Kamals Middle Eastern Cuisine

Today, I had the pleasure of revisiting a charming establishment known as Kamal's Falafel. Around seven months ago, I first visited this place solely to indulge in their delightful tahini shake, which left a lasting impression on me. Thus, this review will serve as a dual commentary - a concise overview followed by a deeper exploration of my recent experience. Kamal's Falafel offers a respectable array of vegan options, expertly curated to cater to various dietary preferences. During my visit, I had the pleasure of being attended to by the amiable Hashim, who graciously elucidated the meticulous process involved in crafting their renowned falafel. Made in-house, this falafel is a harmonious blend of chickpeas and fava beans, meticulously soaked and dried overnight before being infused with a medley of fresh herbs, resulting in a unique and exquisite flavor profile. Undoubtedly, this falafel stands out as among the best I have had the pleasure of sampling. The discernible quality of the ingredients used in Kamal's Falafel is truly noteworthy, setting it apart from other establishments that often rely on generic chickpea flour. The distinct flavors and textures of the fava beans and chickpeas are discernible in each delectable bite, creating a culinary experience that is both gratifying and memorable. Served in a generously sized pita accompanied by an assortment of fresh vegetables, including lettuce, tomato, onion, and cucumber, patrons are given the option of pairing their falafel with either hummus or tahini spread, with the added bonus of Hashim's tantalizing harissa sauce. During this visit, my dining companion opted for the lamb shawarma, featuring succulent slices of fresh lamb carved from the rotating spit, accompanied by the same fresh salad components. As she constructed her sandwich, I observed the care and attention to detail that goes into every dish at Kamal's Falafel. In addition to the savory delights, Kamal's Falafel also boasts an impressive selection of beverages, including refreshing smoothies and invigorating fresh juices. I savored a delightful strawberry banana smoothie enhanced with soy protein, while my companion delighted in the aptly named "Cold Killer" - a revitalizing blend of oranges, ginger, honey, and lemons. Our experience at Kamal's Falafel was further heightened by the warm hospitality of Hashim, who took the time to share insights into the preparation of their culinary creations. As we relished our meals and beverages, we were enveloped in an atmosphere of genuine care and attention to detail. In conclusion, Kamal's Falafel emerges as a standout dining destination, earning a resounding five-star rating across the board. My culinary journey at Kamal's Falafel was nothing short of extraordinary, and I eagerly anticipate my next visit to explore more of their enticing menu offerings.

I stopped by Kamal’s in Reading Terminal Market and had one of the freshest smoothies I’ve ever tasted! I got the strawberry, kiwi, and mango blend—it was perfectly balanced, refreshing, and full of flavor. If I hadn’t been heading straight to the airport, I definitely would’ve ordered a larger size. Highly recommend for a delicious, fresh pick-me-up!

My husband and I stopped in reading market for some fresh juice and falafel sandwiches. The guy who took our order was very friendly and the service was fast. We asked to make it Spicy and they had a really good harissa! Really crispy falafel. 5 star falafel sandwiches.

Got a lamb gyro, 2 beef kibbeh, and a potato somosa. There was only one person taking orders and answered the phone while taking my order. I get it was busy, but the customer that is standing in front of you is already there and should really be priority. The gyro and kibbeh was good. Gyro came with a lot of meat. Kibbeh had good flavor but did not come with any sauce. Samosa was very dry. Totally not recommended for $4.16 after tax. No sauce came with the samosa. Overall, ok food will try the Greek gyro right across from them next time.

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.

OMG! THAT'S THE BEST KABAB SANDWICH IVE EVER HAD! I went back 2 buy more. They have vegan and dairy free foods. I have a severe allergy 2 dairy and accidentally ordered a sause w sour cream, and they caught it and helped me get a different sause for my food. I got baklava and falafels SO GOOD! Just know its been 4 months and I still think about this kebab sandwich! Its that good!

ordered at the counter today and my order was ready in less than 5 minutes! extremely fast and friendly service. I ordered the Kiwi, Orange, and Banana Smoothie and it was the best smoothie I've ever had! the falafel platter is also delicious and so filling. can't recommend enough

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!

Kamal's serves up tasty Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes, including chicken and beef pitas or platters that come with rice, veggies, and a warm pita. I ordered the chicken shawarma pita and it was wonderful! The portion was generous (my photo only shows it cut in half), and it came packed with fresh veggie toppings. You can choose between hummus, tzatziki, or garlic sauce.. definitely go with the garlic sauce. It adds an incredible extra layer of flavor that really brings the whole dish together. Great place for a quick bite in the historical and busy Reading Terminal Market!

Every time we head home to Philly and hit Reading Terminal Market we do our best to try out different food stalls in the never-ending sea of options. This time around I wanted to go on the healthier side and get a smoothie from Kamal's and it did not disappoint! There were plenty of smoothie options, all of which are probably delightful, and the one I got was refreshing and tasty without being too sweet. If you're looking for a relatively healthy drink / snack while at Reading Terminal, Kamal's has some great smoothies

I can't speak for their food, but the smoothies are so good! I was walking around Reading Terminal Market looking for a smoothie/juice spot, and saw so many people lined up here getting a drink, so I had to join the line myself. They have different fruit combos you can choose from, or you can pick your own combination. There are also juice shots and pressed juice. The wait wasn't too long on a busy Sunday, and the line moved efficiently. Highly recommend for a refreshing and healthy drink option!

Came by for a zaatar pie but they were sold out already. Picked up some halwa as a consolation :-)

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

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 .

Gas. Lamb shawarma w garlic was amazing and filling. Quick service and for $13 i thought it was worth it.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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!!

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

I've had smoothies and baklava here, and both were excellent! People were always friendly.

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 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. :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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 !

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

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.

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).

Chicken shawarma platter was pretty good. Chicken was very tender and flavorful. Came with salad, pita, rice with carrot, peas, and tomatoes, tabouli, and hummus. Super filing. Tabouli was quite refreshing. The shish kabob platter was okay- the meat was pretty tough.

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

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