If I've learned anything from my time in Charlotte, it's when Frank Scibelli is behind something, you need to go ahead and plan on multiple visits. Yafo did not disappoint. I had the Chicken Shawarma Grain Bowl and loved it. It was bursting with flavor. I had a choice of quinoa and jasmine rice and went with the rice. I couldn't resist ordering a side of Falafels and was really pleased with them. They were not dry like a lot of other places that serve them. They are smaller in size so maybe that is contributing factor. My friends had the roast chicken, shawarma wrap, mac and cheese and brussel sprouts. Everything was incredible. I love there is another place in Charlotte that now does fantastic brussel sprouts. It is fast casual dining so it is really easy for everyone to go through the line, order what you want and then find a table or get it to go. Knowing that (different from Scibelli's other creations), I can visit a lot more often when I am eating by myself or need to grab something quickly. They had a lot of delicious looking sides and mezzes so the hardest part will be deciding what to eat next time I visit. Everything was reasonably priced and I can be filled for $9-16 depending on if I get sides and such. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Chicken Shawarma and Falafel - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I had heard really good things about Yafos and was excited to try it. I wasn't disappointed as it was a great experience. I would do anything into a little different next time but over all quality food. I did the build your own and selected a bowl with pulled rotisserie lamb. I got carried away with the toppings and would scale it back next time. This is a really good concept and quality food. You order in line and they make it in front of you. Everything is fresh and tasty. I would recommend and will be back. read more

This place is right up my alley so I had a very difficult time deciding what to get. It was a toss up between the falafel wrap or the bowl. After talking to a few of the employees they steered me towards the BYO option. You can do a salad, bowl, wrap or half n half. I got the half n half bowl ($8.99) with chicken added (+$2). The bowl came with a generous portion of jasmine rice and hummus. You can also pick between couscous, tzatziki or baba ganoush. For toppings I kept it very simple and went with the cucumber tomato salad and chicken. I know that's basic, but next time I will venture out. They have about 7 toppings included within the original $8.99 price, but also a variety of other toppings (avocado, beets, roasted cauliflower) for an additional price. The bowl was amazing! The hummus was smooth and probably one of the best I've ever had. The cucumber salad was a nice touch and I drizzled a little tzatziki on top of it! Even my husband enjoined it! The bonus is that I didn't feel like crap after eating it. It was heathy, filling and damn good! My husband got the 1/4 chicken with brussel sprouts and Mac n cheese. The Mac n cheese was out of this world. It's made with Greek yogurt and it was bomb.com. I highly recommend getting it as your side. However they real reason I gave this place a 5 is because the executive chef came out at the end of our meal and thanked us for coming in. He also asked if there was anything else they could do to improve our visit- the answer was no. Yafo was great and I will be returning again soon!! read more

See all

After hearing all the buzz about Yafo Kitchen, we decided to stop here for dinner one evening while shopping in SouthPark. Yafo is a fast casual place, where they prepare the food in front of you. The menu is pretty extensive--with lots of options--so I'd suggest previewing it online so you're better prepared for your order. I got the falafel wrap. It's served on their homemade (and delicious!) laffah bread with one large side. I got the couscous, which had an interesting spice that I liked very much. At $10.99, it's a little more than I usually pay for a falafel wrap, but it was so delicious that I have no doubt I'll order this again. My husband got the six mezze plate, since he wanted to try a variety. He got the hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, beets with goat cheese, cumin rice, tzaziki, and of course, laffah. The portions are pretty large, and we could have split fewer mezze dishes. His favorites were the hummus, rice, tabbouleh, and tzaziki. And I loved the tzaziki on my falafel wrap! I hope they open another location soon in Lake Norman! Until then, we'll keep coming to this location. read more

What an amazing experience! Thank you to the Tuesday night staff at Yafo!!! I let them know when ordering that it was my first time and without a doubt each worker walked me through my options and helped create "my bowl". I felt like they truly cared and wanted to share what everyone likes and also wanted to make sure that I will return. Even the sweet lady checking me out offered her additional input and got me a selection of sauces that i "just had to have". At home now, the bowl was delish, and I cannot wait until the location in dilworth is completed. I'll be back Yafo! Thank you!! read more

I would love, love, love a Yafo in my neighborhood. Yafo is Moe's for Mediterranean food. I had a bowl with naan on the side and had enough to bring home leftovers -- thank goodness because I would probably have gone back for the same meal the next day. The staff is friendly and attentive, the location is clean and has enough seating for many groups. Oh, and they serve beer! I might be in love. read more

Such a great experience all around! The food was delicious (as always) and the nice lady behind the counter gave me awesome recommendations. I can't wait to come back. read more

Love this place and the many amount of fresh and flavorful toppings you can add to you're bowl or meal. Have already been here 3 times in one week. read more

Yafo is awesome. It's best described as the Chipotle of Mediterranean food. It's a new concept restaurant opened by the same restaurant group that runs Midwood Smokehouse and Paco's Tacos & Tequila. Walking in for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. The menu is pretty huge for a place that feels like it should be quick. The basic idea is - pick a bowl, a wrap, or a salad to start, then top it whatever strikes your fancy. The toppings in the black containers are free and the ones in the white containers will cost you a bit extra. I really love the hummus bowl with chicken ($10.99). The portions are HUGE. The hummus bowl starts with almost 2 FULL scoops of hummus. The bowl was served with fresh made laffa bread (think pita without the pocket) and a great cilantro jalapeno sauce. It is easily enough food for two people and then some. Both times I went, I split the hummus bowl with someone else and took enough home for a third meal. I really enjoyed their pickles, brussels, and falafel. Honestly, my suggestion would be to make the portion sizes a little smaller and charge $2 less for the mains. read more

See all

I love this place. So fresh and delicious. The prices are really good for all the things you can get. I am lucky I don't live so close to it or I would be eating there every day. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Like other reviews mentioned, this is a chipotle style Mediterranean food option and one of my favorites. I chose to build my own bowl and there were so many options to add to the bowl. Unlike other places that limit the amount of items to be added to a certain number, I just didn't feel that way here. The staff was so kind and gave suggestions too. The rice were so well cooked and chicken well seasoned. The hummus tasted great and everything on my bowl was finger licking good. The interesting thing is my 4 year old enjoyed this food as much as I did (kids can be picky but this food is just amazing). I want to come back often but the south park location is a stretch for me. I wish to go again soon and highly recommend other to go check out this delicious food. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Make your own bowl - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

So good! Really really good! We went on a Friday night around 8:00 figuring they wouldn't be too busy and boy, were we wrong! We waited in line for 20 minutes. Being that this was our first time, we didn't exactly know what to expect. I felt alimony as if we were in line to eat at a cafeteria. We looked at the menu while in line and kept changing our minds as to what to order. One negative is that they do not have their sides- or mezzes as they call the listed. So one we got up to order, we had to ask what they had for mezze and they answered us with the response that everything is considered a mezze. That caused us to hold up the line longer and that was a bit of a negative to me. Who wants to make a rushed decision in ordering food?? Our food was well with the wait but costly. We paid $60 for four of us to eat and that is without alcohol. After standing in a cattle call line and cafeteria style service, that's a hard pill to swallow for a quick service restaurant!! Will we return? Sure, but I think that we will be more vigilant as to what we are ordering so we don't have another crazy bill. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Grain bowls and cucumber mint drinks - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We randomly happen to find this place thru yelp and man...what a find!!! Being a vegetarian, I had numerous options and my food tasted fresh!! Definitely a place I'll be going to again and again!! Finally a good falafel place in town!! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Custom bowl with vegetarian option, Falafel!! BOMB!!! Even my meat eater friend loved it!!! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I'm Middle Eastern & I'm IMPRESSED! I fell in love with this place and so glad they opened in Charlotte! Some of the best falafel I've ever tasted, and their kufta & chicken are seasoned so well. Their couscous is outstanding and all of their ingredients are fresh. I am a regular for life...this is a WINNER! Thank you!!!!! read more

See all

I love Yafo Kitchen! When I was an amateur I ordered wraps. THEN I realized if you get a bowl, it comes with that lovely laffa bread on the side and you can make your own wraps out of the contents in the bowl. The bowl also holds a lot more than a wrap will and you can get things that would be funky in wrap form, like beet salad or chickpea salad. Just order the bowl, okay?? The falafel is fantastic and the real unsung hero is the mushrooms! Get them on your bowl, trust me. I don't know how they're seasoned but they add an awesome flavor to the bowl. My favorite bowl: 1/2 and 1/2 bowl with greens and cous cous Hummus and baba ganouj Beet salad Chickpea salad Tomato/cucumber salad Pickles Kalamata olives Sumac onions Cabbage slaw Falafel Mushrooms And a side of schug! I can easily make two meals out of this. My only gripe with Yafo is that they were careless with animal products, twice. One time, they were scooping chicken for another customer and dripped the chicken liquid across my wrap. A second time, someone had spilled feta into the pickles. When I asked if she could try to avoid the spilled feta and just give me pickles, she replied "we cannot guarantee our ingredients will be vegan". I just replied, I get that but as you're scooping can you try to avoid the feta that fell into the pickles? I'm still giving them 5 stars because the food is so good! But if you are vegan, just watch for the potential cross contamination. read more

They're a bit pricey. Additional prices were added to my "create your own " $10.99 bowl for some reason. The falafels were really good, not too salty. Try the cucumber lime mint drink, yummy. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Anytime we make it out to Charlotte, it's a must stop in to eat. Great food! We always get the bowl and their freshly made juice drinks. Don't forget to try the pita-it's made fresh from scratch. Oh, the staff-always friendly! read more

Looks like Frank S has hit another home run! Yafo is mediterranean "not quite fast" street food. It took about 30 minutes to get through the line at 7:30 but it was only their first week in business so they'll probably iron those kinds of kinks. We tried the hummus bowl, grain bowl, and kids Mac and cheese and shared everything! The Shawarma Grain Bowl was the best, filled with all kinds of fresh and savory flavors combined perfectly. My 9 year old gobbled down the hummus and freshly baked Laffah. Good place for pre movie meal or workday lunch. Can't wait to go again read more

See all

This is a great addition to the casual dining scene in Charlotte. I would thoroughly recommend! The food is delicious and very healthy. I've only been here twice but I want to come back and try everything! So much to pick from. I've had the Shawarma Chicken wrap and the felafel wrap...both were great. Both are wrapped in fresh Laffah bread (sort of like naan) which they make right in front of you when in line. The wraps comes with a mezze side. Both times I got the Brussels sprouts with dates as I side because it was amazing! My friend had the build-your-own bowl which he loved. Food is great quality but a bit pricey for casual. It's sort of set up like a Chipotle when you get in line and select your food. The decor and ambience is much nicer and they do serve wine and beer. I love the decor...modern wood, pendant lights, bright green accent chairs. The plates are very cool...white distressed metal. It's always crowded, so on the down-side the line can be long and sometimes it is hard to find a table. Hope they open more locations. This is a winner! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Chicken shawarma Laffah wrap with Brussels sprouts side. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Best bowl foods in Charlotte by far. The flavors are just amazing and extremely authentic Israeli food. The chef is Israeli and you can taste it in their food. read more

Always fresh and delicious!! Great friendly and knowledgeable staff. Better than Cava for sure. Way more selection.

So I got suckered by social media, what can I say? I saw pictures of their new baguette sandwiches and immediately thought "We got to try that!". In real life they looked as great as they did in the pictures and they're really HUGE, big enough to be shared especially considering they include a side dish - but it was all downhill from there. My "schnitzel" baguette was spliced in such a way that it left the bottom part of the loaf very thin. The cabbage and cucumber salads with dressing were tangy and tasty but spread directly on the thin bottom - leading to the bread crumbling immediately - on top of that was a pile-up of hard, carbonized and tasteless small chicken bits - no relation to a schnitzel cutlet at all, or to the publicity photos either. Had the salads and dressing sat on top of the chicken it would have probably been OK but this was two halves, one dry and tasteless, the other soggy and crumbling. As for the "Morrocan lamb" sandwich, it really tasted a lot like pulled pork, NC style, and not like lamb. For the record, we eat lamb at home (my better half is English) and at Middle Eastern restaurants all the time and for the life of me I can't figure out how lamb could be "deflavored" this badly. And again, it quickly became so soggy that it fell to pieces before the second bite. This wasn't my first disappointment at Yafo, but definitely my last one. read more

I was looking for a place with Mediterranean food in Charlotte North Carolina, and then right next to South Park mall I found this place. I Love their food! Great vibe ! Always on time and o highly recommend read more

It was near to South Park mall with ample of parking area as well sitting area. It's Mediterranean street food go and pick type of place like fast food restaurant. Food is great and more number of sides you can order how ever you want or else default item per person will cost approximately 12$ with drink. Hummus,babagaunz,falafel and chickpeas salads all are authentic and delicious. Only thing my concern was " MENU BOARD IS CONFUSING" for most of first time visitors. read more

The food is always amazing. The portions are generous and filling. Creative Mediterranean menu choices. Cheerful and friendly staff. There is comfortable, heated and covered outdoor seating. Great place for lunch or dinner. read more

The biggest disappointment is the "shredded lamb". It is soupy and more of a tomato based stew. Expensive with all the ad ons.

oo crap!!! as a native vegan from Los Angeles, hunting for great, diverse, plentiful, delicious vegan food here has been difficult. I'm grateful to have found Yafos! I started with the falafel wrap. AMAZING. So I came back the next day and got falafel again and brought hubby home a Yafo Shawarma (chicken). Their laffah is amazing. Soft. Warm. Everything from their pickled toppings to their condiments are seasoned so well! Such colorful and tasty ingredients, I've come back probably 8 times in a month. Eggplant, falafel, mixed mushrooms, this is a vegans heaven! After the falafel wrap I tried their bowls and I haven't gone back since. Some days I'll get falafel and keep it minimal but they have many delicious toppings and dressings, it's so hard to not try every combination! So far, my favorite combo has been half salad and half rotating grain bowl, hummus and zaaluk, falafel, cucumber and tomato salad with sumac onions as Mediterranean pickles, spicy red schug, toum, and lemon tahini writing it out just makes me want a bowl right now! Parking can be difficult to find at times so try to avoid 12pm if you can! Lots of people dine here for lunch and the line gets long but they're very quick to get everyone's orders fulfilled. If you eat here often like me, your bank account can dwindle right before your freaking eyes!! But for high quality ingredients and tasty food, worth it! Thanks Yafo! read more

I love Yafo, and can't wait to try their new location in Plaza Midwood! Yafo hits the spot any time, any day. I love the build-your-own concept, especially because you can do a "Half and Half Bowl" which makes it easier to choose between salad, grain, hummus, etc. The staff were extremely accommodating and even let me do a "Thirds Bowl" with baba ghanoush, hummus, and salad. All of the toppings were really delicious, although it's easy to rack up quite the bill due to additional add-ons for certain items. It gets above the $10 mark quickly, but I thought the food was better than most sit-down restaurantsin the $$ range here in Charlotte. The laffah bread served with your bowl is mouth-watering AMAZING and I couldn't get over the wonderful combo of flavors in my bowl. All the ingredients tasted fresh and nourishing, but I was still very stuffed afterward. I can't wait to go back and try more combinations here. The value and quality is unbelievable! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Created my own half and half bowl with hummus, baba ghanoush and salad. Special shout out to the delicious mint vinaigrette! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

5 stars! I have been meaning to visit Yafo for the last year, but I never "got around to it." Well I am kicking myself now. This is an amazing place! I absolutely love the concept. I don't think there are many resturaunts in Charlotte that fill the void in this food space and I am so glad that Yafo has answered our prayers. Where do I even begin at how amazing this place is? Well first, there will be a line, but let me assure you, its worth waiting for. While in line, make sure to check out the staff making homemade pita. They create the dough, knead the dough, and fire it in the oven right before your eyes. Choose your base, protein, toppings, sauce, and any sides. There are so many choices, and you know what? I don't think you can make a bad choice. Don't fret about worrying what will go together with what, it will all taste amazing no matter the combination. My favorites are the hummus, lamb, chicken, and sauces. The falafel is delicious and make sure to try the pita! It is the softest, and airiest pita you will ever eat! The portions are huge. Its big enough to share or you can bring home enough for another meal. This is now my new favorite place in Charlotte. Well done Yafo! read more

Decided to try Yafo restaurant for dinner with friends. The restaurant had bright interiors and lot of comfortable seatings. The outdoor space was beautiful with benches and pillows but that day was too cold to sit outside. The Mediterranean restaurant had a real easy menu. You choose between a wrap, bowl or a hummus and you get to choose the greenies, sauces and protein just like any other deli. The hummus tasted great and the vegetables were super fresh. The best part was the freshly cooked vegetables - the falafel balls were crispy hot, the cauliflower was fried to beautiful brown color, the potato wedges were cooked with skin on, and the Brussels sprouts were awesome. I had a grain bowl with half quinoa and half rice, chicken shawarma and a lot of veggies. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and took our resolution to come back here often. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Half rice and half quinoa bowl with shawarma chicken and a ton of veggies - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

Oh my YUM! Wish I'd found this place sooner..... solid portions and it was delicious and fresh. Our 7-year old devoured his Mac & cheese with chicken and hubs and I enjoyed our meals (avocado with chicken & quinoa). It can be a little stressful as you need to know what you want or the line gets frustrated behind you. Someone else compared it to a Greek chipotle & that's exactly right. It's loud, so when it's packed don't expect to ask questions or get suggestions but just about anything you get is tasty! We even got a side of falafels with some tzatsiki and it was devoured in seconds ... this is a great place for a weekend lunch stop for sure. read more

My family loves the food but on my visit on Aug 7 at 6 PM, there were two major sanitary red flags. First, the cashier was wrapping laffa bread in foil in between customers without cleaning her hands. She touches all credit cards. Second, there was an employee working the food line with a hat and glasses who wasnt wearing a mask properly and kept touching her face. Her mask only covered her mouth and not her nose. I waited for 20 min for my food and during this time the exec chef was in close proximity to everyone and no one had a problem with either of these things. This is really disappointing. We will have to stop coming here. read more

More like Blahfo Kitchen. While the food isn't necessarily bad, I certainly don't get the hype either. I've been here twice now.. Once about a year ago and once yesterday. Both times I've opted for the Build Your Own Bowl with Half Salad and Half Hummus. My first visit I added falafel as my protein and remember not being too impressed by it. Yesterday I was stupid enough to add it again. The falafel is some of the blandest, driest chickpea fritters I've ever tried. It was comparable to the disappointing falafel I had at Maoz in NYC a few years back. Not impressed. I will say that the hummus was very good & the salad was very fresh. They have an interesting variety of toppings & I've added pickled onions, olives, a chickpea mixture, & a tomato/cucumber mixture to my bowl both times, with some lemon herb vinaigrette. It's kinda dumb that the toppings aren't labeled so you just have to point at everything when you order. Also that's probably why the line can get so long. I'm sure it gets backed up because customers have questions about the ingredients, etc. Most of it is pretty good though & I can get a couple of meals out of my bowl. I do also like the laffah bread that's served on the side. It's pillowy and warm. Their falafel still sucks though. Also their "mezzes" annoy me for some reason. First because you don't know what they are until you get up to the counter. Second because they have stuff like mac & cheese as a mezze (really??) but no stuffed grape leaves! What's a Middle Eastern/Greek restaurant without that as a mezze! I get that they can serve whatever they want on their menu but I'm just surprised those were left out. I'm sure I'll be back but only if a friend suggests it and shoots down my other ideas first. I just need to remember to never add the falawful! read more

See all

I really love YAFO even though I don't know what it means! It doesn't matter because this is just really awesome, fresh food. I absolutely love the rotisserie chicken. So much flavor and juicy. This is my usual pick when I come here, and it comes with 2 side. This is another hard pick because so many choices that are wonderful. Even the mac and cheese which is made with greek yogurt is amazing. This time I got the rice and cauliflower. I really feel healthy when I eat here. I've also had the pita, and there is so much you can do with them. You can go all veggie, chicken, beef, all the veggies and humus you could possibly want. It's always a friendly environment as well as clean. They have really taken extra steps because of the pandemic. It's just wonderful they are able to still operate because I have def ordered togo a lot lately. read more

Basic, unseasoned food, along with lack-luster service, I do not recommend a dining experience here.

Food Excellent quality for counter serve food! All components from grains, greens, hot/cold meats & toppings, and sauces taste fresh and are consistent in flavor each time. Don't usually get the included bread, but has been hot each time I have. Awesome variety across all components & sauces as well. Have yet to try the specials like the hot chicken filet & other specialties, but would bet to say these are great as well. 5/5 Environment Well spaced out and themed, finding a table has typically never been a stress here. Recycled wood tables are a neat touch as well. Layout works & feels great for a counter serve joint. 5/5 Service Folks have always been accomodating to special requests while ordering in person & on phonr, though it can sometimes be a bit challenging with the pace of the line and # of options. Despite that, it's handled well, but maybe something more intuitive in advance of getting up to the counter to know what you're ordering would help speed things up and not have new folks feel pressured when ordering. Not sure what that would be though...lol - can understand how that would be a challenge given how many options they provide to choose from! 4/5 Drinks The specialty here outside of the standard set of soft drinks are the juices, which from the few times I've had taste fresh and not overly sweet / artificial. Given that's the only out of the box thing to rate them on and they nailed it, can't complain. Maybe more options of these fresh juices, if anything. 4/5 Value Though a bit on the priceier side for a counter serve, make your own bowl / wrap joint ($9-$10 per build), I still feel there's huge bang for your buck here. Portions provided are consistently larger than that of comparable counter serve places like Chipotle/Qdoba, and can easily get two meals out of one build. Can request as many sauces as you'd like, and meat portions are always generous. 5/5 read more

I thought I had died and went to delicious heaven! The concept is similar a chipotle, where you pick your ingredients as you move down the line but the ingredients are so much better. The cauliflower and Brussel sprouts are my personal favorite. Be sure the catch this one! read more

I keep coming back to Yafo every couple of months and wishing there was one closer in North Charlotte! Their meals are so fresh, flavorful and filling! I typically order the Shawarma bowl w/tzatziki, hummus, feta, tomatoes and cucumbers and tahini dressing over rice. I tell myself every time I will not finish my bowl and have leftovers and every time I am wrong. I will say the rotisserie chicken and feta are both salty but it all balances out in the end with the remainder of the toppings. If you're on the fence, give it a go! Would make an excellent meal to go, not that I will ever find out. Pro tip: make sure you ask for the schug! read more

Love them for fast fresh healthy options. The chicken salad bowl with advocates is my favorite.

My new favorite go-to restaurant for a quick healthy dinner with big enough portions to have leftovers for lunch! I love the "create your own bowl" option and the staff was super helpful at explaining the ingredients. I wasn't sure if I wanted quinoa or cumin rice as the base of my bowl and when I asked which one is better, my servers response was "why don't I give you a scoop of both and you tell me which one is better next time you come?" which I thought was really nice (for reference i liked the rice better)! I also got the cucumber and tomato salad and chickpeas on top with falafel, hummus and tzatziki sauce. My boyfriend got the rotisserie chicken plate and absolutely loved it. The mac and cheese and potatoes that he got as his sides were tasty and good complements to the chicken. It is a bit of a hike from the uptown area but definitely worth the drive! If you are a fan of places like viva chicken and chipotle I recommend that you try Yafo as soon as possible. It is also a good spot for a cheap date night: get your food to go, pick up a bottle of wine from winestore. next door and bring them home enjoy while watching a movie! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Grain bowl with falafel, cabbage slaw, chickpeas, feta, cucumber and tomato salad, tzatziki sauce, and hummus - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina