis phenomenal and the decor is delightful. When you walk in the owner is often the one to great you, the cash register to the left of the entrance, and a lovely assortment of trinkets to the right. The food itself was nice and light. I enjoyed the Knafeh. We also got an assortment of drinks. My personal favorite was the Salep (like a more savory creamier hot chocolate, hold the chocolate). The masala chai was a decent price for a pot and had a delightful flavor, I've since taken multiple people and a variety of different pallettes enjoy the flavor. This is a great date spot, but also low key enough to just enjoy if you want a place to relax, there's a small bookshelf if you wanted to un plug and read while you enjoy your tea. Ps. The owner is a professional guitarist, my friend who is also a professional musician has a wonderful time chatting with him about their shared passions.

Cute, Vibrant & Such a Unique Experience!…read more Gahwa Cafe was such a cute Turkish coffee spot! I had never experienced Turkish coffee like this before, so it was a whole new experience for me. The owner was so attentive and welcoming, and one of my favorite parts was getting to see him show us how they make the Turkish espresso in hot sand! I had never seen anything like it, and it made the experience feel so much more special. And let me tell you...the Turkish espresso was AMAZING! The flavor was rich, smooth, and honestly just perfect. Definitely my favorite part of the experience. We also tried the pistachio baklava, and it was tasty! The food was good overall. Since this was my first time trying Turkish food, some of the flavors were definitely new to my palate, but I enjoyed getting to try something different. The café itself is vibrant, colorful, and full of character, but when we went, it was just us, so it was also super quiet and peaceful. I really enjoyed the ambience. They even have a hookah area, which adds another fun element to the experience. The only downside for us is that it's pretty far from where we live, so I'm not sure I'd make the trip again just for the café. But if you're already in the area or live nearby, I'd definitely recommend checking it out! Turkish Espresso: 10/10 Pistachio Baklava: Tasty Ambience: Vibrant + peaceful Service: Attentive Experience: Unique & memorable Cute spot, great vibes, and definitely glad we tried it!

Excellent place. They were very quick with getting the hooka and its a nice place to chill or…read moredepending what time your there rock out. Owner was awesome good dude. Thank you for the good night.

Such a vibe! Def recommend. I plan to make this a regular spot when I need to decompress from my 3…read morejobs

I really loved how the food here was sharing size. We were…read moreable to try many food items and we were a group of 5 people. Service was slow here, we only saw one server. The owner stopped by to say hi. We had great wine also. Other than that the ambience transports me back in time.

Had a quick lunch there during my visit to Jacksonville. The restaurant serves Lebanese food. For…read morelunch, besides the regular menu, they also offered a small buffet, but I decided to try their regular menu. Ordered the Kafta Istanbuly -- a platter of two skwers of lamb kafta, grilled eggplant, lightly sauteed veggie (carrots, broccoli, zucchini), raw spinach and yellow rice. Descent serving size. Light, but very delightful seasoning. The lamb and veggie were just like what I make at home! The rice was cooked with peas and carrots and was good. It weighed about 6oz. Overall the dish was hearty and healthy. My server also gave me some complimentary fresh pita and zataar & olive oil (delicious). At only $27.5 (as of Feb 2026), this was a perfect deal! As there are not many Middle Eastern restaurants in Jacksonville, I am glad to find it and I would go there again the next time I visit this city!

My second time here and wow it was definitely even better than I remembered. I ordered dinner for…read moremy parents and I Tuesday night and had to falafel platter for me, lamb & beef gyro platter for my dad, and a falafel wrap for my mom. Based on the reviews, I knew this time to grab some baklava which was a difficult decision. Why, you may ask? They have so many choices! I did end up with the pistachio baklava. My dad raved about his lamb & beef gyro platter and literally left no crumbs. My mom loved her wrap and how large the portion was. For me, the falafel platter was all hits, no misses. From the creamy hummus to the fresh tabbouleh. I highly enjoyed the freshness of the meal. The baklava was the cherry on top - sweet and nutty with a flaky pastry crust. I wish I would've ordered more varieties of the delicious dessert. Gyro Plus is a great staple here in town for your Mediterranean favorites! I'll be back soon!

This was my very first time eating here I had Beef and lamb gyro platter with hummus and pita bread…read moreand salad the dessert was Pistachio baklava all I can say is the the lamb and rice was delicious and tender the hummus was fantastic smooth and fresh along with the salad the dessert was delicious fresh and incredibly good I'm so sorry for not having any pictures to share with you after my first bite I just couldn't stop eating it.take my word you will not be disappointed at all but you will thank me for being very honest about not missing out on getting a meal or anything from here

Everything was spot on , the servings were huge I will be enjoying my Chicken Swarma Bowl for a…read morecouple a days . Anna was very sweet and efficient checking on us repeatedly. I definitely will be back and encourage you to try Beirut Restaurant you will be very pleased. Also want to add that the entire team works so well together , when Anna was busy Mayra filled in seamlessly. Great visit.

I really wanted to love Beirut and will give it another chance, but my first impression wasn't…read moregreat. I came in as a solo diner and was seated quickly, although my table was kind of nestled underneath the high outdoor bar. That meant hearing some of the bartender's phone conversations. I ordered a glass of Lebanese rose wine and liked it! But my meal wasn't impressive. The vegetarian grape leaves (one of my favorite dishes, generally) were OK, although several were split up on my plate (but hey, it happens). I thought the flavor was underwhelming; there was a lot of acidity but nothing else. I also ordered a side of "extra crispy seasoned potato fries" which just turned out to be generic crinkle fries with salt. Definitely wouldn't order those again. I thought maybe there would be some sort of twist on them? The big frustration was service. The restaurant was far from full when I went -- I counted maybe a dozen seated tables. After I finished eating, I spent more than 30 minutes trying to get my waiter's attention to get my check even as I sat with my plates pushed away, glasses empty, and credit card out. He walked by multiple times to wait on and check with other tables, and I saw at least five other employees working in the front of house and walking by me. Even when I got his attention for the check, it took quite a few minutes to get it, despite him walking out to other tables. (Although I will note he seemed busier than the other employees!) My check before tip came to $24, which felt on the pricey side for what I got. I hope I'm wrong, but I got the vibe that I wasn't exactly their favorite type of guest -- a solo diner who wasn't smoking hookah. (I noticed another solo non-smoker go similarly unnoticed by staff.) Maybe they heavily favor regulars, too. But they weren't at capacity, and I'd have gotten out quicker had I been able to pay. Maybe it was just an off night. But it's just not a great feeling to be ignored.

Not worth your time and the owner is not nice. It's at a gas station and not much parking . No…read morebathroom. Not coming back

Great service and delicious food, very nice I love it the whole thing and the price is the cheaper…read more.

We found this place when looking for somewhere to eat in the area of the board game store of the…read moresame plaza. We're suckers for falafel, so it was an easy choice! The place is small but the menu is pretty expansive. They have sandwiches, platters, and sides. My wife and I both got falafel sandwiches and made them combos so they came with fries and a canned soda. I let the man know we didn't want any pickles on our sandwiches and (after lightly teasing us about not liking pickles since pickles are his favorite) he offered us alternatives which was very sweet. When the food was ready, they asked if I wanted ketchup for the fries and I declined. My wife was surprised that I declined as I usually go for ketchup with thicker fries (they were crinkle cut) but I told her I had a feeling it wasn't necessary. Boy was I right!! The fries were beautiful crispy, piping hot, and perfectly salted. The sandwich bread was soft, fresh, and very flavorful. The falafel was crispy, well seasoned, and also hot and fresh. Everything about the meal was exceptional. I hope they have lots of success and I will be back as soon as possible.

Great service, food was made to order, and no wait. Chicken…read moreSchwarma was very good. Would definitely order again. Portions are large. Restaurant is located in a small shopping center.