Atharva Bhalerao
Google
manna is a great spot in SLU for arabic flavors and besides hot food, it also has amazing bakery items.
food was great. for the money, i would’ve wanted a slightly bigger portion size, but i think the flavor and taste compensates for that. i got the street bowl with falafel, chicken, hummus, bread, pickled veggies and hot sauce. all the components went amazing with each other. chicken was perfect, not dry at all. the falafel is amazing, with a crisp crust and soft inside. hummus is nice and smooth. warmer bread could’ve been nice imo, but its very good right now too. i have tried a lamb shawarmini in the past too and i really liked it. in terms of bakery/pastry, the raspberry danish, the mama cookie and the tahini swirl cookies are amazing. cookies were soft, chunky with nice flaky salt on top. the danish however stood out to me the most. i’ve never had a danish so nice, flaky and flavorful. the raspberry was perfect, not too overpowering. the crumble on top makes it perfect.
the service was general. i was served fast and the man at the counter was polite and friendly.
the atmosphere is a corporate/casual mix. the colors are dark and subtle but the music is casual. it has a sit-down vibe but sells upscale street food.
overall, manna is an amazing find for a quick takeout or a sit-down lunch. it’s in the center of SLU and there’s a lot of competition around, but manna holds it’s own with it’s nice, arabic flavors and absolutely amazing bakery items. i can see myself coming here as a usual throughout the week. i would recommend manna to locals and people working around SLU.