Great food. Great atmosphere. Really great wall art. Awesome staff. I waited at the front door checking out the menu. An employee came out to greet me and encourage me to come take a look at the menu and talk to him about it. I had the Shakshuka. Was awesome. Parents really liked their chicken pita. It's a great addition of some unique taste to the 280 food landscape! read more

Eli's is a very friendly order at the counter restaurant. They are very attentive to the customers and the food is excellent. I will visit them every time I am in Birmingham. read more

Delicious, clean and wholesome foods, with great depth of flavor, and an excellent homemade hot sauce. I don't get to go very often, because the 280 location is too awkward to get to, and far away. However, the new location downtown? I'll most likely be there multiple times a week. read more

This was an excellent find! Visiting b'ham we are glad we chose to check this place out. Great food and friendly folks working there. If you want to try almost everything on menu order a combo and a vegetarian platter to split with a friend. Tried some new things we now love! read more

Dad and I went to Eli's for the first time with high expectations, and these were met and exceeded! We shared the vegetarian plate and shakshuka with lamb. Both dishes were unique and tasty, and you could tell each was made with fresh ingredients (the produce is bought from Owl's Hollow, a local farm that also sells at Pepper Place Market.) The staff is attentive and friendly, (Eli himself took our order) and there is definitely a sense of home and comfort to this casual dining experience. Our favorites were the baba ghanoush (the best I've had), falafel, Israeli salad, lamb, and the glorious pita bread! read more

Eli's Jerusalem Grill - pita bread, shakshuka with lamb, vegetarian plate - Falafel Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Wow. Who knew there was great, fast, cheap Middle Eastern food in Birmingham, AL? We were traveling through and ended up going to Eli's twice. Excellent quality and plentiful portions. Our dog loved their patio. Terrific all the way around. read more

The owner and staff are amazing! Greeted with a smile and always helpful when assisting with food allergies! Food was perfectly cooked and delicious! read more

First time eating here and it was delicious!! Got the combination plate so I could sample everything and ate every bite by myself! (Think a lot of folks normally share this one). Great service, nice atmosphere and authentic food. Will be back! read more

Eli's is without a doubt some of the best and most authentic food you'll find in this city.

I like to see my food prepared. At Eli's Jerusalem Grill, you see the kitchen and also notice that the chicken shawarma on the rack in plain sight looks succulent and not dried out like it has been there forever. The portions are generous and the menu is diverse. Since I love carrots, I have ordered the Moroccan carrot salad (cooked carrots!). When was the last time you could order a vegetable beyond green beans? They also have beets, red cabbage, roasted peppers. Get the sampler for a taste all these delicious vegetables. Eli's Jerusalem Grill takes pride that their chicken is organic, the produce is sourced locally, and that the beef is grass-fed. Also, the falafel isn't greasy and cooked in non-GMO oil. Although I have been there many times, I have not sampled the entire menu yet. For me, Eli's Jerusalem Grill is off my beaten track, yet it is worth the trip. This is ethnic food prepared without frozen items. The organic basmati rice and couscous are fluffy. The hummus is well seasoned. Everything, especially the shawarma, tastes like someone prepared it for you. All in all, this is a terrific place to stop for lunch or dinner. I posted a photo showing Eli taking an order, the spotless kitchen, and shawarma on the rack. read more

Eli's Jerusalem Grill - See the spotless kitchen, the succulent shawarma on the rack, and Eli taking your order. - Falafel Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Just had dinner with the family. Outstanding service and great food. Had a variety of dishes and everyone was pleased with their meal. Highly recommend. read more

Truly authentic Israeli food. I've been to Israel and this is the first time I've had anything in the states that comes remotely close. Everyone is incredible welcoming and friendly, including the owner, who uses his grandmothers recipes from back in Israel. Order anything, because you will not be disappointed. Top notch hummus, gyros, and kibbe. read more

Delicious and healthy Mediterranean food- the best in Birmingham for variety and authenticity. The hummus and veggie salads are always a hit with whatever entree I chose. This time? Falafel with couscous. The pita is always good here, too. Shana Tova! read more

What a great find. Very authentic and delicious. Matzah Ball soup. Salad Sampler. Lentil Soup. Chicken shawarma. All excellent though did not love lentil soup. read more

Very poor food taste. Hummus is orange and tastes weird. Theres no lemon or garlic whatsoever. Just not my taste for Mediterranean food in El Paso. read more

If you want to try excellent Middle Easter cuisine, Eli's is an excellent option. They are casual, have excellent service, good quality food, and moderate pricing. They can get busy at lunch time, so come early. We have eaten there frequently and never had a bad dish. Their hummus is to die for! read more

Excellent food & service! Homemade pita was soft and awesome, very good falafels, and shawarma. Defiantly a great place to revisit when I'm in town. read more

The owner was rude. Refused to replace the tea that had clearly gone bad. Basically gaslighted me by saying that was how it was supposed to taste. It was undrinkable. read more

Why can't I give 6 stars? Eli's is AMAZING. I'm very well versed In Mediterranean food, and it's probably my favorite I've had, that wasn't actually in a Mediterranean country. I had the Chicken Shawarma sandwich and WOW. Best Shawarma in Birmingham, (Sorry Makarios, my loyalties have shifted) and considering our food scene here, that's saying something. Pita was fluffy and fresh, and the owner was a delight, great customer service with a warm smile. Will be back weekly. Can't believe I just now tried this place! read more

The vegetarian plate was AMAZING!! So much food & the owner has changed some recipes to make the entire plate vegan! Next time we're in town, we'll definitely be eating here again! Super friendly staff, amazing food, fun & lovely atmosphere! Wow! Just WOW!! read more

I visited Eli's when they first opened over a year ago and have loved every item I've tried. They have wonderful falafel, chicken shawarma, hummus, Israeli salad, and their thick pita is delicious. The ambiance is nice for date night or a family dinner and the owner always makes you feel welcome when you visit. read more

The food was not what we expected. The Food was cold, flavorless and no service. we felt like it was a fast food restaurant not a dine in and the server brought the food and never checked on us the whole time we were there. Was disappointed. read more

Drove a long way to eat here today. Mother's day is tough for us so we were really looking to enjoy ourselves and appreciate our day. Before we could even order, the service was condescending and unwelcoming enough to lead us to chose to leave. We looked on Eli's instagram and were able to find that the person that made us feel unwelcome to bring our business to Eli's on Mother's Day is Laurel. We ended up going to Chez Lu Lu in Mountain Brook and the ambiance was so amazing and the service was so healing for us after soaking in the unpleasantness at Eli's. Within one minute of showing up they let us know how happy they were to have us here and it truly made our day better and we are so grateful. read more

Eli's is absolutely delicious!! My favorite part is being served by Matt Wilson. He is so helpful and kind always.

Wonderful Mediterranean cuisine! Loved every bite! Great service even though they were busy.

Ate as much as we could and had to stop because we were stuffed! Amazing food and very friendly staff. I'm definitely going back. Knafeh was to die for. read more

Lentil soup and Beef Schwarma was excellent. Good service served quickly and with a warm smile. read more

Eli's Jerusalem Grill - This wall says it all... nothing but the freshest ingredients - Falafel Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Another Birmingham treasure! We both got the sampler plate for dinner...both loved it. Very fresh, tasty, and filling. My son was eating at his kicking camp the next day, so I found their new downtown location in a new food court for lunch. It was excellent, too. Both were clean and good value. Can't wait to attend the UAB kicking camp again next summer. read more

Really good food and not too $$ . I always get the chicken sharma I love the bread that comes with the food. It's really delicious and then hummus is the best I have ever had read more

Absolutely fantastic food! I was in town for 2 weeks of job training, and I visited this wonderful place many times. The service is excellent, the food is fantastic! read more

I cannot day enough about Eli's. I am there once a week. I tell friends it's so healthy and so filling, you leave feeling totally full and satisfied, but if you were forced to go run a 5k, you'd feel like you could do it. Eli is awesome. He oversees the goings on. Staff is awesome. Service is super quick. Chicken Shawarma!!! read more

Eli's Jerusalem Grill is a family favorite! Everything is fresh, and they are very accommodating to specialty diets, including Gluten Free and Paleo. I'm a big fan of the beef and lamb shawarma with rice and beet salad. One of my family members recommends the carrot salad if you like a spicy side dish. (We typically order a starter of Israeli pickles and olives too.) Gluten Free readers, they also have a gluten free chicken schnitzel that is quite good! read more

The lamb was amazing!!! I got the lamb kabob plate with a mix between couscous and rice...their couscous was bigger than the kind you get in a box and the rice had an okay flavor. The cucumber tomato salad was light and refreshing. The pita was fluffy pita which was great but they don't give hummus or sauce with their very thick bread so that was weird. Overall, the food was pretty good and I'd go again. read more

We visited Eli's Jerusalem Grill for the first time on a Saturday night around 7:30. We both ordered the Kafta Kabob with rice. Neither of us could finish it, even though we were still hungry. The meat seemed old, the rice had been sitting around so long that when I bit down I thought I had a piece of bone. Another bite with only rice proved it was rice. My husband's rice was in the same condition. The humus we ordered was nearly tasteless and sparse, which paired well with the tasteless meat and rice. The "salad" had cucumber skins in it, instead of parts of the whole cucumber. It appeared that they used the insides of the cucumber for another dish and wanted to up-volume the "salad" with skins. They are probably more healthy than just the insides, because of the as long as they are washed well. A combo of both would have been ideal, though. The only food we liked at all was the pita bread, which appeared to be baked fresh. Upon returning home, my digestive system, which is sensitive to hidden ingredients, decided to purge. This is not a good sign. We do not recommend this restaurant to anyone, unless you like tasteless, rubbery meat and rice that can crack a tooth. read more

We've loved Eli's Jerusalem Grill since Day 1. Excellent, high quality food served with consistency.

I've been here several times and it's always fabulous even when crowded. The food is reasonably priced, and I love telling people they should try it out. It's definitely different but still kind of familiar and comforting. Their deluxe plate is the best when you don't have a specific craving. read more

Chicken shawarma lunch special is a go-to, but the pita bread alone bring most back. Pro tip: Try the red cabbage salad!

The lamb/beef shwarma had awesome char-grilled flavor...its just that everything else was a bit bland. The bread seemed a tad stale, and the tzatziki sauce basically just tasted like cucumber water. The place has potential, though. read more

We love Eli's! The food is fabulous and the employees feel like family. I have several dietary restrictions including gluten, and the crew at Eli's always take special care to create a meal that is safe for me. read more

The hummus was better than most. On a busy Friday for lunch the wait was the worst part. A line to order and a line to pick up. The lamb shawarma sandwich had so much flavor. The meat was tender and heavily seasoned in a way that needed much else for a delicious meal. read more