So let me start by saying that this place is run by only men and therefore I would not really expect to be run without a few "yuck" factors but the last time I was in there the guy had what looked like a giant glob of ground hamburg on the front counter that is primarily used to roll wraps & prepare hot dishes. Health hazard!! It's violations like this that cause foodborne illness which I'm pretty sure I had a mild case of from here before...but I didn't let it deter me because if you can look past it (and cross your fingers you won't get sick) their food is yummy. I like their sharwarma wraps and used to like the plates but the rice went downhill over the years. Hummus are very good although some days they taste better than others. Be careful they don't give you stale bread which has happened to me a couple times forcing me to wait until I get some fresh pita from the grocery store to eat the hummus. Annoying! Grape leaves are good. I don't like though that one of the guys who works there gives me 4 in an order and another guy gives me 5 and sometimes they're on a bed of tabouli and other times just soggy salad. I like to know what to expect! Consistency guys! Baklava and desserts are good but very small for the price they charge. They get them from a bakery but IMO they're very overpriced. If you're going here for the first time I'd recommend a sharwarma wrap with hot sauce & tahini and a side of Egyptian fries (they are not fresh as they advertise) but frozen steak fries with good seasoning. This place is solid. *Side note I swear the guys in here are bipolar because one day they'll see me and be extremely friendly and "hook me up." While other times I'll go there and they act like they don't know me and are rude . The other day a guy charged me 75 cents when I asked for extra hot sauce on my wrap. I get it that way every time I go there and I've never been charged more. read more

The food here to be honest is hit or miss. I always get a chicken sharwarma wrap & sometimes they're super full, moist, stuffed and delicious and other times they're skimp & dry. I used to get hummus but the past few times I was in there the hummus looked dry and old so I didn't bother. Grape leaves are good usually. Harissa sauce is good but yesterday they had a different variety that was sort of gross. Why do I give the place such a low rating you ask? CONSISTENCY! Nothing is ever consistant. The food..for example and order of grape leaves consists of 4 grape leaves, some tabouli & pita one night and another night it consists of 5 grape leaves and a salad. Hard to share a side if you don't know what you're getting. What boils my blood the most is the price inconsistencies. The menu in the place lists chicken sharwarma wraps for $9.50 & sides $4.25 but if you order online or even over the phone the wraps are $10.50 (plus $.99 for any sauce or harissa) & sides are $4.75. I paid $28 last night for the same order I get nearly everytime I visit here and usually only pay $24. Worst part is they never give a receipt. Whenever I get 2 sharwarmas & pay cash the guy takes $20 even & pockets it. Thinking about contacting the Attorney General because I don't think that's acceptable or legal. read more

READ THIS REVIEW!! Food: I have been here a few times since the place opened a month ago. Tried something new each time and let me tell you, there is NOT ONE BAD THING on the menu. The tahini sauce is flavorful and the homemade hot sauce has just enough kick to it to satisfy every type of customer. The meats served are nicely prepared and marinated well. Price: The prices are very reasonable (Less than 6 dollars for a stuffed wrapped full of kafta/beef/chicken/lamb/fish) and his plates which include salad and rice are around 7-8 dollars (a dollar or two more for lamb or beef chops) Service:The service is great. The chef always treats me with respect and shows deep gratitude for the business I give him. He is sincere and isnt just out to make a quick buck. He takes personal pride in his family owned business. Overall, this place is well worth it. It's open until 3am every night and the food is delicious. Since this place opened, I have gone here instead of Rednecks BBQ Pizza across the street. They raise their prices late night to take advantage of their clientele and their food is unhealthy and very greasy. I AM GLAD TO SAY THAT MY BUSINESS GOES TO AZAMAS and will recommend it atleast once to anybody. read more

This place is literally a dirty hole in the wall that I got acquainted with heavily intoxicated and heading home from the local bars a few years ago. I don't know if it was actually good or just satisfying then but I must say my last few times there the food has been very underwhelming. Hummus used to be my favorite but lately they've been kind of dry and gritty. Also, I always order extra pita and never get it even though I am charged for it. Last time I got 2 orders of hummus and only 2 big round pieces of pita (did he think that since it wasn't cut up like it usually is I'd assume there was more?) Sharwarma wraps are okay but nothing to write home about and rice is pretty tasty. Don't order grape leaves because they're very slimey and don't seem fresh. One thing that is consistently good are their baklawa and cashew fingers that they order in from a bakery. They're expensive but very tasty. Service is hit or miss and sometimes it will take them a while to acknowledge your presence even when the place is empty (I've walked out before for this). I usually wait outside for my food since the place is crampy and really hot. Overall not a great place with so many other local options. read more

Don't waste your time here , they are. Nice until they don't care about you ... like every other place when they recognize you as someone who is not a regular they are rude . I was here multiple times asking for extra sauce and it was no problem , but some new guy and he was wicked rude saying it was 1.00 extra. I asked him all of a sudden he became even more rude and said ask the wonder Isaid ok than he said he was the owner . Don't ware your money here to these rude people who don't appreciate your. Business I was a regular customer for ten years and alls it took was new one guy to start acting rude and not caring about anything to ruin everything I told him I was a customer for ten years he said I don't care talk to the owner I said ok , he said I am the owner which obviously wasn't the case so if you want good customer service and good food don't waste your time here it's a joke they think they can't treat you like shit and make a scene of you in front of multiple people and don't mind. They don't care who you are they make a scene like your apiece of a shit and talk to you like your nothing don't waste your time here it's a joke ten years to be treated like trash . read more

This place used to be okay. They're open until 2 a.m. & I often used to hit them up coming from the Draft up the street. The chicken & beef sharwarma plates are pretty good & their rice is yummy. Grape leaves are really slimey & seem old as does the bland 'salad' they give you with the plates. Their hummus used to really be good but the last few times I got them the weren't exactly up to par. Also, one of my main reasons for visiting this place was for their desserts; particularly bakklawa & cashew fingers but the past maybe 5 times I've walked in their they haven't had any of either. The guy at the counter always says "oh next week" or "oh tomorrow" but why would you have something on your menu that you barely ever have! The service too isn't that great (I've walked out more than once because the guys behind the counter will literally stand there & not even acknowledge that you walked through the door for 5-8 minutes..I mean I understand you're understaffed & have to prepare orders but a "hello..I'll be right with you" wouldn't hurt!) Also, the atmosphere is very cramped & not too clean. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for this place. Nothing special. read more

I live in the Allston, so I was pleased to see that we had a new falafel joint to fill the gap left by my dearly beloved Reef Cafe. The owner is very nice and has a few other restaurants in Egypt, so you know it's authentic. The decor is very nice for an over the counter eatery with lovely curtains and the owner's own paintings on the walls. The food is good and cheap. Good sized falafel sandwiches and tightly rolled grape leaves that aren't too oily. They also have Mexican Coco-Cola in glass bottles that's far superior to the high fructose corn syrup sweetened American crap. My only concern with this place is that they keep trays of raw meat in a display case on a shelf above the deserts and some of the drinks. Sure, I'm a vegetarian, but I think even carnivores would find that nasty. All in all, Azama's pretty solid. read more

Besides the fact that my order was wrong, except for the baklava. The falafel was awful. Soggy balls, that were allegedly chickpeas. It was obvious that the falafel had been fried much earlier and was just sitting on a tray covered in plastic to save them time. Second time, I tried schwarma. I'm not too picky an eater and I love schwarma, but the schwarma I had at Azama Grill today was the first schwarma plate I could not finish. The shawarma was tasteless that I refuse to believe that it actually came off the skewer. It almost tasted like leftover baked chicken that has been in the fridge or freezer for awhile - dry and flavorless. It was the worst schwarma I've had. This place was a pretty clear disappointment. This was possibly the most tasteless Middle Eastern food I have ever had. read more

All three times that I have eaten here, I was happy. First of all, the prices are very reasonable. Their food, (I had the Azama Combo) is very good. It is quite tasty. All three times the people behind the counter seemed nice, friendly and besides their bias of NYC, seem like fun people. However in Boston a bias against NYC might not be a bad thing. I highly recommend trying this place. The food is good and very well priced. From the previous reviews it seems that there might have been a clash with the service. I cannot verify those statements, but I recommend a hard skin and confident attitude when dining at any very ethnic restaurant. Cultural differences aside, all the very ethnic restaurants make the most amazing food. read more

I regularly and enthusiastically dine at food carts and street vendors, but I won't ever eat from Azama Grill again after seeing the filthy interior. The place is very dark and dim for a reason. I might be willing to make an exception on cleanliness if the food were tasty, but it's the kind of food one can only overlook and stomach if they're completely smashed at 2am. Now since that's all that's open at 2am, by all means take your risk. But at any other hour of the day, please, please make a wiser choice. There are plenty of other options around. Also, I'm pretty sure their hummus is made with butter or vegetable oil. Not olive oil. It may be halal, but that's a pretty damn haram move for a "Middle Eastern" joint. read more

Azama is a great spot to grab a lunch or late-night snack in Allston Village. I laughed at John O's "I was not drunk..." comment--this place is quite hopping on a Friday and Saturday night, indeed. That said, I lived in this area for a bit less than a year, and John O. is correct--the food is delicious. What a welcome addition to the Village! I know it's tough to choose where to eat in this area, but there is not a single schawarma place that promises such a. succulent meat, b. cleanliness c. warm service, along with d. a great $5-6 price tag for a roll-up or schawarma plate. No there's not a lot of space to sit, but then, it doesn't take me that long to eat my spiced, falafel yumminess! read more

I have been twice with my family to Azama Grill now, and have thoroughly enjoyed the food on both occasions. The chicken was tender and the shwarma was excellent. My sister ordered the kefta which had really delicious spices in it. The baba ganoush has a lovely smokey flavor to it. The falafel is crunchy and kind of nutty and good. The food is cooked to order and the portions are generous. It's a really clean space and the guys who work there are really friendly and were super nice with my kids. This is our family's new go-to spot if we don't have time to cook dinner during the week. I would highly recommend it! Oh - and did I mention that the prices are great to boot! read more

Delicious! I've heard so much about Azama Grille - and now I know why! I have to admit I was so excited that the owner at the counter gave me a complimentary sample of the delicious mini-treats Baklava.....ahhh well that's one express lane way to good business - free sweets. I proceeded to ask a million questions even engaging a fellow patron and regular about what he recommended - in fact I was so taken in by the wonderful aromas, that I ordered both the lamb and chicken shawrma; and then finished off a few Baklava treats with strong Egyptian coffee. The owner also showed me some of his fantastic art work. He is quite the artist. Great spot! A must see! read more

This place is nasty! I had to wait for nearly 25 mins as the guy served his own friends (who came in after me). They have their own gang hanging out near the place and speak arabic among themselves. The gang has priority over other customers, so be ready. When he finally made my shawarma, he added steak instead of chicken and instead of making a new one he started handpicking steak from my shawarma!!! I saw him also pick the pieces of steak that would fall onto the table (which is not the cleanest surface there) and adding it to people's meals. Anyways its a nasty place and I would never eat there again. read more

This place can be good if you're drunk, and that's it. My stoner roommates seem to appreciate it, but last time they ordered from there one of the chicken wraps had chicken in it that was completely raw! I called to complain and ask for a new one, and they said they'd send one right away. A half hour later, someone called and said we could just have free food next time. Not helpful when we're hungry now... The place itself is dirty, and my friend has had one of their employees actually say he was drunk while at work. So if you like greasy, dirty, drunkenly prepared food, this place is right for you! read more

Allston's Best Middle Eastern Restaurant Working around the Allston area for over 15 years. I can attest that "Azama" Middle Eastern Restaurant on Harvard Avenue is the best that we have seen in Allston. The owner "Azama" is intent to share with us recipes and great cooking he has learned in Egypt. Azama learned the Art of Middle Eastern cooking from his Father. He is the third generation of cooks in his family. I have had the pleasure of eating there on 3 occasions. This is a Must Try Place! We wish Azama and his family the Best of Luck and hope that his new Allston location is a great success. read more

I love that they put the falafel roll ups onto the grill after they make them and press them so they come out hot and crisp- panini style. Absolutely perfectly blended seasonings in their falafel and the veggies are nice and fresh too. Staff is friendly and nice, though short on the phone when I called in once. They were probably getting slammed busy though and the order was great when I stopped in to pick it up. The baklava desert is fantastic as well. I love this place and they are open until 2am. As a matter of fact... it's 12:30 right now and I may call over there for a snack!! read more

Alright, this is the second time I've tried to write a review for this place. My first review was supressed for whatever reason, which is irritating, so this one is more concise. I think you can still see the longer review if you look at my profile. The food is delicious, the people are super friendly, and it's fresh food cheap. I recoommend it to everyone. My girlfriend lves it too. She was a big fan of the little falafel joint in Central Square, and when we moved over here, she missed it, so it's been cool having fresh middle eastern food again. Hopefully this review sticks. read more

i have been to that nice place more than 10 times already since they opened, i work in brighton at herb chambers, i stopped by the first day they opened and i found out how Azama and Tarik also Sameh were very friendly and i tried the food which was really great, all my co workers now love that place and i will continue sending them customers cause they are really good, i am so happy that finally an arabic restaurant opened in the area, by the way i tried so far most of their menu also my co workers and all the food they serve their are great even the coffee and soup read more