"The Downtown location of Phoenicia Specialty Foods, an enormous, fully-stocked Mediterranean grocery, always backs up with a line at the hot counter around lunch. Office folks and nearby apartment dwellers circle the salad bar, waiting for plates of crispy falafel, spiced shawarma wraps, and rice pilaf. We love that we can pick up a few sodas, boxes of dessert, or even an armful of imported olive oils or tins of Turkish delight, along with a solid lunch of sliced gyro." - chelsea thomas, gianni greene