Kamals Middle Eastern Cuisine

This shop is in the Reading Terminal Market in Philly. It’s a very crowded place as there are so many food shops in this market. I purchased the large sized Turkish coffee shake with dates, flaxseed and chia seeds. The taste was bitter even with the dates. It will be nice if they have the options to add nuts to the shake. If you like the taste of bitter coffee then you will like this Turkish coffee shake. The queue gets long in this store but they are able to deliver the drinks and food items pretty quickly.

I was here just to grab a smoothie didn’t realize this place is all vegan so I have to go back so I only provided a few pictures, but I will get back here. Their menu looks fantastic and it’s in the Reading terminal market, which is such a great place to have lunch or dinner or just hang out.

Their smoothies are really good and their Mediterranean food is really good too. I just found out they sell the viral Dubai chocolate bar🤗🍫. That was my first time trying it and it was good.

My son and I had a #1 and #2 smoothie. It was very quick. The took orders and starting getting your stuff ready before you got to the register to pay. It was ready when you got there. Very filling and natural

There wasn’t a thing I didn’t love, the hummus was so good, I just had to buy more pita to devour it all! Also got the chance to try their #1 on the smoothie number and it holds its place well, amazing place. Staff was genuinely kind and I can’t wait to be in Philly again, I can only dream of a NYC location for such amazing people & food!

We loved the 100% fruit juices! They offer a great variety of fruit combinations, and each juice is cold-pressed fresh while you wait. The staff was incredibly friendly.

We found Dubai chocolate here 😄 Kamals is located inside the Reading Terminal market, as soon as you walk in from one of the Home2 hotel facing side entrance, it is right there. Staff were super friendly, and took the effort to find out when they will have more dubai chocolate come in since they were sold out for that day. As for the sweets they have here are authentic middle eastern yummies. Real honey, delicious flavor. Definitely recommend.

The service and food were both amazing, and the atmosphere is kind of a given due to the nature of the market, a very good spot for the whole family for lunch and dinner.

Kamal's Middle Eastern Specialties is a tucked-away gem inside Reading Terminal, offering fresh juices, smoothies, and Middle Eastern fare. I grabbed a halva smoothie, a mint lemonade, and a small snack, and the experience was quick, friendly, and satisfying. The halva smoothie was Incredible -- rich, creamy, and perfectly balanced with a nutty, sesame-forward flavor that wasn't overly sweet. It honestly tasted like halva in drink form, in the best way. The mint lemonade, on the other hand, wasn't for me -- it was super tart and had a strong, grassy taste that made it hard to finish. For my snack, I tried something savory with walnut and meat (wish I remembered the name), and it was flavorful and satisfying in a small bite. Shoutout to the cashier for not trying to upsell me when I asked for just a little something -- appreciated the low-key, no-pressure vibe. Can't wait to come back and try a full meal next time. The smoothie alone is worth a return trip.

Mango Peach Smoothie Really refreshing and you can taste the fruit! But pretty pricey

I was attending a conference at the convention center and had Kamal's every day for lunch! I loved their za'atar pie, baba ganoush, and chicken salad. They used their chicken shwarma on the salad so it was goooood! I also enjoyed their strawberry, mango, and peach smoothly on a hot summers day. If you're looking for something on the delicious, but healthier side, Kamals is the spot for you!

I got a lamb shawarma platter. The lamb was nicely seasoned. Hummus was good, pita..meh. Rice and salad were nothing to write home about. If I had consulted Yelp first, I might have tried a fresh fruit smoothie instead.

We found Dubai chocolate here Kamals is located inside the Reading Terminal market, so the atmosphere can be a bit loud and crowded. as soon as you walk in from one of the Home2 hotel facing side entrance, it is right there. Staff were super friendly, and took the effort to find out when they will have more dubai chocolate come in since they were sold out for that day. As for the sweets they have here are authentic middle eastern yummies. Real honey, delicious flavor. Definitely recommend.

Halal shawarma and other halal food in a huge stall within Reading Terminal. Good tasting chicken shawarma.

Anthony Bourdain is famous for his quote about dining while traveling, which says something along the lines of find the thing that the place you're visiting does better than anywhere else in the world and eat that. I think there is an equal opposite rule, while less famous is just as true that says when you're traveling by all means avoid the thing that the place that you're from is most famous for because you'll only be disappointed. I'm from mature Detroit and unfortunate to have access to some of the best Middle Eastern food in the world. Philadelphia is not Detroit in this regard. I made my way over to Redding terminal market this evening to pick up dinner about a half hour before closing time to find most of the food shops that I wanted to order food from had already closed up for the night. That left me with Kamal's Middle Eastern is one of the few options that were available to me. I ordered the Lamb Euro plate that came with Shawarma salad, rice, a pita and hummus. The entire dish was largely unremarkable. The lamb itself was nothing special kind of just a food service quality euro Cone that was thrown on the grill and cooked up over the course of the day. Nothing like the freshly made Shawarma that I can get at home. The hummus was not all that great. I thought it was a both lumpy and a little runny at the same time and little heavy on the garlic. The Peter was a complete afterthought. It was presented in a plastic bag. I feel a good head, been sitting there for hours. It was crumbly and dry and certainly not like the fresh delicious handmade homemade pita that I can get it home. The rice was filled with vegetables That you get at an elementary school cafeteria lunch. One or two bites of that rice was more than I needed. The portion sizes were fine, but the food just wasn't all that The highlight and the one thing I would go back for the smoothies I've been craving a smoothie for a while saw that they had fresh juices and smoothies at Kamal so I decided to get a coconut and pineapple smoothie and I thought that was very tasty and refreshing. Beyond that there's much better dining options and terminal market. I just need to make sure I get there a little bit sooner than I did tonight .

Give until it hurts--Mother Theresa Omar was kind. He is son of the owners. This is a family run restaurant that opened in 1981. His family is from Syria and his siblings were working there when I was there. Family recipes. I went with the veg platter that is vegan with six falafels, and one grape leaf. It was quite alright. Be sure to show them love with some cash tips.

Halvah milkshake was quite nice and a bit different. They have a lot of fun smoothie/shake flavor combos. The meat pie was not at all like lachmajun- more like a meat taco. Kibbi was good.

Kamals Middle Eastern Specialties is located in the Reading Terminal Market. Stopping in on a rainy day I ordered a lamb gyro and found it not well balanced. Parts of the wrap were only lettuce, parts were only meat, and the sauce dripped out because there was too much of it. The service was friendly and quick, but our halva shake also wasn't well blended so overall I'd probably give the experience a 3.8 and round up for the service.

Kamala is found inside the Reading Terminal Market. Despite the hectic environment the staff were really helpful, quick, and friendly. Wished the juice was colder but it was the right amount of sweetness and actually really easy to drink.

Good spot to check out in reading market. Great portions and taste for the food! Pro tip is to ask for the garlic sauce on the side!

Amazing shawarma bowl. It tasted better than I hoped - and I hoped for a lot. It was a huge bowl and had salad, green beans, and pita and hummus included. I also appreciated the service - it was quick, friendly, and helpful. The ambiance is the reading terminal market ambiance so not much else to say. I would definitely recommend Kamals!!

Found this cute spot in Reading Terminal Market and I was so happy with my meal. I got the falafel sandwich with a side of hummus. The falafel sandwich was so flavorful and the balls were so soft. The hummus was also not too oily and tasted really authentic.

This is a funny reason to rate a place 5 stars, and their food is pretty good, but I LOVE the way the guy at the counter does his job. When you order he is 100% present with you- eye contact, making you feel seen etc (I'm talking like, Bill Clinton level presence), but he's also hyper efficient. As soon as eye contact breaks he is tending to the other orders and making sure things go through effectively. I've seen super long lines at this location but the orders go through super fast. I've ordered juices and smoothies with tons of ingredients and everything is always done perfectly and high quality. It's a pretty cool thing to be able to make people feel seen and heard AND also get through the orders blazing fast, ha, so 5 stars from me. :)

One of the must visits if you are at the Reading Terminal. Their Moroccan chicken is fall-of-the-bone good. Pair it with their Zaatar bread and lemonade and you have a cheap yet delicious meal, which if you ask me, is hard to come by these days.

My favorite spot at Reading Terminal. Food is always delicious. They validate parking & there's usually a place to sit

Platter is big and pretty good. We got one and shared the meal. The service is very fast. The salad comes with dressing which is nice instead of being plain. The hummus is good as well and it comes with a pita to bring the entire meal together. For the price and location in the Reading Terminal, I'd recommend a visit. It's also pretty easy to find a seat at their place to enjoy your meal!

Great fresh food! Smoothies are delicious too! I had the falafel platter and it was very good!

Visited this place and got the #14 (Strawberry, kiwi and mango). I'm not sure if it was the juice or smoothie but it was really good. The customer service was great and there was not any wait. I plan to return here, 10/10.

The Lemonana (9/10) Shish Kabob Sandwich (7/10) I loved the Lemonana so much that I got it twice! Keep in mind that it is not for everyone (my friend did not like it), so if you don't like lemon, mint, and sugar then it may not be for you. The Shish Kabob Sandwich was perfectly balanced with the met the vegetable ratio, but didn't taste super special (still really good though). Overall, the staff was really friendly and efficient with their orders.

This was my first time at Reading Terminal and I didn't have a place I wanted to eat at specifically. I chose Kamals because getting a wrap would be the easiest thing to eat if we couldn't find seating. The service was quick and the wait was brief. I ordered the chicken shawarma pita wrap with garlic sauce. It was good, with a solid amount of meat (a bit salty) and a good balance of veggies. Overall, I would come back for the food and try the drinks that other reviews have highlighted!

This place cannot advertise themselves to be authentic middle eastern food if they can't get the staple, falafel right. Why are falafels a size of giant meat balls? The falafels lack seasoning as well as just taste greasy. It seems all the raving 5 stars are from people who don't know much about middle eastern cuisine. It was not worth the hype.

Review for the lemonana drink only. Made of "mint, lemon and rose water," it was actually better than I thought. Slightly minty, slightly sour, with a hint of sweetness, but no rose taste though. I ended up getting it two days in a row while I was in Philly. It was refreshing and perfect after a heavy meal. FYI: the menu says $6, but I was charged $6.75 on day 1 and $7.56 on day 2. Same item, a day apart, same menu, but different price... sus... Accepts credit card.

I read that this place had a really refreshing drink known as lemonada before coming to Philly and exploring Reading Terminal so I had to check it out! As mentioned, it was delicious and refreshing! A perfect accompaniment to my lunch.

Fantastic. Sat in and ate. Wonderful shawarma. Even gave me some more lamb to try. I'm loving Philly.

We split the falafel platter. Every element was excellent. Falafel was the best. Great feta cheese, crisp salad, nice tahini, and really great great thin pita. But the falafel? perfect !

Fabulous falafel, hummus and tabbouleh platter! Quick friendly service and everything tastes really fresh. Falafel cooked perfectly with good texture. All right in the dynamic Reading Terminal Market.

We ordered the lamb shawarma and falafel wrap. The falafel was good but there is not enough of it. I wish it had a little crunch to it but it didn't. The lamb was tasty. There are bar stools at Kamals so you could eat sitting down (some places are standing only).

So much to love about this place!! It's one of the first places you'll bump into at the Reading Terminal Market. I ordered the meal and it came with falafel in a warm tender pita, fries, and a drink. The price for a meal was crazy good for the quality and amount of food we received. The falafel had all types of flavors that were just melting in our mouths. There was a mint sauce that came with it and is one of the best sauces I've ever had. Everything was cooked and made to perfection. Loved everything about this place! They also sell freshly squeezed juices and smoothies and have a variety of flavors. The workers were also super sweet and hilarious! Overall, we had an amazing experience here and would recommend this place to anyone in the area looking for a refreshing bite to eat or drink! 10/10 in my books. -because this place is so loved, there are huge lines...but they're so worth it!!

Just came for their mint-lemon-rosewater lemonada as per an online review and I highly recommend! It was so delicious, the rose water really shined.

Delicious and authentic food. It's a hidden treasure off of South Street! We stop in to grab a bite whenever we are near there. And often we just make sure that we find ourselves near there

This place has hummus that is authentic to the Middle East and doesn't have a strong acid taste. The chicken and staff were amazing. Every dollar well spent. They have a huge variety of smoothie flavors & great customer service

I admit it: the big draw for me was the guaranteed seating, which is hard to come by in Reading Terminal. I got a shawarma combo and it was ... ok. Meat was decently seasoned, salad was the usual "pile of iceberg lettuce" one gets at many places like this. Hummus was a little grainy -- I've been spoiled by fancy super smooth hummus at other places. I asked for hot sauce and they told me they'd spiced up the meat, but it didn't seem spicy. Surprisingly the tastiest part was the rice -- it had a very comforting, homemade taste to it. With so many offerings at this place, I'm not sure I'll return to Kamal for food but I hear the smoothies are good.

Full disclaimer: This review is based on the smoothie. I don't know why I haven't tried food here, but I can't help but get smoothies looking at all the fruit in the display case. Got myself a coconut, pineapple, and mango smoothie which didn't take long. The price creeped up a little, but the quality is fairly the same. My shake was a bit watery, but the coconut and pineapple flavors chined through. They don't use any syrups or powders either, just fresh fruit. No complaints besides the texture from being a little watery.

This place was very disappointing. Service was fast. Chicken had a weird squishy tofu like texture. Salad and hummus were fine but if I'm paying $16 for a meal I have higher expectations than this. Did not finish. Would avoid

Definitely will be back! Great juice selection with fresh ingredients and fresh pressed ginger! Try the carrot, kale, apple, and ginger (sweetish and velvety) or kale, apple, ginger. (A bit sweeter). The baklava was a hit too!

Can't speak to food quality but I enjoyed the smoothie (mango guava orange). Would buy again.

One of the first restaurants you see when you enter from the 12th street entrance closer to Arch St. I couldn't decide between a lamb vs chicken schwarma, but the person behind the counter said he can do a mix of both! He subsequently asked whether I wanted it with hummus vs tzatziki sauce, which I didn't expect to be given the option (I got the tzatziki). I also had a side order of falafel since it was given good reviews. The shwarma was actually pretty big, almost a size of a full hoagie. The entire dish was delicious, and the lamb was especially tasty. I definitely would recommend it. The falafel was a little dry for me, but it was still tasty. Finally, it seems they sell a variety of juices as well, but I didn't try them. Rating: 7/10 Pros: Fastly made, decently priced, large shwarma, tasty lamb Cons: Falafel slightly dry

The chicken shawarma wrap and side of falafel was very tasty. The wrap could've used some more vegetables, but the tahini sauce was good. Located in the Reading Terminal market and great for a quick bite.

I've only had a smoothie them, but I distinctly remember it being a lifesaver. Picture this, it's a crowded late fall or early winter day. So it's cold, and you're wearing a thick down jacket. But it's not cold, cold out yet, ya know? Okay so you're inside Reading Terminal and realize you are actually roasting under your ginormous parka. You need something cold to counter all the sweltering heat. Enter Kamals, with their fresh ingredients and delicious smoothies! I made a custom smoothie with papaya, guava and mango. They use real fruit. It was very refreshing. I wish I got the largest size because it was so good! I didn't get to try anything else from Kamals. Next time I will for sure!

We had excellent service and food on a busy a Saturday ! The food literally came out in under ten minutes; probably faster. The chicken platter was delicious. Really juicy and flavorful chicken with great portion size. Even though it was crazy busy, the cashier at the front was very kind ! Def recommend

Falafel wrap was good and so were the fries. Came out quick despite being busy but there is very little seating (can't blame them however)

OMG !!!! The cold buster smoothie is the BEST !!!! It's delicious and helps with a cold !!! Definitely worth coming back for more !!!

The staff here easily deserve 5/5 stars - they are super helpful and accommodating. I was concerned that they only did smoothies, which I don't like, but the guy behind the counter walked me through the juice options and helped me choose what ended up being a really good drink. My partner got the za'atar fries with toom, and they were fine but really under-salted (we added a good amount of salt, and then they were good).

Smoothie cam out to $7 for 20 ounces which is pretty good. Not too sweet but was on the more watery side. Got the job done for craving a smoothie.

braved the crowds of Reading Terminal Market for the first time (!) && stumbled across this stand while in search of quick noms. I was so happy!! I'm on a really restrictive Dr-prescribed diet (nothing with seeds, no whole nuts, minimal nut butters... no raw veg, no tomato/citrus - the list goes on, but you get the idea - even bananas and lemon-poppy seed muffins are verboten) got a beet/ginger/apple/mango/ice smoothie which was FANTASTIC and a spanakopita hand pie (spinach & feta) that truly could not have been any better unless I doused it with za'atar (trust, I almost asked for some) literally been eating hummus straight off the fork...hummus already composes like a quarter of my standard diet anyway (lets not get into how restrictive my diet is, but trust - I basically live off purees and yogurt), so that's saying something. managed to save the baklawa I bought long enough to have my son eat some, but when he didn't want to finish it the other half went directly into my face with zero hesitation. my cardio-thorasic surgeon would be horrified at my lack of tiny careful bite, sure, but zero regrets y'all. so worth the splurge. this family business has the classics down pat. nom nom nom nom nom

Another favorite smoothie place of mine is Kamal's. This family owned business in Reading Terminal has been serving my family delicious smoothies for years. Today I ordered the Summer Breeze with a Tablespoon of Soy Protein, Sea Moss and Vitamin B shot. I am off to a great start with this tasty beverage. They also have smoothie reward cards.

My new obsession!! Inside of Reading Terminal Market so can be overwhelming but worth every second. The staff are attentive and fast despite the loud and long line. The make your own smoothies are divine!! Super refreshing and would 100000% recommend. Will be back!