Another twist on Mediterranean food -- YaFo does not disappoint. Went there for the first time today for lunch and the line was REALLY long. The prices are a bit high for lunch to get a bowl of all the things I really wanted (addon $ for Steak, hard boiled eggs, beets, avocado, etc) so I opted this time for the Mezze x4. Mezze gives you 4 little bowls of cold and/or hot items (not including meat). I ordered beets, potatoes, brussels and falafel for 9.99 which you select as you walk through to pay. This option had generous portions and all of the food was super duper good :) - especially the potatoes & sprouts. I really liked this place but will come @ 11:30 next time. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Mezze - 4 items - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Absolutely flawless experience and fabulous food! Shared an assortment of the mezze as appetizers- all were delicious! The rice with lentils and Brussels sprouts with dates were my two favorites. I also had the Marrakesh lamb which was flavorful and had tiny bit of kick. We also had the pleasure of talking with the chef and the manager during our visit. It is clear that they are serious about making sure that everyone is happy with their experience. I'm already plotting my next visit! read more

This place is such a nice addition! I was really excited and it did not disappoint. I've eaten here twice and both times have been an overall great experience. While I'm a little over the amount of " fast-casual" places popping up all over Charlotte, I really, really like this one. Fast-causal with good prices for the quality and quantity. $10-13 bucks for a large meal. You can build your own 'Greek bowl' and fill it with many delicious flavors and everything seems very fresh. The Greek Mac and Cheese was great too! Go check this place out, I don't think you will be disappointed. read more

Absolutely delicious. Everything that I tasted was delicious, and since I went with my family I got to taste most of the menu! Yafo has a lot of variety of options, but my personal favorite is the sabich, which is fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, pickles, slaw, and delicious sauces wrapped in a house made lafah bread. In terms of salads and sides I loved the quinoa salad made with preserved lemon and cranberries, the roasted Brussels sprouts, the hummus and babaganush. The flavors are incredibly fresh, lots of produce is locally sourced, and the concept is authentic. Reminds me of eating in Tel Aviv. Other table favorites were the falafel, the Yafo shawarma bowl, the kafta meatballs and the Marrakesh lamb bowl. They even have a kids menu and high chairs. We loved it, and can't wait to be regulars. Updated: went back ... Again... I took a break from the sabich (my personal favorite) and ordered the Sharon salad- it was delicious. Over the greens you get a scoop of the quinoa salad with preserved lemons AND a scoop of couscous, beets, goat cheese etc with yummy vinaigrette. The veggies are so fresh, and the flavors are so crisp and vibrant. Throw a few pieces of falafel on top! Friends ordered the kofta aka kabob aka Middle Eastern meatballs, served in a red sauce that is simmered with warm Mediterranean spices (think cinnamon...). Unlike any other meatball you've had. read more

I have had nothing but a wonderful experience at Yafo SouthPark! They do a great job of creating delicious menu options that are customizable and good for you all at once. It's nice not having to think about the quality of the ingredients, which they have already done for you. I have also had a great experience with all of the staff, especially chef Pierre. I ordered the harissa salmon, which they cook for you on the spot (making it that much better) right before they were closing for the day. Without hesitation, Pierre turned the oven back on so that we could have our bowl exactly as we wanted it. He put the customer first, even beyond working hours. It is selfless kindness like this that keeps our family coming back every week... often multiple times! read more

SOOOO GOOD! I had it delivered, but I made my own bowl with jasmine rice, pickled veggies, hummus, and a few other items. super duper filling, so you can def have half for lunch and save the leftovers. It was too good, I finished it all at once ha. Makes a great lunch spot during the work week, and healthy, so no guilt post meal. Super flavorful. I even got bread/hummus to go with it. read more

Uh...YUM. My coworker brought back a ton of stuff to try from their recent opening. Everything we had was delicious, with lots of leftovers to bring home and chow down for a few more meals. The hummus and baba ganoush are silky smooth and sooo garlicky, and the tzatziki is nice and thick. The lafah tastes really fresh and handmade with pleasantly varying thickness and a great chew. We also split the sabich which was enjoyable, but I might have liked it better if I'd had it hot - still, even at room temperature the flavors of eggplant, egg and pickled veggies were excellent. The shredded brussels sprout salad seemed a little out of the realm of what I'd expect from mediterranean cuisine (not that I know exactly what to expect!) but it was good too, with big chunks of bleu cheese and walnuts. Prices seem reasonable, especially if you order a few different things and share with someone else. I'm super excited to go visit on my own and try the falafel and pretty much everything else on the menu. I can see this becoming a new favorite lunch spot for sure! read more

YUM YUM and more YUM. I don't care how much I eat here, I never feel guilty because the food is so fresh and delicious. The service is great and the people are helpful. Some things to note: Their menu could be a little more explanatory being that there are some things I'm hesitant to try but only because there is no explanation of what it is. Every time I've gone, normally around lunch, the line takes about 10 minutes to get through. Seating is limited. It's a little pricier than what you would expect to pay at lunch. You have to park in a lot or parking garage, which can be kind of frustrating if you've never been to this area, which was exactly the case for me the first time I went. Now I'm a pro, so parking has nothing on me. read more

The food line is always fast, the staff is super friendly, the food is top notch. Best mediterranean American food. Price a little high but fair for the area. read more

Very fresh and different. Falafel wrap is huge and tasty. Couscous is buttery well seasoned. It is pricey. Meals are big enough to split. Try the watermelon lime drink. Refreshing! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Couscous and falafel wrap. Best couscous! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Fresh, delicious food! Staff was friendly and helpful. It was like a Mediterranean chipotle

Yafo Kitchen was a bit overwhelming. I wish that there was a bit more assistance in understanding the options - and the mezzes. My family was going to get the whole chicken family meal, but when we went to order, we found out that they had no whole chickens left. So there went that option. We quickly tried to understand the menu again and order. I ended up with a couscous bowl - with some stuff on top. The options, although they looked good, I was unable to point and say yes I want that -insert the food name here- because I had no idea what the things were. I pointed and said I want the food in the upper left. Sometimes its good to know what you're signing up for. Mediterranean food may just not be my cup of tea. read more

I love this place! I think we've been here three or four times already and I always leave happy! The staff are so incredibly sweet and friendly and the place is so clean! My favorite thing to get is the choose 2 bowl. I usually get the hummus and salad. Their pita bread is so soft and yummy and everything tastes so fresh and delicious! I also never ever get fountain drinks or anything besides water at restaurants but when I go here, I can't help but to get a fountain drink and do half hibiscus tea and half cucumber drink. Not too sweet and SO refreshing!!! ( Must try!) We got to try their hummus with sautéed mushrooms last time and OH MY! it was SO delicious! I can't say enough good things about this place! Keep up the great work!! read more

For my first meal here in Charlotte, Yafo kitchen did not disappoint. From the Greek Mac and cheese, to the BYOB bowl options, this place truly has it all. I had a BYOB bowl with falafel, onions, quinoa salad, cucumbers, and babaganoush. Everything tasted so fresh and the falafels were not greasy at all. I have truly found a gem. read more

Very happy about the new wave in healthy and fast Mediterranean food that's sweeping the country right now. Like Cava in DC and Naf Naf in Chicagoland, Yafo takes on the Chipotle "customize it how you like it with fresh ingredients" model with Mediterranean favorites. Choose from grains, salad, or hummus bowls (you can choose 2 if you want) and the variety of spreads, veggies and grilled meats. I loaded on every single free topping that I could! My only cuisine gripe is that the laffah pita gets hard as soon as it cools. If you are able to avoid the lunchtime rush-DO THAT. Because it's so choose-your-own it can take a while to get through the line. Even still, you'd wait that or more at a traditional sit down place, so no biggie. The staff goes above and beyond to be helpful. I came in with a dying phone battery and they carried all my food and drinks and keys to the one booth with an accessible outlet. I would have given 4 stars for wait time and lack of seating area to accommodate the crowd (I felt especially bad for monopolizing the only outlet booth as a solo diner), but an extra star is warranted for the friendliness! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Half and half hummus and salad bowl with all the fixings - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Yafo is my literal definition of happiness and I am proud to admit I live here once a week. I love the fresh ingredients they use (organic hummus!) and the quality of the food. It is a bit overwhelming, but after 10+ visits, I think I have it down. Here we go! 1. Choose your base (salad, grain, hummus, tzatziki, baba ganoush or half and half). I always get the hummus bowl and ask for a bit of tzatziki and baba ganoush on top. Also, yes to the olive oil and paprika that they drizzle on top of the hummus! 2. Choose your toppings. I get the onions, beets, quinoa salads (there is one that has cranberries and it is MAGICAL - "lemon and cranberry quinoa salad"), cauliflower rice tabbouleh, purple cabbage slaw and cucumber/tomato salad. 3. Choose your protein. I usually skip the protein because my bowl is so delicious on its own! Yafo makes me believe I can be a vegetarian. 4. Choose your sides. I get mac and cheese, brussel sprouts and the potatoes on top. Lifehack: if you get the side items on top, they're $1 instead of $3. I do recall a visit where I literally put every single side on top (got a little too overzealous #noregrets). 5. Choose your sauces. My favorites are the cilantro jalapeno sauce, spicy reg schug (habenero.. beware!), garlic sauce and lemon tahini. The cilantro yogurt is also yummy! Yafo offers a happy pick me up and makes me feel like I'm being healthy, which it is until you eat it with a pound of Mac and cheese. Second lifehack: If you put mac and cheese on a hummus bowl, it becomes healthy. Who knew? read more

Great place ! Finally was able to try Yafo and I was not disappointed. I did the build your own and chose things based off other Yelp reviews. The menu seems overwhelming at first but it's really not and the staff is very knowledgable and will help you choose toppings etc or explain how the menu works. All the ingredients were extremely fresh and flavorful. The chicken was so so good as well. I would suggest trying their teas because they are great (the green mint one was my favorite) The portions are huge so you can def make two meals out of it if you need to! I also noticed the employee wiping down the tables was very attentive and brought us napkins and to go boxes without us having to ask. I also saw him notice there was a family in line w a small child and he set up a high chair at the end of a booth before they even sat down, I thought that was A+ service. Will be back to try other things on the menu read more

Always very fresh and quick! Well trained and friendly staff. Portions are generous.

Great Mediterranean food and is quick and fresh. If you place an order to go, check the bag for all items before leaving. Pita bread and sauces missing last time I picked up food.. read more

Awesome concept in the South Park area! Walk in pick your bowl or wrap or rotisserie chicken, select the toppings and sides and enjoy. I've been twice during this past holiday season and depending on the day or time, the line could be out the door. Fortunately, it's fast casual enough to where you can find a seat by the time you get your food. The portions are hefty even if the price is a bit high (if you add meat). But you can get some healthy or non-healthy options to fulfill the Mediterranean cravings. Managers seem to check on you in the dining room and have all been very nice to make sure you got what you need. Interior is clean, open and vibrant. The flavors aren't as deep as Jasmine Grill on South Boulevard, but the ambience, service, and area trump it. read more

There is too much to say about this place. So let's sum it up by saying, just do yourself a favor and go! I have yet to try something I don't like here, and everyone we send comes back just as thrilled as we are. This is literally one of our favorites in Charlotte. read more

This is honestly one of our favorite places to eat! The potions are HUGE, the food is delicious and we leave with full stomachs (which is saying a lot for my hubby and I). To get as much food as we do for less than $40 is incredible! When there's a line the wait is no more than 10 minutes. Highly recommend! read more

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AMAZING flavor and food. Very fresh and healthy. However, the side portions are too big. They need to be half the size.

This is the Qdoba/Chipotle/Subway/Blaze of Mediterranean food! You can build your own or order something with all the fixings determined for you. This was my first experience here so I opted for something tried and tasted and got the chicken swarma bowl. They asked me so many questions down the line that it ended up being a build your own which was a little nerve wracking and overwhelming since I didn't know what was what. They'll let you sample the different spreads if you don't know what you want. Overall my creation was very tasty. Sat outside because it was a gorgeous night and we still had great service for a serve yourself type place. Definitely want to try some of their specialty drinks. They do serve alcohol here. This is now our goto when we stop in at South Park mall. It's literally right next door to the mall in a cute little shopping center. read more

YAFO Kitchen - Chicken swarma bowl that turned into a BYO - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Far from authentic, but good. Tabouli salad was dry had lot more burghul grains & little parsley or tomatoes, pita bread was not well baked and felt weird. Falafel was tasty, as was hummus, baba gannoush, and juices. read more

I'm reviewing for 2 reasons. 1. This place is truly amazing! The food is fresh, and delicious. Their recipes are full of flavor and love! It's a favorite in Charlotte! These people know how to run a good restaurant! Morgan couscous isn't supposed to have flavor. Do you expect the white rice you get with Chinese to have flavor? No, It's the specialty crafted sauces, dips, vegetables and meats that pack the flavor and they do an awesome job! 2. JB the reason there is a long line is because the food is truly 1 of a kind! Yelpers ignore JBs review and any other nay sayers. It's worth the wait! The staff moves as fast as they can with the high volume of guests they serve and always go above and beyond! Thank you YAFO! read more

I struggle to give it a three today. I have been here many times and it is always excellent, today seems like the manager either was not there or not paying attention, the line staff could not get the order right twice, and the cashier was distant,rude and seemed like she not only disliked her job ,but the customers as well. The three stars is strictly for the food which is always excellent, the negative review primarily hinges on the cashier. Line staff getting the order wrong was not that big of a deal it happens. But the cashier is the last and main point of contact with the customer, she made no eye contact, did not smile, and when I asked for extra hummus and Laffa bread (which I had requested at the start of the line when I initially placed my order) I asked the cashier twice and the second time (since she failed to even look at me the first time and acknowledge she heard me)I asked someone down line and then the cashier, again without even looking at me, said in a very rude and aggravated tone "I heard you". When I finally paid the bill she flipped the screen over and said "sign this" which I did, she then turned away and never even said thank you. Unfortunately this is the impression I left with, A place with degrading service, unhappy employees, and not caring at all I will try it again, because the food is really good and typically the service is excellent. Perhaps this is just a bad day. Really wish the manager had been anywhere near the cash register ,as I would've addressed this to Management directly, but if the manager was anywhere nearby, they certainly did not make their presence known or pay attention to the cashiers attitude and behavior. I responded to the email from your first customer service representative this morning since no phone number was furnished, I received no response at all as of 6:12 PM today, once again serious customer service issue here when the home-office doesn't even respond to their own request... 5/6/18 After hearing from their main office and providing them a copy of the check and a full description of the people (which they requested), I have never heard back from them, no offer of a complimentary drink or anything of that sort. Very disappointed, if that is the attitude of the home-office, it is understandable that the service is degrading at this location. If there is that sort of lack of caring about keeping a customer, you can only imagine how the employees must feel. So to sum it up, the food is good, the service is degrading, and the home-office has a laissez-faire attitude towards it all read more

I just have to say it- their hummus bowls have gotten a LOT smaller since the last time I came here about 6 months ago. Prices have gone up about 10% and their bowls are now about 20-30% smaller than before. Also their laffa (bread) portions are now tiny. (But the new bread IS better!) Thankfully the quality has not changed, but it's now a lot more expensive than it used to be. read more

I was in the mood for authentic Middle Eastern cuisine and Yafo hit the spot. The food, service and value was excellent. Tasted like food in Tel Aviv. read more

Nothing bad happened. Average food. Very similar to Cava but Cava is way way way (1000x) better food and better pricing. Meal for two was $30. Weird ambiance probably just from this one store because it's in such a rich area but I've never seen so many entitled white men in one room. Really fun to observe the people--but don't get the food. read more

A big fan! It's nice to have some quality food for the dinner and a lot of leftovers for my lunch. That's exactly what you need on a long day. Delicious food, friendly staff with great quality. It's nice to be able to pick and make your own dish but I recommend on the side just have the hummus and fresh bread. I can have it plain for lunch and dinner. The atmosphere is nice and pressure free, I was studying there after work while enjoying my delicious food. read more

The food was very fresh and delicious! There are a lot of healthy options to choose from.

Holy Toledo!! This is so good!! Half and half grain bowl with shawarma and fallafel with a side dish of cauliflower (which I swear tastes like French fries)!! My second time eating here, and I love it. A little pricey for my budget, but so worth it. read more

YAFO Kitchen - So good!! Half & half grain bowl (shawarma & falafel) with side of cauliflower - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Regardless of a line or not their food is always AMAZING! Love the freshness of the ingredients. My go to is either their Yafo Shawarma bowl & I'll add tabbouleh or the rotisserie chicken w/mac & cheese & Brussels sprouts!! Absolutely delish & never a disappointment! I'm sooo glad they've opened more than 1 location so maybe it'll help alleviate w/how busy they get here. read more

No doubt authentic, fresh, delicious and incredible staff! Frank Scibelli and Executive Chef Shai Farrigan have created and extraordinary fast casual place to eat and enjoy great food for lunch, dinner and any setting family business and friends!!! read more

Bomb af! That shano dressing or whatever it's called... it's and oil based sauce. Super amazing! And y'all, they have this strawberry basil lemonade... Jesus in a cup, child. The concept is really cool. Food is fresh and light. And the staff there were really helpful and friendly. I'll definitely be back. That lemonade, though!! read more

***update: I changed my review from 4 starts to 5 stars after the owner thanked me for the review and they also added signage to make it easier to order**** Fantastic food. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I think the servers could do a better job with helping people figure out the menu and how to order. Sometimes it takes forever to order because people eating there for the first time get confused about the menu. read more

I ordered the make your own bowl... it was healthy, with generous portions and it tasted really good. Great service.

Went for lunch today and I was pleasantly surprised with how tasty the food was. I could tell that everything was super fresh and well prepared, and each component of my bowl had its own unique flavor. I am so glad I tried this place out because I am now addicted! I will definitely be back in the near future to try out some different combinations. I recommend trying the cauliflower and brussel sprouts because they were sooo yummy!! Oh and service + cleanliness was on point! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Salad with side of Brussel Sprouts with Dates and Tahini Cauliflower - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I was in the mood for falafel and was in the South Park area though I had not previously heard of this place. We really liked the area and the service was good. With so many choices and great looking food it was a tough choice. We arrived shortly after 11:30 and the line moved well, a total of 5 min wait. My falafel wrap was amazing and the potatoes on the side were very tasty. The kids chicken and rice bowl was huge and more than enough for my daughter. We loved the decor though the napkins blended in which took a minute to spot. Great food, friendly service, and plenty of additional options to try on our next visit! read more

YAFO Kitchen - Falafel wrap with a side of potatoes. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina