Filfillah Mediterranean Grill

The service staff are friendly. I've eaten here a few times everything that I've had has always been flavorful. The rice is cooked perfectly and seasoned very well nice and fluffy just how you want rice to be. I tried the Turkish bread for the first time and oh my gosh ,it is probably the best bread I have ever had! The bread is pillowy and soft it is flavorful and served warm which is a nice touch. I've had their chicken shawarma it is delicious and the beef shawarma is even better. The toum (garlic sauce) is easily drinkable lol! portion sizes nice! I love that they offer family combos those are nice for larger families. We will be back

The chicken shawarma was absolutely delicious. The gyro lamb, however, was just okay and didn’t quite meet expectations. The food took about 30 minutes to arrive, but the excellent customer service at the front more than made up for the wait. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the place is clean. Overall, a pleasant experience.

The Mixed Grill was terrific. The whole menu seemed wonderful, so I had the counter guy help selecting my perfect choice. Dolma chaser was a bonus. The vegetarian-wife says there were "tons of options" for her. Service was excellent and friendly.

This place was totally worth the long drive. The food smells so good and tastes so amazing. I don't know what they put on the lamb but I have never had lamb that tasted this degree of excellent and it was so tender. The bread that came with it tastes great and the contrast between the outer and inner softer texture makes it just perfect. I'm not a fry person anymore, but they also tastes really good and I ate more of them than I anticipated. They did an amazing job with the salad, and it contained quality ingredients, it didn't need anything extra on it. 10/10 I would get food from here again.

Very warm welcome by our order taker, Joe. Gave us expertise on making our order to suit our tastes. Service was quick and the food was fresh to eat. I don’t get down to the cities often, but this meal was one of the best in a long time. Wonderful flavors and cooked to perfection. Rock on ya’ll!

I forgot to take pictures! The food was delicious and the quaint atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. My husband and I split the falafel and meat samosa apps. I also had the lamb kebab. All delicious and I'm looking forward to trying something else the next time we visit.

The food is really good here. I had the lamb & beef shawarma in a pita with fries. The meat flavors were amazing and the fries were so much tastier than I expected. They were crispy and tasted like they were fried in a better oil than other places.

Want to have a good Mediterranean food? In the NE area, this is the go to place. Not to fancy joint but it is about the food and the service. We tried their Chef Special for 3, honestly the portion feeds 4-5 people easily. Good options on the plate from salad, hummus, gyro, falafel, with Turkey bread and ends with a delicious dessert. Ended our lunch with Turkish coffee.

My favorite thing was definitely the meat samosa. Flavorful, crispy, fresh. The veggie samosa filling was a bit lackluster, heavy on the peas. I also ordered a beef and lamb wrap which was decent. However, I found the meat to be quite dry and not seasoned much. Fries were very standard. Overall, things were not seasoned much and a bit dry. Samosas were $10 for 4 which I felt was a bit overpriced especially for the veggie. I spent about $30 altogether. Service was quick, efficient, and not much more. The dining areas were all clean and the restroom was okay although there was a large, questionable puddle. They're open until 10pm which is nice if you're having a late meal.

The food here is so delicious and lots for your money. Get the pillowy bread which is baked to order. The staff if very helpful and friendly. We come here often and have for years.

Want to have a good Mediterranean food? In the NE area, this is the go to place. Not to fancy joint but it is about the food and the service. We tried their Chef Special for 3, honestly the portion feeds 4-5 people easily. Good options on the plate from salad, hummus, gyro, falafel, with Turkey bread and ends with a delicious dessert. Ended our lunch with Turkish coffee.

I was in the area and searched for the closest delicious spot in my collections to check out. The closest spot was Filfillah. Upon entry, the restaurant was pretty empty. There was a group on each side of the restaurant. The menu options had pictures, and that was super helpful to make a decision. I didn't know what I wanted until I saw the delicious Andana Kebab, which was a beef and lamb combo with rice. I knew that was what would make me happy. To complete the combination, I ordered a side salad and some tea. The salad needed some more kalmanta olives, so I asked for some. The cashier who took my order also served me. I was so surprised at how many olives they gave me in a good way. They were so generous. The food tasted good. The bread/pita accompanying my salad was nice, warm, fluffy, and fresh. My only criticism was that the oli from the combo meat was too much for the rice. It literally saturated it. But, I was able to skim the top grains, which were drier to enjoy my meal. Overall, I would return because the service was so good that the food tasted good they just need to cut down on the oil used on the meats or at least tap it off before serving.

Oh my this was IT. Drove past this place last weekend hiding between a gas station & a tobacco shop. Noticed it was on a food delivery app and treated myself to dinner on a Friday! I ordered a full size Tabbouleh, Falafel Salad, and Chicken Shawarma. The super soft bread & greek salad were just bonus items! I absolutely love Middle Eastern & Mediterranean food and this strongly compares to one of my fav Mediterranean delis in Northeast. Everything had a great flavor, super fresh & bright! Great prices too! I put together a sample plate of each item and I'm sure I'll have leftovers for a few days! I can't really tell you what was the best, but I always need a side or a vat of Tabbouleh! The Falafel Salad had a good crunch, and the Shawarma was full of comforting flavor! If you eat there, they do have a parking lot.

One of my favorite places for Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food in MN. I had a couple of different dishes from here but the most memorable is the Turkish bread. We always do take out and I always eat some Turkish bread on the car ride home. The bread is warm, a bit crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. It also goes well with different dishes like kebabs or falafel. Like some of the other reviewers mention, the portions are pretty big- so one entree could definitely be shared by two people (get your own Turkish bread each though). The only thing we would suggest is to ask for pricing prior to ordering because the prices online don't seem to match what we end up paying sometimes- just something to double-check.

I ordered delivery from here for the first time and will definitely be ordering again! The food was fresh, flavorful, and portion sizes were perfect. I ordered two chicken kebab skewers, the lentil soup, dolmas and the turkish bread. While everything was good, my favorite was surprisingly the bread - it was warm, soft and fluffy inside with a chewy exterior. I would highly recommend checking this place out if you are looking for traditional Mediterranean cuisine. The order arrived earlier than scheduled which was also a plus

Meal for 2 is HUGE and delicious. Ambiance is nice, friendly, and fast but flavorful. For dessert, we ordered kunefa which was equally as filling and so sweet. Note: We ordered 2 extra Adana kebabs. (Pictured)

Filfillah, located in a stripmall in a desolate and car-swept area of Central Avenue, has pretty good Middle Eastern food and a couple unusual options you won't find elsewhere. As always, 3 stars is NOT a bad review in my book. I came for the foule mudammas ($10), a fava bean dish traditionally eaten with bread. By my count, only 8 places in Minnesota offer it (it's rare in general, and frequently only served for breakfast). The rendition at Filfillah is vegan by default and a fresh and light dish of fava, parsley, chickpeas, tahini and other spices, which you then scoop up with Turkish bread that comes with it. I liked it, though I feel Ethiopian places do a better job with it, adding more spices. Here it felt like it was missing something. The veggie samosa ($6) consists of 4 samosas. I thought the shell had absorbed too much oil, creating an unappealing flavor and the interior, with its lightly seasoned roasted potatoes, peas and carrots, fell flat. I'd never seen a Middle Eastern restaurant offer samosas before, and they didn't do a great job of it here. The falafel sandwich ($10) is vegan by default and can be made with either the house-baked Turkish bread or a Lebanese pita. The cashier strong-armed me into the Turkish bread, which is legitimately good, but also overwhelming when used for a sandwich. I suggest going with the pita. In any case, this sandwich was fine, but nothing special, with mealy tomatoes and underwhelming falafel pieces. The zaatar pie ($7) is vegan by default and not, in fact, a pie. It has no filling. Instead it's a flat bread covered in sumac, oregano and olive oil and then backed. It's delicious and large in size. Lastly, the house-made Turkish bread ($2) is awesome: soft, chewy, slightly crusty. Do try it with at least one dish. Come to Filfillah for good Middle Eastern food and two unusual options: foule mudammas and Turkish bread.

Driving through Columbia Heights on a tool mission, I breezed by this place and had to stop. I didn't even look it up on Yelp first. Mainly because of Arabic on the signage. Maybe I'm silly, but I figured it would be closer to authentic Middle Eastern food and less Americanized. Inside is exactly what I expected. Some miscellaneous decor and plenty of pictures from back home. If you're a fan of Middle Eastern restaurants , then you'll know what I'm talking about. I had ordered online before stepping inside, because I wanted to see the process. After waiting the estimated time, I walked in to get my bounty. Authentic as could be, as there was a slight language barrier. We worked through it and I eventually got my order. It was a little confusing trying to sort out Grub Hub orders which was a little frustrating. They also didn't have many of the drinks that were available online. I ordered a couple chicken shawarma sandwiches on Lebanese pita bread. I got them both as a combo because that includes rice. The combo is the same price as just the sandwich. My sandwiches had chicken, potatoes, and pickles. In my experiences, sandwiches usually have pickled turnips, not pickles. To me this is not authentic. The seasoning was good but not great. It also came with two sauces. One was a bland garlic sauce and the other was some kind of spicy tahini sauce I'm guessing. Again, not authentic. It tasted more like Mexican food than Middle Eastern. All and all it fulfilled my NEED for Middle East food, but I draw the line there.

I had a terrible experience with this restaurant. I ordered food for delivery and was shocked to find that the food was moldy when it arrived. Not only was the food inedible, but it was also a health hazard. I immediately called the restaurant to report the issue and was met with a rude and dismissive attitude from the manager. To my dismay, the manager refused to remedy the situation and even went so far as to hang up on me while I was still on the phone. This level of disrespect and disregard for a customer's experience is completely unacceptable. As a paying customer, I expect to receive food that is fresh and safe to eat. When a mistake like this happens, the restaurant should take immediate action to remedy the issue and make things right. Unfortunately, this restaurant failed to do so. I was left with moldy food and no resolution to the problem. As a result, I would strongly advise against dining at this restaurant. The lack of quality control and poor customer service is a major concern, and it's simply not worth the risk to patronize a restaurant with such low standards.

yummeh bread get it while its hot, super smooth baba ghanouj, good spot for casual group dining

Got the Meal for 3 for myself and my hubby so you could have leftovers:) Food was excellent, service was stellar, we will be back!

We haven't been in for an awfully long time. Glad to see the food is just as good as we remembered. It was hot and plentiful. The meal for 3 was definitely enough to feed the four of us!

The food is amazing and there's a lot of it with each order. The gentleman behind the counter was delightful and we walked away full, happy and with leftovers.

One of those hidden gems of Minneapolis. Hole in the wall restaurant, amazing food, amazing people that run it, and just the BEST and tastiest dishes. Absolutely one of my top favorite restaurants in MSP. So much seating, many delicious menu options, and the friendliest staff that make you feel at home.

In town for business and had no good options for food. Thought I'd give this place a try since Mediterranean sounded really good. Ordered their lamb and beef shawarma sandwich. ... Not bad. It hit the spot.

Hands down...Filfillah makes the best falafel I have ever ate and I've had many! Nice and smooth hummus--so good. Tasty baba ghanouj. Their complementary house bread is addictive, served hot out of the oven; it taste like focaccia but lighter. Adana kebab and chicken kofta are also very flavorful with well seasoned spices. I found my go-to Mediterranean restaurant

Our favorite middle eastern restaurant! Been coming here for years and it's always so delicious!

I ordered here a late evening for a lighter dinner option. I ordered the veggie samosa and a spinach pie. The spinach pie was unavailable and I did not find out until I arrived to pick up order. They stated they attempted to contact me to let me know but I was never actually contacted.However! The service in person was very good. Kind. Thorough. Younger ladies were helpful. The food was good. Like said, order was not as planned but the samosa are good. They are filled with mixture of vegetables and they are served without a sauce so it is best to request one cause they can be a bit drier because of the fried part. The food was very fresh. Burned your mouth fresh. Returned a few days later so that should say something about it. Definitely returning.

Great service and a great menu! The bread is fluffy and delicious. The meats and kabobs are perfectly seasoned.

This is one of my husband's and my favorite restaurants. I can honestly say we have never had a bad meal here. We usually do pick-up/carry out and they are prepared and helpful. It's a cute, warm little hub and I enjoy dining in as well, the staff is attentive and kind. GET THE BREAD!

I'm really disappointed. Ordered this food on DoorDash. The price was right, the menu is great and the food tasted fantastic. But on our first order, we got food poisoning. Unfortunately, we won't be trying this spot again.

We really enjoyed our food and the portions are quite large. There's some outdoor seating which is nice. Really loved the lamb adani, foul and the bread. I would say the salad I ordered was pretty weak though. Service was very pleasant and helpful.

Absolutely the worst falafel sandwich in Minneapolis, St. Paul. A few falafel balls that were burnt and a few pieces of tomato in a greasy pita. Hardly authentic and by the way, waited 20 minutes for a falafel sandwich which is absurd and the french fries came cold and the place is dirty other than that enjoy

Love their falafel sandwich on Turkish bread!!! They also have some of the best french fries (not sure what their secret is). I've always ordered delivery or takeout but I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped inside. It's actually a lot nicer than I expected from always just seeing the outside!

Just want to stop on by and say we've now ordered from here 3 times since we've moved to the neighborhood and every time it's been delicious. Don't sleep on those desserts either. I don't want to insult anyone by naming them incorrectly but at this point I've tried them all and they're all amazing. Seriously, all of them are fantastic

I have been coming here since 2012: Turkish owner, then Palestinian owner, then now a new owner (?). Well the Palestinian owner was my favorite: Quality got better, he added 500% more staff And service became 300% faster and quality got 200% better. Price was very reasonable. The owner used to come and introduce himself and ask us our opinion. He even offered free kenafah and coffee one time so we get the chance to try it! Last night I tried it after 2019 owner: the garlic tasted like plain mayo, and the chicken and meat kebab were less tasty then last year. The falafel used to be tastier in the past: I help cook falafel for 200 people and I know about falafel. Rice was as good as before :-) I would suggest two garlic options : medium (legal) and light (fake). The plates were slightly pricier than before. I wish they only added price and left it as tasty as before.

Friendly patient staff and really great flavors. Garlic sauce was great. Dinner portion was big

Absolutely fantastic! The garlic stuff is incredible. We get the mixed grill platter (dinner for 3) and split it as a family of four. Tons of food and always so good!

Amazing food, amazing quality, amazing service. Please try their lamb chops. Kebab Adena and Kunafeh for the dessert.

Excellent for family the food is great fresh Turkish bread it's amazing They have the best chicken Shawarma We love you Beef Shawarma bays Turkish knife it's a number one

I ordered the salmon and shrimp combo with a piece of lamb chop. I get home and there is NO lamb chop. The food is bland. The salmon is over cooked and the rice is hard. I get no utensils or napkins. They looked so confused behind the counter, I should have known my order would be incorrect.

This restaurant just got a new fan the service is great and the food is even better. I can't say enough about the Turkish bread it's soft fresh and pillowy absolutely one of the best breads I have ever eaten. My chicken shawarma was very delicious but next time I'm gonna get it on the Turkish bread and the lamb and beef on the wrap I absolutely love this place plus the fries don't have that dumb coating everyone but me seems to love. This place is a solid five banger all day

Did a delivery order 1/20/2022. One of our dishes was supposed to be chicken and we got beef. One our soups was supposed to be lentil and we got chicken soup. Only 50% of this order was actually the ordered item. Very disappointing quality assurance on the items. Not the driver's fault they just deliver what the restaurant gives them.

Was totally worth a 30 minute drive in MN snow. Meal for two could feed 4 and the lentil soup is my husbands favorite soup in the world. I dream about the Turkish bread!

A generous one star for customer service and menu/price accuracy. I ordered by phone from the menu they have online on their website. Upon pick up, the "filfillah platter" was missing because "it's not in their menu"...which they didn't mention on the phone when I ordered it. The only other similar option was the "mixed grill" which cost twice as much. Do not expect to pay any of the prices listed on their online menu either. What should have been a $35 meal turned out to be $57.

Not a fan! Tasted better and had better service..New owners now and heard the service is still the same and definitely not a friendly place

Ordered some Chicken Shawarma here. Chicken was tender and flavorable. Rice was pretty good too. Are the bread while it was still hot - probably the best bread I've gotten in town. Takeout order took 15 or so minutes to complete. I'll be back.

First time here since we wanted Mediterranean food. Place was busy at 9 pm, but didn't have to wait. First came the salad, it was ok. We had: - feta cheese platter (came with the Turkish bread) - filfillah platter - beef shawarma pie First of all, you HAVE to get that Turkish bread. It is made in house & is TOTALLY delicious. For appetizer dishes, the ones with the "*" next to it comes with free Turkish bread. Get one of those. We decided to go with the feta cheese platter since we wanted the babaganoush and falafel but each cost about $4 bucks, so, and extra $2 would get u both with more stuff on it. The filfillah platter was awesome too, tons of meat, rice was VERY fragrant. The best was the garlic and cucumber sauce that comes with the dish - mixed with the rice makes it SOOO good. Lastly, the beef shawarma pie which cost about $6 is huge. And totally DELICIOUS. Kent likes this dish the most, since the meat is delicious, and the bread is so good. It is almost like eating pizza but with a really yummy crispy crust. Would definitely come back, but it does take about 15-20 mins of wait time for your food to arrive !

This place is a hidden gem. Authentic middle eastern food, friendly staff and delicious food. Highly recommend!

We really like the food here- the dinner for three will feed 4 or 5- get and xtra bread!

Awesome food and you get so much with the chef's combo for 3. The dessert is also so good. Every time I'm in the area, I go there at least once.

Their food quality is no longer the same ! Rice and Shawarma was dry and over cooked , hummus still tasted good . Bread still served warm but doesn't taste as before. Lamb chops had no flavor and was cooked rare and was hard to slice ! Overall this spot has lost its flavor profile and freshness . I used to make the trek just to eat here! Won't be going back anytime soon.

This place is a dump. The only reason I give it 1 star is for the fresh warm baked bread which was delicious. Other than that, the inside is dirty, bathrooms are disgusting and staff is rude and not at all helpful. My friend asked about different entrees and the cashier rolled her eyes and seemed exhausted by each of his inquires. I ordered the Adana Kebab which was mostly beef and hardly any lamb flavor at all. It tasted like a grilled ground beef patty you can get at Burger King. The rice was flavorless but the hot sauce was tasty with a nice heat level. My friend had the Lamb and Beef Shawarma and was less than impressed. The other thing I am quite irritated by was the tip I left. Why are we tipping you? You're rude and the only service you provided was brining our food to our table. Drinks are all self-serve and you have signage telling customers to bus their own tables. We won't be back and you should avoid this place. We also really appreciated the large pile of fresh vomit in the parking lot right outside the entrance. This place is gross.

Food connoisseurs back on the trail tonight, in Columbia Heights. Another RN from MINI, Winson recommended this place...Atmosphere 3 /Staff 5/ Food 5 Plus. I would totally go there again!!! Bread and Cheese and turmeric laden chicken soup and I'm sooo happy! Chuck ordered beef gyro with rice and could only finish half of it, he was too full. He had to take his Baklava home to eat tomorrow

Phenomenal gem of a restaurant! Truly enjoy coming here as the food is second to none! Always fresh, flavorful, and delicious! The service is spectacular and the owners make you feel like family when you dine in. My family and I continually return.

Filfillah is worth the trek to Columbia Heights. Their falafel is delicious- soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside, and decently sized. Their savory pies are also delicious, I recently had the chicken shawarma pie and it was a yummy mix of flavors packed into a delicious bread. Most of the menu items come with their Turkish bread which will not disappoint. I dare you to be adventurous and try something outside of your comfort zone when dining here. My absolute favorite item on the menu is the Turkish Kanafa! There are days where I will make to 30-45min trek just for the Kanafa. This unique dessert consists of cheese, thin noodle-like pastry, soaked in sweet liquid and topped with pistachios. I've noticed some of the comments mention the poor service. They may not have been aware that this is not a traditional 'order at the table and there is someone checking on you every few minutes' type of restaurant. You order at the counter and pay first. You are given a number and can choose to sit anywhere in the restaurant. There is a water station where you pour your own water and grab your utensils. There was a staff member who brought out my food and asked if everything was good. At the end, you leave your dirty dishes in big black bins. I have no problem with this and neither have any of the guests I've brought. The staff are very friendly and kind. I highly recommend Filfillah!!

My cousin and I decided to check this place out on a Sunday afternoon, and it was great! We split the chicken shawarma platter and it was very filling. They have huge portion sizes! I believe the price was for the meal was about $10, which was very reasonably priced. The place itself was clean and organized. Since it was our first time checking the place out, the staff was kind enough to assist us in any questions we had with the menu. They also made sure to check in with us during our meal, which was nice. As for the food, the bread was so good. I wonder if it's baked fresh because it was warm when it came out and it was so soft in the center, which we loved! We're huge fans of Mediterranean food so we're quite picky. The only thing I have to say about this place is that the rice was kind of dry. I feel like it was lacking something but don't get me wrong, it was still delicious.