Azama Grill

Alright so here’s the deal: A lot of 1 star reviewers are correct. The salad did not have any dressing and the hummus tasted a little funky. However I still think this place is a gem for being a local spot open late serving solid halal meat. Yes it’s a little expensive, yes the rice is somewhat bland. However the vibes are excellent and I enjoyed my meal. The chicken shawarma was tender, and well seasoned. They also have a separate Spanish menu with Hispanic food.

Just got a mixed shawarma plate there tonight. The meat was overcooked, the rice was completely unseasoned white rice, the salad was undressed and unseasoned, and worst of all… the hummus was old enough to ferment and had a “sparkling” texture to it. Oh and the pita was brittle and stale. This place used to be a hidden gem, but since the old owners aren’t around anymore, the quality has plummeted.

This placed USED to be good. New management should be shut down. Hummus was fermented and expired. The pita was stale. The chicken was burnt. The rice was crispy and obviously old. The Greek salad had no dressing, just cut up soggy vegetables. This place should not be allowed to exist. Let alone for a $16 dinner plate. Absurd and a shame

Awful. Terrible. Disgusting. I got to my nearby hotel at midnight and this place was open and a couple blocks away. I should have read the reviews first. I ordered the falafel plate. The falafel balls were completely bland and tasteless and soggy and smelled like old grease, served on top of plain, tasteless, day-old white rice with a little tahini mixed in (?). Some plain cucumbers and onions and a pickle.. also completely tasteless. It was all gross. I took like two bites of everything (just because I was starving) and had to throw the rest away. Complete waste of money. Don't go here.

My recent visit to Azama was a letdown. I ordered the mix shawarma over rice, but the dish lacked flavor and the beef shawarma was dry. Service was sluggish, and the ambiance couldn't salvage the experience. Azama has room for improvement. I can't recommend it in its current state.

Ordered several items from Uber eats as part of a bogo deal including, veggie wrap, grape leaves, Egyptian fries, and baklava The wrap was great and def one of my favorites in the city so far. The sauces were very flavorful and it was stuffed. I also ordered some sauce on the side, but it looks like I got all three as part of the fries or wrap. The garlic and spicy garlic are amazing but the harissa seems to have too much black pepper in it. Fries were a large portion and baklava and grape leaves were what you'd expect. Thought the delivery was fast and very well packaged.

Definitely coming back again food was delicious! Don’t let you self be fooled by the bad reviews, this is definitely one of the few places where they actually sell halal food and you can taste in their flavors. So many vegetarian options. Love to see different cuisines coming together.

I think they just got a new owner. My falafel was so good! And everyone is so friendly

I think i got a kebab sandwich and it was good. This place is a fast Service restaurant so it's better to just pick something up to go

Updating my review because I had the chicken shawarma and lamb shawarma plate and this place is amazing! The meat is perfectly cooked -- very flavorful without having a raw gamey taste other places often have. Service is solid. I can attest this is definitely one of Boston's hidden treasures and entire menu is Halal. Can confirm there is sitting area -- definitely casual. Will be back very soon, I want to try other parts of their menu.

Have only ordered once, but this is was awful. Bland except for where it tastes a bit off. Had the lamb wrap with a falafal side. Really not good food. I just moved close by, so I will try them as a walk-in, but the delivered meal was just plain bad.

I used to love this place and last night brought people here to spend good $$ including on the fries - I said the white sauce was delicious. I don't know what happened but the sauce was way too garlicky it was inedible... I'm not sure if they had a bad night but that stuff's usually made in bulk and a good cook at minimum checks the sauce taste I would think?

New owner.... It's just not the same. The shawarma was not as good or spicy. Just average.

Had a takeout of their beef kabob rice plate. The kabobs were good, just a little bitter from the chars on the side. But it's good. Their fries were okay but their toum sauce was brilliant! The rice was literally 40 percent cooked. :( I had a small hair in my hummus side (I look forward to this the most :( )

Decent food, lousy service. I ordered dinner here via GrubHub because thats how their delivery works (they don't deliver, their website routes it to GrubHub). Ordered a few things, one of which was a wrap. When I got my food there was an extra falafel appetizer, and no wrap. When I called the restaurant, I was told that he was out of the wraps so just put in an extra falafel appetizer. He also did not seem to care at all telling me that I would have to call GrubHub. He had my phone number on the order. He could have called, but didn't care to. Plus I got charged for the wrap which was three times as much as the falafel appetizer. A complete disregard for the customer. GrubHub happily stood behind this and refunded my money.

Great food. Tacos and pupusas were great too. Service was fast and good. Will definitely come back

I tried again but both times I have ordered it has taken over a hour later than the delivered promised time and I'd had never been warm. When I have called they always tell me it's 10 minutes away even though it's usually an additional 20-30 minutes. I also have had attitude when called. I hate to have to do this but if only they would have been nice then I would not have been as upset.

Damn what happened to this place? There is very clearly a huge skill gap between cooks and what shifts they work. I'd say 20% of the time, I get one of the best meals you can find in all of Boston. I'm talking fresh chicken with a little crisp, fresh rice, sauce/spice/onions on top and a salad that is actually green. No joke, when these guys are on their game it's so so so good. 40% of the time, it's very average. Sometimes the chicken is dry, hummus a little runny, etc. At least 20% of the time they forget the sauce, pita or substitute in things without telling you. One time they gave me a huge pile of garlic sauce instead of hummus. Sometimes you get fries when they don't have enough meat. Total crapshoot. And sadly, 20% of the time it's brutally bad. I'm not ordering at weird times either, almost always around dinnertime, so it's not like I'm expecting 5 star food at 2am five minutes before they close.

The best Mediterranean food in Boston! Everything was so flavorful and delicious. The portions were amazing and I would travel back from Brockton just for this again!

I love the food but I am vegetarian and taste meat in their falafel. It appears that they may be frying falafel in the same oil they use for frying meat.

Ordered pickup from this Mediterranean food joint in December 2020. It was the next Day after Christmas. Dishes I tried: Mixed Kebab Grill Mixed Shawarma Grill Falafel Hummus I would highly recommend their Falafels, they are crunchy and full of flavor along with their side of hummus.

Do not eat here. The place is filthy, the orders are never correct or on time, and the cashier/cook called me an asshole after asking for a refund on my 100% incorrect order.

Came here after a late night out with friends. The chicken is shawarma and hummus hit the spot!! I was irritated because I lost my jacket tag, but I found this shop to wait in and it was brightened my mood! Pita is crispy and shawarma is super tasty!! Would definitely come back

I ordered a chicken / beef shawarma and falafel with hummus and Egyptian salad. The sandwich was good. The hummus was very different from what you would get in middle east; i think they put too much cumin and that does not taste great at the end. The salad was ok (very simple nothing exceptional) and falafels were average (had better in Boston). So I recommend this place for their shawarmas. For the rest you will find better elsewhere

I had ordered meat platter for delivery from this restaurant. After a long delay over an hour my order was delivered, and it had no meat. I called the restaurant and they admitted that they had a mistake. First they said that they will give me a discount for my next meal. I said there will be no next meal. I want the meat delivered tonight (it was 10 pm). They said they will send someone, restaurant is 10 min drive. After an hour I called again, no delivery.

Better Mediterranean food literally on the same street. Go to Garlic and Lemons instead.

My girlfriend and I were out on an evening stroll when we walked past this place, immediately drawn in by the heavenly meaty smells emanating from within. While food wasn't the priority on this walk, we couldn't help but glance at the menu just in case something stood out. We eventually caved and ordered a Beef Kofta Plate for $13.50. The meat was super juicy and flavorful and the generous helping of crisp white onions added some zest. Both the tabouleh and rice were above average and the hummus was a fantastic vessel for dipping loose morsels of meat. The biggest surprise was the red sauce; it had a great kick to it!

Such a good place to get a shawarma roll up. I know this place for over 8 years now. The taste of the food never changed. It is still the same rich flavor that they always use. I just became their regular again. I stop by 2-3 times a week. I would recommend you getting the baklava. It will melt in your mouth. The kebab dinner is great as well. The only negative experience you may have is that there isn't a private parking lot (there is one but it belongs to the hardware store next door. You can use it at your own risk). It's street parking only. Daniel K

Food is always reliably fresh and tasty, but what really distinguishes Azama Grill is their customer service. Had trouble with one of my orders resulting in a late delivery - the owner called me himself to apologize and offered to make things right. Really appreciated this gesture and his warmth and care towards his customers.

Recently came back into town. I went restaurant definitely changed when I first went there years ago I had an actual Egyptian flair to it went there the other day totally different totally ask for roll up beef we're polite didn't come back the way I expected like the good old days it seems like they changed hands and now they do Mexican food to which is not a bad thing I wouldn't go back and not going back. Basically broken to bread was hard to proportions were weak. Damn shame why

Came here at 11am on a Tues (the website states they open at 11) and it was dark, looked like no one was inside, and all the chairs were still upside down. I waited until 11:15, still no sign of anyone. Very disappointed as I was looking for some good middle eastern food. I took my business to the bar down the street instead.

This was a sad meal. The kibbee was horribly dry, the falafel tasted like breadcrumbs deep-fried, the chicken Shawarma was dry and old, and the salad was not even cold it --was wilted. This is under new management and they just did such a disappointing job I wish I could get my money back. Don't bother.

I stopped here to check out the kofta. It was pretty good! I usually go to black seed but this place was actually better.. It's a small place so we got takeout. There was a decent portion of meat, salad, rice and hummus so my bf and I shared. If we were starving then we would have ordered another plate. It was roughly right under 12 dollars for the plate. It's Allston so I guess 12 is fine but i wouldn't go out of my way because of all the cheaper/larger food options in the area.

I ordered the lamb kabob plate and I have never been so disappointed. The bread was hard as a rock alsmot like they took it out of the freezer, the rice was tasteless and the meat was all burned. I wouldn't recommend it.

Price that I was charged for a Mixed Shwarma Plate at the register was more than was listed on the menu. When I brought it up to the guy at the register he refused to do anything about it, even though he basically admitted I was right.

I love your delicious food!!!! I will come back again! The falafel and the sharwama and the falafel is to die for!!! Everything is homemade!!!! And they have OUTSTANDING SERVICE!!! Bless you all

We ordered lamb platter but the lamb was totally uncooked and the meat felt like it was old, will never order back from this place!

A stirring ode to drunk food. I got the chicken shawarma wrap, devoured it, washed it down with a few beers back at my place, then napped to reruns of parks and rec. I woke up contented. Best of all, it didnt make me sh*t my pants, so 5/5

Great food! Good portions and friendly staff. If want to eat fast and quality food, This is the place. Ask for their hummus and grape leaves, it's so good! I was her about 3 days ago. I'm glad I tried again.

This place needs to market itself better because all that chicken and rice guys stuff is strictly amateur hour compared to these guys authentic and delicious flavors. You need to give these guys a try I never ever give five stars but these guys took me back to Cairo. Thanks guys.

Wow wow. What a great place to awaken the tastebuds! We love middle eastern food, but this place sets itself above most we frequent. Everything in wonderfully powerful. They love the spices. We will love revisiting this place often!

Cheap, generous, open late and most importantly delicious, this chill spot is an oasis of excellent middle eastern street food in Allston. Homemade hummus, tabouli and baba and fantastic Schwarma

Tasty, Affordable, Good Menu! My friend pulled me into this place a few weeks back for a Falafel. While we had to wait a bit for the fresh falafels to fry, it was well worth it. These aren't your bursting at the seems sort of falafel roll-ups, but to me it was just enough food. And if it's not, at only $5 a pop... get another! Or, ask them to add more toppings? Recently I returned for a Grape Leaf Roll-Up. OH MAN! So tasty! If you like stuffed grape leaves, this is really nice! The place is also DIRECT from Egypt, as in, it's a family business from Egypt and they've just opened their first place here. And it feels like it! Smokey, Aromatic, thick accents! This is NOT a place to sit down with the family or a date.... ....It IS a place to grab food to go.... Open late too!

I'm a big fan of mediterranean food, eat it a lot. I've never had mediterranean food (or any food period for that matter) be this flavorless. I can't say anything tasted bad, because it had no flavor. The kebob, rice, meat pie, even the hummus, nothing. And the meat pie meat was grooooooossssss. Very low quality beef in there, lot of fat and gristle. Also my delivery took almost twice the estimated time. But really I give 1 star here because the food was not good.

DO NOT ORDER DELIVERY FROM HERE!!!! I ordered at about 10pm, 1 hour later, and no delivery. I called to ask about my order, and they said, "Yes yes it went through. The delivery guy is on his way." Another hour later 12AM now I call again to say I never got a delivery. He says it didn't go through. ?!?!!??! So now he says to order again, I do, and it'll be there in 30 minutes. It's 2 AM right now.

When I moved out of Allston in 2019, I knew I would miss this place. I would get takeout at least twice a month from here. Finally made is back in 2021- the Egyptian fries are still excellent, the baba ganoush is delicious, and you have to get extra garlic sauce. The falafel was a huge disappointment. I don't know what happened, but today I ate a sandwich with slightly fried basic breadcrumb balls instead of falafel. They used to serve real, crispy falafel that was green from herbs and parsley, flavored with coriander seeds and other spices. What I got today was definitely not that. Three stars because their other foods are still good, falafel itself gets zero stars.

I just got back from 40 minutes at Azama Grill - not because I waited in line, not because I waited a long time for the food, and not because the service was bad. It was a nice, long, relaxing meal, accompanied by some Bob Marley playing out of the house speaker system (aka iPod speakers). Everything at Azama Grill is superb. I've been going for about a year now, and I owe it to the place and the guys that work there to support them. In contrast to what some others have said, I have never had a disappointing meal at Azama. Food is never greasy, never messes up my stomach, and it's actually probably healthier than a lot of the stuff I normally eat. The vegetables are fresh (try the avocado salad or the musaka - both are delicious) and the meat is tender (chicken schwarma wrap is my standby). Though I've only had the above-mentioned dishes and several others (foul - pronounced fool, rice pudding, egyptian fries and others) I've not had one sub-par or even just par meal. Not only is the food good, but the guys that work there are the epitome of hospitable. Friendly, outgoing, helpful, and never afraid to give you a sample if you're on the fence about a meal (which is a big plus in my book). Place is a good experience, though I wish they had more space in the restaurant itself - it always feels a little cramped. And the artwork is a bit random and even depressing.

Really delicious and divey. I will definitely be back. Cheap too. My girlfriend and I got drinks and entrees for under 20 bucks.

After falling in love with Middle Eastern food thanks to Ariana (an Afghan restaurant around the corner), and since my husband left me for the entire summer for research and could not cook for me, I decided to finally give Azama Grill a try. (when he finally returned, I brought him there! He also became in Instant Fan) Thanks to reviews here, I decided to try the Chicken Schwarma, so I didn't feel so overwhelmed going into the restaurant for the first time. Coming into this restaurant reminded me of the Middle Eastern room my students (from the ME) created during International Day- upbeat Arabic music, smiling hosts, quaint decor....it was nice! My eyes were immediately drawn to the little dessert bar. Bucklawa (the same thing as Baklava) - cashew fingers and other types of desserts I can't really pronounce let alone spell. I guess I can go to the online menu and see, but so can you. :) Ordering is quick and easy. I also got an order of Bucklawa, and as I waited for my Chicken Schwarma, the guy behind the counter let me sample a cashew finger. SO YUMMY. The price is EXCELLENT for the amount of food you are given. I don't really like the sauce that comes with the salad, but that's about the only complaint I have. i am so grateful that this place is around the corner from my apartment. And they're open til 3! My husband and I have definitely come in for a late night dessert. They've been out of Bucklawa lately (sad face sad face!), but pretty much everything in that little dessert bar is amazing.

Delivery and customer service not good. The food is ok but they sent the wrong order. When I asked for a credit he refused and told me "you're getting the food you wanted." Everything is ice cold because they don't use insulated bags, also the replacement food was spilled everywhere and leaking.

My fav spot in Boston to eat. CHEAP - Big plate of food for 11-12$. Beef/Lamb Shwarma is really good. The only competitor this place has as far as I'm concerned is Garlic & Lemons on Harvard Ave. Highlights - The Shwarma plates are generous in proportions and served over rice. Always comes with Hummus and a Salad Specialties that may be overlooked, but that this place does REALLY well - Baba Ghanoush - Charred Eggplant Puree with Tahini. It's a really good dip that goes well with Pita Ful Medames - This one....damn man. It's like possibly the best Bean dish I've ever had. I find it difficult to describe, but they pull it off very well. It's basically slowly stewed beans in this amazing sauce. Not sure what's in it. Butter+Tahini? Some spices? I would suggest getting both together with a Shwarma plate + A side of extra pita. Oh and the garlic sauce. How did I forget the garlic sauce. Just put that ish on everything...this place makes me wish I still lived around the corner But the real kicker...the best part....when you are getting lit with your homies at midnight, this place is still open for delivery ;)

I ordered delivery at 1am and the food that arrived was absolutely delicious! The beef and lamb roll-up had a generous serving of juicy meats and I liked that there was not too much fat or gristle in it. The tabbouleh was flavorful and addictive. Juicy tomatoes and fresh parsley in a slightly tart dressing, it was a great compliment to the beef and lamb roll-up. The falafel was perfectly deep-fried and not overly greasy.

Update: Uh oh...they apparently had a change in management and things aren't quite the same. First, the guy behind the counter wore his mask under his chin and was not wearing gloves, preparing my food with the same bare hands which handled cash. Second, both the recipes and the ingredients seem to have changed. Their hummus used to be my all-time favorite, but everything about it, from the texture to the seasoning is different now. I'll give them another chance, but if if that classic Azama taste is gone for good then I won't be back.

I used to get fallafel and shawarma wraps at Azama all the time. I even had bulk orders for large groups in college. However, the last few times I've been there, the meat quality has deteriorated. I thought of giving it another try this weekend - The fallafel and hummus was great, but the chicken was like rubber - chewy and thready. I can honestly eat anywhere, but not a place that serves sub-standard meat. Don't think I'll be going here again :( ps. service was also not that great. After placing an order for $20+ my friend and I asked for a little hot sauce and the man behind the counter asked us to pay 25 cents for the hot sauce. Really??

I've only been here once. i heard about it the phoenix, and thought it deserved a shot. i was drunk, it was after last call. and i know, everything rational about me is telling me that for these reasons alone it does not deserve 5 stars, but it was amazing, i even got some extra stuff (i say stuff cause i still don't know what in tar-nation it was, some sort of lamb/pepper amazing wrap) for the next day, and i nuked it, BANG still good. i WILL return. also, the service was amazing, the guys behind counter where chopping it up with me and my boys, and really showed A plus personality. so if you stop in, tell em you read this review.

Super disappointed in the owners conduct. I've been coming here for a while now and always have had a good experience with his workers. Today I walked in and asked for a chicken kabab plate. Since I like falafel, I asked him to replace the chicken with falafel and keep everything else on the plate the way it is. Literally never had a problem with this order in the past. He ended up becoming combative and yelled at me for even asking for it. Dumbfounded, I kept my cool and walked out. I really don't know why he was so combative just for asking to switch something like that on the menu. Perhaps he was having a bad day but his lack of professional character irked me. I have both owned a business and have a good few years of restaurant industry experience under my belt. I know how a bad yelp review can really mess up someone's business or job. I've always refused to go on this site for that reason, BUT I can't just let my experience here go on the wayside and not be known. Will never come here again. There are plenty of great middle eastern restaurants that deserve our dollars. Not this place.

Food taste is really excellent. Unfortunately, when we ordered delivery, they didn't give us either desserts that we ordered and instead gave us a random piece of pie. 1 dessert doesn't equal 2 desserts, plus it wasn't something I can eat. Why not just call us when they didn't have what we ordered? Won't be ordering delivery here again.