A nice hidden jewel! I had a taste for middle eastern food and came across this place. A grocery store with a food counter and a simple menu. I ordered a spicy jumbo chicken Shawarma with a mint yogurt drink. The shawarma was amazing and the mint yogurt brought back memories. The service was great and I wish I would've gotten more stuff. Overall great experience and I will be back!!! read more

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I've seen this place so often and finally stopped in a few weeks ago - amazing. Yes I have been back. Had a spicy schwarma (excellent) from the kitchen area and incredible fresh pita bread. Fun to see the variety of product available in the grocery store too. Feels like I've travelled out of the country when I shop there, in a great way. Very nice employees. This is a great unique place you should check out and give business to. read more

This place is easy to miss, but don't. They have an excellent range of spices and food from around the world, with much of it from the Mediterranean and Middle East. Iraqi mango sauce? They have it. Habash brand spices? Tons. Halal butcher shop? Yep. Cadbury buttons, flakes, dairy milk, and milka? Yes. Tea? Of course. But following the Billy Mays mantra, "but wait! There's more!" There's a grill where you can get a massive shawarma or a decadent Dubai chocolate that runs a risk of instant diabetes. It's worth the risk. AND then the there's the baklava vault, which also has babousa and other desserts. The baklava is a must and there is a variety of it. Lastly the folks working there are super friendly and obliging. Shopping here is basically a small international trip and the mix is something special. Ironically a place like this is what makes America great. Do yourself a favor and visit this domestic exotic in Cedar Rapids. read more

This is a nice specialty grocer that CR is lucky to have. Lots of new foods to try and learn about if one is not familiar with certain Mediterranean foods. One can always google items but it might be kinda cool to have sections of the store shelves translate items to English - only for the ease of browsing quickly to try new things. The layout of the store was ok with baklava and fresh eats off to the same side & meats, cheeses and olives in the back. I specifically wanted to try the Dubai chocolate and I am craving to eat more! It's something I am going to seek out again soon when I get a chance. It was stored in the order fresh food display case. I got there about 1pm on a Saturday and three were left and I took one bar. While I was there someone grabbed the last two so they go quickly! The ratio of filling to chocolate is perfect. I also tried some baklava and Basbousa and I've decided it's not my go to but prefer it warmed up in the air fryer when I'm eating it. The fresh bakery items when you first walk in were tempting so I tried the meat and cheese filled triangle bread (not sure exact name) and they were tasty. The olive assortment was amazing in the back. I ended up with the mixed spicy olives and we both enjoyed snacking on them over the weekend. I ordered mix grilled platter to go (Shish kebab, Shish Tawook, with special rice, babaganouj, pickles, onions, garlic, or tahini sauce) I really liked the chicken and found the beef pretty bland. I would try the chicken wrap next time. The fresh pita to take home will be on my list next time. read more

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I am not very familiar with the surroundings so I had to yelp to find this store. Very clean very organized. The owners are super nice and respectful. You can find tons and tons of halal options here. They also have a small cafe and sweets corner inside the store where they sell shawarmas and sweets. Most prices are very reasonable. Food is also fresh and well stocked. Definitely recommended read more

Vytyl - Mediterranean Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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This is a wonderful Middle Eastern market! It is large, clean, and has a great selection of foods at great prices! The feta cheese and olives made me so happy because I haven't found a place that sells plump Greek black olives locally. (I would normally bring them back from NYC!) The feta is delicious and not at all expensive. I found some little cups of gulab jamun hiding in the refrigerated cabinet and lady fingers for making tiramisu at a great price! I also found a giant (GIANT!) can of stuffed grape leaves for about $10, so next time I need to serve a bunch of people a tasty meal... I've got an easy appetizer! They have Milka chocolate from Europe including high cocoa percentage milk chocolate (I usually buy this in Europe, pretty hard to find in the US.) And the baklava. Baklava so good they get their own paragraph in my review because I came here because colleagues brought in baklava and they were so good... and I had to go back to the source to find more. The baklava here is legit, perfectly sweet, flaky, with lots of nuts and a variety of different kinds. I will most certainly be back regularly for the baklava! There's halal meat, frozen foods, and so much other stuff... very much worth exploring! The hot food counter is open until 6:30PM, and I came later so I missed it this time... but I will be back! read more

They have the best hummus in the Cedar Rapids area. Plus they have different types of fresh feta and amazing baklava. Great grocery for hard to find ingredients! read more

Vytyl is my favorite international grocery store in Cedar Rapids because it is clean and has a great selection of food. I like to get fruit juices, European chocolate, and various frozen items there. The hot food is definitely worth trying, and I keep telling people to be sure to go and check out the room of baklava! The ambiance reminds me of some of the international grocery stores I visited when I lived in Asia, so perhaps I like Vytyl so much because of the nostalgia factor. read more

Had dinner delivered from this place last night. The food was good, flavorful, and there was plenty of protein. Rice was plentiful but a bit dry, which I'd probably blame on the time for delivery, I'm sure it's fresher when you order there. The baklava looked great but I didn't want to order such large amounts of dessert. Considering we're in the country in Iowa I'd say I'm surprised the food was as good as it was. I'd probably go back and might during this trip. read more

super yummy baklava and other sweets prepared daily. Also fresh pita. Ask for Mohammad. read more

Vytyl - Mediterranean Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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Not your typical shabby small grocery. The place is so clean and organized. The owner is very sweet and helpful. Great varied of foods and spices. The house made baklava is outstanding. Prices are reasonable. Go check them out for yourself! read more

Shawarma wrap was not good. The chicken had lots of unsavory chicken parts in it and I was expecting a freshly made sandwich but it seemed to be premade and microwaved. A shawarma sandwich typically comes with freshly carved rotisserie chicken, tahini sauce, and vegetables. This wrap was chicken in a tortilla with tahini. Baklava was absolutely exceptional! Thank you for showing me the beautiful pans of baklava and treating me to one. I will return for these wonderful pastries. There are many amazing grains, spices, bread, and other items in the shop. I'm from Chicago and am very picky about my food so perhaps the shawarma will be more appealing to the regular clientele. read more

The Schwartz wraps are delicious!!! Very kind people in the store as well. The store is extremely clean.

The store is huge! Soo many options and soo many sweets! Staff is amazing and extremely nice!

Best Market for Middle East's food in Cedar Rapids. Very good services. The owner cares about the customers. The environment is very clean and tidy read more