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

I paid $16 for a combination plate in which the menu says includes a beef and lamb kabob and chicken tenders(plural). It doesn't come with any kabob whatsoever and one bite size grilled chicken nugget. The only thing that was worth eating was the hummus and pita bread. They also have an old menu online so every meal I ordered was $3 more when I went to pick it up. I should have taken my friends advice to stay away when he was served a raw chicken kabob. Sidenote: manager did deliver a new kabob. read more

Eli's Jerusalem Grill - The $16 combination plate in which the menu says includes a beef and lamb kabob and chicken tenders(plural). - Falafel Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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

Love this place! The garlic chicken plate with couscous is amazing, it comes with a fluffy pita bread that's perfection! My boyfriend loves the chicken shawarma, and the hummus taste super fresh. read more

Its amazing how a server can make you either want to return or never come back. The server was so pushy and rude. The food was good but the experience was so bad I wont return. Very sad read more

Very good food but the service was short. They do so well it reminds me of the soup nazi from Seinfeld ! They are feeling pretty good about themselves. I lot better than their customers are unfortunately. read more

Yummmmm. Order at counter, take a number & a seat and be prepared for a treat! Had the beef/lamb kabobs with side of rice & fresh chopped salad. Hummus & fresh pita on the side: great pita bread! Not typical unleavened, flat pita: full, fluffy & delicious. Had an Einstok beer, brewed in Iceland, 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle. This is absolutely fabulous!!! read more

I'm actually shocked at all the high reviews. I had the lamb shawarma, it was dry, and a little burnt. Felafel isn't much to write home about either. There's definitely much better shawarma out there in the world. read more

Second time here! T LUNCH this time. Noisy! But okay as it indicates the food is great!! Having the combo plate, Joyce is having the lamb kabob. Good read more

Went to Eli's Jerusalem Grill for the first time a few weeks ago. We told the employee at the counter it was our first time, and she was very patient and helpful to us as we placed our order. The chicken schwarma was excellent, the pita bread was yummy, and the hummus did not disappoint. Different employees stopped by the table during the meal to check on us, refill drinks, etc. Based on other reviews, we will try the falafel the next time. read more

We were visiting Alabama for our niece's graduation and found this restaurant and I am glad we did. The food is fresh, authentic and delicious. We each had one of the plates. My wife had the chicken schnitzel plate with cous cous and Israeli salad, my son I had the chicken shawarma with Israeli salad and cous or or yellow rice. The meat was moist and favorable and we complemented it with great humus and warm pita bread (the thick, puffy kind that you won't find at your supermarket.) The place was clean and pleasant, the staff and owner friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

I love ELi's!!!! I have eaten food from here several times, have not dined in though. I usually get the vegetarian plate and it is so much food, usually 2 meals worth. You can get the plates with rice or cous cous or you can do what I assume most people do which is half and half because, WhY nOt?! I'm not usually the type to go for a place because of large portions though, not always a great sign for quality, but here this is not the case. This is just simple good quality food. I do wish they toasted the pita though... but anyway good falafel :) Next time I will have to give their other entrees a try read more

I have been coming here for years, and love the food as much as I did the first time I tried it! This is always our go to restaurant! Never disappoints!! It's definitely one of my favorite places to dine! Extremely clean place to eat and an extremely friendly staff! If you haven't tried it you totally should, and I recommend trying the combination plate, so you can get a taste of it all! read more

I've heard wonderful things about Eli's and today I got my chance to have lunch there. I don't know how or why Birmingham has such a wealth of phenomenal Mediterranean restaurants but this place is an excellent example. Small unassuming place in strip mall behind Wendy's on 280 with maybe 12 - 15 tables inside and a few outside. We arrived around 130 and found the open table as I ordered my wife sat. People that arrived subsequently waited on seating. The Oder. A combination platter with half and half and a small hummus for my wife and I to share. Translation giant plate of awesome flavor! Chicken and beef/lamb schwarma, a Kafka, a falafel and a grilled chicken tender with half basmati rice/ half couscous. Yea so I sent my wife back to order extra falafel and pita bread. Not because the platter wasn't enough food. I'm relatively certain most people could feed a family of 4 with that plate, but because the fallafel and pita bread were sooo good we needed more. Best things on the plate...surprise to me the chicken schwarma! It was awesome! The fallafel was great as well hence the additional order. Additionally, the pita bread is fresh made in house. It's far softer, thicker and far better than any bag variety you've ever had. Special shot out to the house made tahini and jalepeno sauces on the table I'm relatively certain I could have drank them straight! Believe the hype! This is what you want when you go for this type of food. Vegetarian and vegan options available. There are a number of very good Mediterranean style restaurants in Birmingham. This place is in the top 3 in my opinion. read more

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This place is new to the area and seems to be picking up in popularity rapidly. I had their lamb kabob plate and a side of hummus. Sides it came with where Israeli salad and basmati rice. This place has many things to offer. Everything was seasoned lightly to enhance the natural flavor profile and not take over. It had a clean fresh taste that I personally enjoy but some may think is more "bland". There homemade pita was fresh, soft, thicker then most pita you will find, and had a good chewiness to it. The lamb was a little overcooked in my opinion but I like my red meats rare although as I said earlier seasoned just right to bring out the flavor body of the meat. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. read more

I am so glad I chose this as our dinner outing on Friday! Eli's is clean, has nice decor, and a very informative and friendly staff. Because I had never had most of the offerings on the menu, I opted for the combination plate which was a great sampling of all of their meats. The lamb schwarma and kefta were my favorites, and I will definitely be getting them again. The rice was great and the Israeli salad complemented the dish perfectly. My husband ordered the lamb kebab and said it was the best lamb he has ever had. Their hummus was creamy and had a wonderful texture, but the star of the whole meal in my opinion was their pita. It was fluffy and had the best texture of any pita I have ever had. I just wish the location was closer to my house because I would eat their weekly! read more

My new favorite restaurant!! Everything is so fresh!! I've visited Israel and fell in love with the food. This place takes me back! Very courteous service and the food is delectable. They have a new location in the Pizitz food hall downtown. They have a great beverage selection. I always get an Israeli red wine. They also offer various flavored of Kombucha. read more

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Cashier was extremely rude. She sat down in the dining room and played on her phone and was eating during her shift while me and other tables were waiting on our food. Never once smiled or said a word when spoken to. I won't be back to this location just because of her. Awful representation of Eli's, I'm embarrassed for them. But the food was great. read more

Very nice employees. Our first trip here and they were very helpful and explained their options thoroughly. Pita was soft and fresh; hummus was creamy, falafel was crunchy. read more

Eli's Jerusalem Grill - Salad Sampler and Combination plate - Falafel Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Great food, and very good service. When asked if I wanted couscous or rice, I apparently looked confused or something, because after just a brief hesitation on my part the employee taking my order replied with "half rice, half couscous, great choice!" I had the combination plate to try and get a bit of everything, all of it was great. Also gave the Turkish coffee a shot despite not being much of a coffee person. As I should have guessed, I wasn't much more a fan of Turkish coffee than of any other kind lol. read more

I love mediterranean food and was looking forward to this place but having it for a second time I know I will never come back. Everything about what I ordered was wrong and gross. The beef/lamb shawarma tasted horrible. It was so chewy and had a hint of nutmeg taste. I asked 2 friends to also try it to make sure and they both agreed it was not good. So overpriced. I paid $20 for 1 plate of food and threw it all out when I tasted all of it and was very disappointed with it all. Definitely never eating here again. read more

The family agreed, we will be regulars after our first visit tonight. We ate too much...amazing falafel, hummus, lamb shawarma, beet salad, red cabbage, quinoa tabouli and organic beer. Fresh, clean eating, naturally gluten free. The staff is happy, helpful and friendly...very welcoming. Feels like we're eating at home rather than in a restaurant. Makes Birmingham feel metropolitan, how nice!!! Bravo Eli's! read more

Wow, first visit, heard lots of good stuff. Lived up to the hype. Had the beef/lamb shawarma sandwich. Super fresh, tons of flavor. The Israeli salad was bright and fresh, just enough hummus, and the bun was soft and chewy. The meat was delicious. Fast/casual type service. Very friendly staff. They took time to explain the sauces on the table and checked back to see if we enjoyed our lunch. Prices are a bit higher than I like to pay for lunch, figure $12.00 a person with a drink on average. So I won't be there often but it's fantastic and I can tell you the prices aren't slowing down the crowds one bit.. Try it, you'll love it. read more

Simply Awesome!!!!! Great food, Great atmosphere and has to be the Healthiest place to eat in Birmingham area! My family has tried every dish on the menu. While all good each one of us has their favorite :-) Last but certainly not least, Eli always has a big smile and jovial welcome, making you feel at home! read more

We had the falafel and hummus and they were both the best I've had! This is a very nice restaurant with friendly staff. I'll be going back to try more soon. read more

Yum! The only negative to this place is it's too small. ;) It's become so popular that it can sometimes be hard to get a table. We love this place and go frequently. The owner is very nice and the food is delicious. Highly recommend you try it, just not at peak meal hours so you can grab a table. Really hope they find a way to expand. One word: Pita!! read more

First time here. Family ordered the combination platter, beef kabob, lamb kabob, chicken kabob and humans. The best was the combination platter. All the meats had great flavor and would recommend. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Will definitely be back. read more

My stomach hurts from this place because I could not stop eating. This place is very accessible and had tons of parking. I walked up and noticed a large menu on the outside of the glass. After looking at it for a couple of minutes an employee came to the door and opened it for me. It made me feel like they really wanted my business. I was surprised to see it was so busy. It was a Wednesday at 6. There is another large menu identical to the one on the glass where you would enter to go on line. There is another small menu at the register. The staff was very helpful as I wanted to try a little combination. I ended up with the chicken schwarma and schnitzel and chicken soup. I paired it with the Israeli couscous and a cucumber salad. I ordered to go. It took about 10 minutes. The food was great and authentic. They even had the good pita not the flat kind. I loved the schwarma especially with their sauces, loved the green spicy sauce, and the couscous. The schwarma was really good but the ends were a little dry, that might be because fried food doesn't travel well. The chicken soup was a little bolder than I am used to buy all a lot of flavor and decent tasting. Definitely some of the best schwarma I have had. I will definitely be back the next time I am in Birmingham. read more

Complete garbage. The owner handled my order personally and she had absolutely no clue how to act when working in the food service industry. She was incredibly rude. Go to Falafel Cafe instead. They are much more deserving of your money and the food is 10x better as well as being much more authentic. read more

Excellent service, cuisine and ambiance. They are very kid friendly -we had a wonderful experience. The food is amazing! Try the kebab and hummus. They also have an excellent wine section, which was a huge surprise. They carry an organic Argentina Cabernet that was great. Highly recommend for lunch and dinner! read more

Food is consistently delicious and their pita bread is the best in town. The staff at this location are very helpful and attentive.

Everything here is great, the service , the food , the people. We love the combination plate which has the best falafel I have ever had. The chicken sharawama is one of my favorites. The hummus is also a must! We love this place read more

The very best middle eastern place in Birmingham. Must try the baba ganoush. Fresh great tasting and healthy. Home made including the pita! read more

The food was so fresh. Meats were grass fed. Veggies were organic. The staff accommodates our large dinner group, and never made us feel like we were a burden! They checked on us frequently! The experience was a wonderful one. We ate so much food but didn't have that heavy feeling after a big meal. read more

If you've been in Birmingham for more than two seconds, you know that the gyro, hummus, and falafel type restaurants are just about on every street corner, and most of them are pretty good. Finding one that stands out, however, is a challenge. That being said, Eli's Jerusalem Grill is where you should go to get Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food in Birmingham. The menu is simple, but it covers all the bases. My wife and I tried the baba ghanoush, the beef kabob, and the beef/lamb shawarma. The entrees came with a choice of rice or Israeli couscous, with the option to get half and half. Between the two of us, we were able to try both sides. Each entree also came with two sauces: tahini and green pepper hot sauce. First, the baba ghanoush: perfect creamy texture and quite garlicky. It had a slight spicy or peppery flavor, presumably from the use of fresh garlic. We devoured it. The beef kabob was a perfect medium rare and very flavorful. The shawarma was excellent. The two sauces, especially the tahini, complemented the entrees perfectly. Service was impeccable. We ordered at the counter, and although the restaurant was crowded, the server brought out our entrees within five minutes of us sitting down. In a city where Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food are ubiquitous, Eli's provides a unique experience. read more

THE place in Birmingham to get authentic Israeli food. Nice owners & staff. I'll be going back a lot to try something different every time.

Had a chance to check out this restaurant - great food, good service, and the owner is awesome - great stories. And me being a vegetarian loved my options. read more

My family and I had lunch at Eli's today and the food was outstanding!! My wife and children weren't sure about Mediterranean fare but they had the chicken schnitzel (way better than chicken fingers, but comparable) and I had the beef & lamb shwarma. It was all really, really good!! read more

The Combination Plate is awesome. Quality food at a good price. Everything is consistently good here. I love this place.