Sumela: Turkish and Mediterranean Restaurant

The food is very flavorful and cooked well. We really enjoyed the beef shish-kabob and the chicken shish-kabob. The sides were also very tasty, including hummus and the white bean salad. The pita was fresh. And the baklava was delicious. Would definitely come back.

We were traveling and ordered take out for 7 people. Wraps, gyro platters, parmesan, Greek salad, and sides of dolmades and fries. Staff greeted us warmly and owner was very friendly. Which makes this review very hard to give. Compared to other Greek food experiences, this was more diner style/budget Greek. None of the food was particularly flavorful, and some was flavorless. The gyro meat and dolmades were decent - meat is pre-formed patty strips, and dolmades seemed tightly packed like they came from a jar. Wraps were also decently flavored. The salad dressing was overpowered by red wine vinegar and the oil/garlic/oregano/etc were lost completely. The fries were listed as "perfectly seasoned" on the menu, BUT had ZERO seasoning, no salt, no oregano, no garlic, nothing....just fried potato sticks (we mixed up our own Greek seasoning to be able to eat them). The pita was ok - it was unusually chewy, almost like a pizza dough. Kalamata olives were small and seemed almost dry compared to most. Cost was high for the basic quality, although portions were decent. $25 for the sampler was overpriced. Overall, if you need Greek and can't wait, this might do. If you can wait, then for the same price you will find better. If you value a warm local owner and friendly staff with an intimate eating space, as a priority over deeply authentic Greek cuisine, then this may be the place for you.

Had a really nice time with my family. The waitress was very kind and patient, making the overall experience pleasant. The food was good overall, though I feel like the lamb I had was so-so. Everything else, including the restaurant was great.

I spend 22$ for this portion of food without any salad or sauce and i had to pay extra 2.50$ for a small cup of drink. Food quality was average too. Very disappointing.

I cannot say enough good things about this place!!! We were in the mood for some Mediterranean and didn't want to leave the house so we used Door Dash. We were really surprised that when they got here the food was still nice and hot!!! I thought we had a pretty small order but when the delivery man got here we had enough food to feed a small army!!! There was plenty for my husband to try off of my plate and for me to taste what was on his plate. We will be eating off this for several days!! If I could give you more stars I would!!! Thank you for the wonderful dine out experience!!!

Working in High Point today and saw this was a nearby restaurant I could walk to. So pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was, great value for how much food and how fresh everything tasted. I got the Mediterranean wrap and finished every bite. Very clean place with very good service as well. The perfect lunch spot for everytime I’m in HP. I plan to return!

My first time coming here and it did not disappoint! The restaurant was clean, the employees were incredibly friendly, and the service was fantastic! The food was absolutely delicious and came out piping hot and fresh. I thought, for the quality of the food, the prices were great! I highly recommend the chicken kabobs! It comes with a generous helping of rice and vegetables with a tremendous flavor. Excellent people and service!

Grab the quick bite from here today. This was actually my second time the food is great. I love chicken Slovakia with pita bread. They have a bunch of great appetizers, including hummus andgreat salads. The waitress was kind and gave great customer service too bad. It was her last day. She said she was returning back to school. but if you want some great Mediterranean food give this place a try.

While Odeh's is my go to in High Point, if I find myself in the area, Sumela is always a safe choice. Nice diner/coffee shop type seating and friendly service along with good food. Recommended.

On a day trip to Winston-Salem to attend a Dinner Party Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Yelp Elite Squad at Earl's Restaurant & Bar, I decided to arrive early to spend the day in Winston-Salem and while having breakfast there at Penny Path Cafe and Crepe Shop two young ladies who engaged in conversation with me after learning I had traveled all the way from Roanoke, Virginia, recommended that I have lunch at Sumela Turkish & Mediterranean Restaurant, in High Point, North Carolina. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Sulema Turkish & Mediterranean Restaurant in High Point, North Carolina, is the perfect example. I arrived at this family-owned restaurant located in Peters Plaza ll in the heart of High Point, a strip mall with plenty of parking, and the first thing that impressed me was the cleanliness of the place all the way from the outside of the building that was painted light blue and white to the inside of the restaurant which had a pleasant ambiance in a relaxed environment. The menu described their food as Healthy, Fresh & Authentic. It had a nice selection of Mediterranean food priced reasonably. When I arrived I was greated by a friendly and welcoming young gentleman who took me to my table and handed me the menu. It was around 12Noon and there were already some customers having lunch there and others dropping by to make some Take Out orders. My server, Ercan, the same one who had greeted me and taken me to my table, was very helpful and answering questions about the menu, which was simple, with a nice layout and with a few photos. I ended up having an Iced Sweet Tea to drink and a Beef Shishkebab (marinated beef tenderloin cubes char-grilled) with rice and Piyaz as the two sides. It also included pita bread, & yogurt cucumber sauce. I invite you to view my photographs and video clip accompanying this review to get a better sense of the food and restaurant's ambiance. The food was fresh and well-seasoned. The meat was tender. The pita bread was warm and soft. The best that I have ever eaten. And I consider the bread of a restaurant an indication of its quality food. Everything was so flavorful. I would say it far exceeded my expectations. For dessert I had a Home-Made Baklava. It looked beautiful and tasted as good as it looked. When I was paying my bill at the cashier they told me that their father, the owner of the restaurant was Turkish. I thank them for such great food and service, and let them know that I have had an amazing dining experience. I highly recommend this restaurant and would gladly return again anytime I'm in the area.

Good little spot, good food and Service. It's not something that makes me crave to go back to again, but I do look forward to go back and throw back some more food.

Great Mediterranean food and fast friendly service! You won't leave hungry here. Generous portions and always cooked to perfection. Yum!!

I've been coming to this spot for a few years now. Sumela makes some of the freshest and REAL food in the area. My go to is the chicken Souvlaki sandwich with fries. They make great hummus and excellent falafel as well. The Lamachun are also outstanding. The Babaganoush isn't as Smokey as I've grown to love but they still make it good. The Kofte burger is delicious. Sumela is family owned and operated, they also have a great staff. The owner, Mac, is a delight. Very personable and always very welcoming. I live sitting by the painting of the beach in the Mediterranean. It's a family friendly place that cooks some really good food. If you're ever in the area I highly recommend it

This is a cute little place with nice staff. We've eaten there twice. The food was awesome the first visit and good the second visit, so maybe a touch inconsistent. But we enjoyed it and will return. We had chicken kabobs, a combo kabobs plate, and one of our kids had the pasta. The hummus was my favorite thing.

One of the few restaurants in downtown High point area. The food is good Clean inside. Fresh salads. My favorite is the lamajoun. Thin crust Middle Eastern pizza with ground meat and spices. Friendly helpful service.

Best for a light (or not so light) lunch! This place NEVER disappoints. I've been here more times than I can count, but just recently had the Mediterranean salad, and it's easily one of my favorite salads. Of note, the Greek and grilled chicken salads are fabulous! Their Greek/oil & vinegar dressing is my favorite - I love tangy dressing - but their ranch dressing is also lap-it-up worthy! Hummus? Delicious! Chicken souvlaki? Amazing! Gyro? Yea, get it! But my ultimate secret (not really secret) favorite is the Shepherd's salad WITH the Turkish meat pie... tear the meat pie and scoop up the salad inside the the pie for the PERFECT bite -- you're welcome!! Go. Here.

Service was great. Selections was excellent. Perfect location to drop in for lunch. Looking forward to come back and try other items.

Best shepherd's salad ever, fair prices, ample servings, juicy chicken, sweet service - if it were in Greensboro I'd go every day. New favorite Mediterranean in a Triad and I had a Greek mama.

This is a good place for a quick, casual lunch or dinner. Todays lunch hit the spot and they were quick and friendly serving the food. The food is cooked fresh. The stuffed grape leaves are not made by them. Their dishes are quite tasty and full of fresh chopped herbs. I love the tabouleh with the perfect combination of herbs and acid and salt for my taste. The piyaz is a crowd favorite and for good reason. They are open on Monday too.

Always a good experience with Sumela. The food is outstanding, service is great and friendly. One of our go-to restaurants each week!

I was in the mood for some Halal and that's what I got! This was delicious , fresh soft bread and juicy well seasoned chicken. I will have to try one of the platters next time I'm in the mood.

It was a short walk from the children's museum to eat here. We came when they opened so it was not busy. The food was excellent and they have nice service. I had the Turkish coffee which was amazing as well as the Mediterranean salad. I love how the salad have different toppings on it and the chicken and I added was really good. My son had the Gyro and fries which were both delicious. My husband enjoyed his falafel sandwich. Everything was so good and I will definitely come back to try more things on the menu.

(3.5 stars) There's more than meets the eye at this long-running Mediterranean restaurant. Housed in a nondescript strip mall across from the library, it is easy to overlook and not particularly inviting from the outside. The inside, on the other hand, is clean and cozy if a bit small. So too goes the menu. At first glance, there appears to be little that separates Sumela from a half dozen other Mediterranean eateries. You can find the expected kebabs, gyros, salads, and apps (hummus, falafel, etc.), but you won't find manti (mini-dumplings) or mucver (zucchini fritters). Look past that disappointment, however, and there is a fair bit of flex. You can go heavy or light, meat or vegetarian, and several sampler options exist for those who want a little bit of everything. My wife and I fall into that last category, so we opted to split a mixed appetizer (hummus, baba ghanoush, piyaz, and stuffed grape leaves), an order of spanakopita, and a sultan platter (lamb kebab, Adana kebab, gyro meat, piyaz, rice, vegetables, and pita). The food arrived quickly, and though the dishes were familiar, the preparations were unique. The spanakopita came in one large square covered with sesame (?) seeds and served with a yogurt sauce. It wasn't Greek, but it was great. Kudos also go to the kebabs and especially the gyro meat, which was among the more flavorful and tender that I've ever had. The baba ghanoush had a welcome smokiness to it and was the highlight of the app sampler though there were no weak links in the bunch. Service proved attentive, and pricing was moderate (kebab samplers in the mid-teens). Living right near Nazareth Bread for several years threw our perceptions of value and portion sizing out of whack, and Sumela represents a return to earth in comparison. Nothing here is unreasonably expensive though. All told, Sumela may lack the menu appeal of an Odeh's or the refinement of a Chef Samir, but it offers a very solid representation of Mediterranean food, and it should not be overlooked.

Just left Sumela for the first time and boy I cannot stop thinking about my next visit! My server, Cody, who seemed to be running the whole front of house by herself which is amazing, let me choose my seat, I asked her for a recommendation and I could tell she didn't want to choose so I said surprise me! She came out with the Sumela Sampler and I ate every bite. Thank you to Cody, I'll be seeing you again soon!

We ordered the mixed platter appetizer and the gyro sandwich. The only thing that tasted like anything was the pita bread and the bag of lays chips. Was so disappointed in the taste of everything. Super bland and no flavor at all. We used grubhub for delivery - didn't have to wait long.

My side salad had a HAIR inside of it so I could not eat it. Unsanitary and cashier tried to charge me twice however I saw the charge in my bank account already so I stopped her. Waste of money

I found this place while waiting for someone at the hospital down the street. I ordered the lunch adana kebab with rice and mixed vegetables. The staff at the counter were friendly and welcoming when I arrived. The adana is listed on the menu as a blend of spicy ground lamb and beef chargrilled. While it had great flavor, it was not spicy, at all. The rice was very mild in flavor, mostly tasted somewhat peppery, but good. The mixed veggies were cauliflower, carrots, squash, zucchini, and broccoli. They were roasted and had very mild seasoning, but I feel like it was a small serving. The pita bread and taziki sauce were both good. For a lunch portion, I paid $10.41, after tax, for the food only, no drink. I was somewhat disappointed in the portions for this price, but it was a good lunch. I would definitely try this place again.

We had several different dishes for take out this evening. The stuffed leaves, Greek salads, hummus, and wraps were wonderful. Hot, fresh, and hearty. We will be back! Very pleased with the variety of dishes available. Support this business.

Excellent food. I had the falafel wrap with pasta salad, and my wife had the gyro with piyaz. The falafel was crispy and flavorful, but it was overshadowed by the rest of the wrap, which had a fresh-seeming thick pita, lots of tzatziki, and lettuce and tomato. I'd probably have the falafel as an appetizer next time so it could stand alone. The pasta salad was simple but enjoyable: just well-cooked pasta (al dente, not the gooey floppy stuff you get some places) in a vinaigrette. The gyro was excellent, says the Mrs., and the piyaz was a hit. The staff (one friendly kid manning the register and all the tables) was attentive without hovering. We'll definitely be back.

Great place! We planned ahead with the nice owner and hosted a bridal luncheon at Sumela's. They were very accommodating and had a table for 14 ready for us and appetizer trays ready to roll out as requested. It has a very nice interior and easy parking. All the dishes served were nice quantities and I didn't see any food leftover so everything was yummy. I had the shrimp kabob entree and I noticed that both the shrimp kabob and lamb kabobs plates came with 2 very full all meat skewers. The good menu variety and great flavors had a couple of us going back the next day with our husbands! Thank you to Sumela's for a successful event!

Service is good. Definitely a family restaurant, so support them. Lahmacun is good, I just wish it is made with fresh dough, but it taste good with a spicy after taste, just the right amount. The chicken is excellent, juicy, tender and flavorful Kufta was a little dry but not bad when it comes to flavor. The sandwich meat was very dry, nothing good there... it is missing something :) Tabouleh is far from the real one but not bad. All in all it was a good experience, I would go back for sure, and get some more chicken and try other things on the menu.

Worst kabab not cooked inside at all. Don't come to this f restaurant at all! We are paying not free. Its worst experience ever. Just don't come to this place to make evening misery.

Great food!! Tried the Sumela Sampler, with rice and Tabouleh and the Spanakopita appetizer. Service was quick and correct. I will definitely be back.

Great food, good customer service and friendly staff, prices are reasonable, plenty of parking, and convenient location.

This is my first Yelp post ever! EXCELLENT FRESH HOMEMADE Mediterranean food. Service was friendly and attentive. Visiting HPU with my daughter from the northeast. Enjoyed a great lunch!

First time being at Sumela. After years in NYC, my palate and expectations have been spoiled to say the least. The cuisine and staff did not disappoint. My mother decided to sample a lot from their menu. I am vegan and my mother is vegetarian and our options were plentiful. The falafel wrap was spectacular (minus the tzatziki for me), baba ganoush excellent, dolmadas delicious, and the Turkish coffee and honey baklava were on point. Our waiter, young man, light brown hair was very attentive but not excessive, super helpful and knowledgeable about the food too. My mother and I had a wonderful time making memories. We will definitely be back.

Cool restaurant to come in and eat lunch. Food is good and the prices are great! Service was great and food was served within minutes from ordering.

I've dined here twice in the past two months and both times were pretty good. Very simple ordering concept; walk up to the counter, order and pay for your meal and take a seat with a number and they will bring you out your food. Service is decent. They have daily lunch specials and a few items you wouldn't expect. Salad is fresh & tasty and the kebabs are juicy & cooked well. I loved the soft pita! The first time I ate here was with my girlfriend and the second time I ate solo.. my friend enjoyed her food as well as I did. If I was in the area running errands or something, I would definitely come back if I was in the mood for this type of food.

Family got gyros and baklava takeout. We all agreed the gyros were excellent with the perfect amount of meat, very fresh vegetables, and very good taziki sauce with just a hint of citrus. Wife and daughter loved the baklava but I found it too small but tasty.

Family owned Turkish/Mediterranean food. We LOVE this place! Lots of regulars clearly share our view. We shared the sample platter -- the hummus and pitas were mouth wateringly good, the pita bread was soft and warm. I had the chicken souvlaki, my wife had a falafel. Both were perfect. Service was fast and friendly. The restaurant had been repainted recently and seating is comfortable and the place is quiet. The chef, a friendly Turkish man, came out to greet us as we left. Very good parking. A whole bunch of plus signs on this one!

It has been years since I found myself sitting at Sumela so I went in with almost no expectations! My boyfriend and I went here looking for some healthier food options. We were both starving, so we ordered a hummus plate appetizer to start. I forgot to snap a picture but it was pretty good. It came with a TON of hummus! I ordered the Veggie Delite Wrap and he ordered the Chicken Slouvaki. He said the chicken had a few gristle spots, but it was really good. My wrap was delicious and I was very full when I was done. I did wish it had a bit more falafel on it but it was tasty!! We chose to sit on the patio since it was nice outside and we were the only ones out there. The server took great care of us and I thought the experience was pretty good. I absolutely will go back when I have another craving for Mediterranean!

Food was good. Service was good. Service dogs are welcome. The gyro I was really good.

My favorite Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant of all time. I've known the owner for years and have always been impressed with the dishes he puts out. The dining room is modest, but always clean. It's great for lunch and always a great deal! I love the Healthy Wrap with Piyaz (a fresh white bean salad with tomatoes). However, dinner time at Sumela is my favorite. They have some great kebab sampler platters that lets you try all kinds of tasty treats. The Sumela Sampler and the Sultan's Platter are my favorite! They're $15 each, but well worth it! You get steamed vegetables, rice, 3 meat skewers, piyaz and tzaziki sauce. So great!! They do not serve beer or liquor, but they do have a few nice wine selections. The staff is wonderful and always helpful to make suggestions. Love this place!

Sumela re-opened on Dec 17th, after having been closed since mid July for repairs for damages done to the kitchen area by an auto - yeap, got hit by a car! But, things are back to normal now or close at least, and Mehmet is back to preparing excellent Turkish and Mediterranean dishes. We stopped in for lunch on Friday, and also picked up some take out for a no work dinner that night. Our lunch choices were the Hummus appetizer, Shepherd's Salad (I highly recommend this dish if you care even a little about the taste of fresh vegetables), Chicken Salad, a Gyro Pita Sandwich with a Pasta Salad side. Everything was simply delicious, flavors were fresh and sharp. The Hummus is especially nice, great chickpea flavor which is complimented, not overpowered, by garlic. The Gyro is a two handed sandwich For the evening meal, we chose The Sultan Platter (all the kababs are very nice, especially the Adana), Grape Leaves (vegetarian version here), Spinocopita, and the Turkish Meat Pie (with take out, some assembly is required), along with the left over Shepherd's Salad from lunch. And as at lunch, everything was excellent, with a nice assortment of tastes and textures. This is very good food, well prepared by good, friendly, local folks. This is "fast casual", food is cooked to order, so it ain't Mickey D's, but it is better, waaay better (sorry, Wendy)!

Fantastic as always. A great gem in High Point. Very friendly staff. If you like Mediterranean you will LOVE this place. Do yourself a favor, get the Sultans Platter!! Great Valentines Day! Thx Sumela!

Staff was very friendly, the food was great with a great price we has a nice lunch that afternoon they made it a very pleasant experience

I LOVE this restaurant. I discover it awhile back. I stop by about once a week to pick up dinner on my way to work, usually between 4 & 5 pm, there is never a wait and maybe a handful of dine in customers, I suspect most people order to go as I do. The stuffed grape leaves are delicious! I order a gyro or a Greek salad with gyro meat as well. I call and place my order when I'm 10 - 15 minutes away and its always ready when I get there. The menu has tons of options (beef, lamb, chicken, vegetarian). I've never been disappointed with anything I've tried. The baklava is absolutely divine. Mmmm.

I really enjoyed this place. I went with friends and we ordered everything on the menu, it seemed. A great way to try a variety of dishes is the restaurant's kebab platter. You can pick and choose your kebabs and all are served with pita and three sides: rice, piyaz (a marinated white bean salad with diced onion and bell peppers) and mixed vegetables. The platter fit for the king of kings, the Sultan Platter, is without a doubt the best item on the menu and comes with a lamb skewer, Adana kebab and gyro meat. Adana is similar to a lamb and beef sausage that is chargrilled on a skewer. I didn't like it at all. I don't recommend it. It was tough and didn't taste too fresh. I also didn't like the hummus. It was too runny, warm, and didn't taste like anything. The menu item I can't stop thinking about is the gyro. The seasoned thin slices of meat were juicy, the diced tomatoes plump and the lettuce crisp wrapped inside warm pita proved to be the most delicious gyro I've ever had. I didn't want to let my gyro meat go, and I truly savored every single bite. I did not care for the housemade yogurt-cucumber sauce (too much yogurt and not enough cucumber), but the restaurant seems to be extremely proud of it, as a declaration of its authenticity is stated in the middle of the menu. And the sauce is featured on nearly every sandwich and wrap. Sides include chips, fries or for an additional upgrade, you can substitute the best of the options, the aforementioned piyaz, pasta salad or fresh fruit. There's even pasta! Perfect for anyone not ready to jump on the boat to the Ottoman Empire.

If your looking for an authentic meal and a good price look no further! Me and my husband have had everything on the menu and it's truly amazing. One of my favorites is the lentil soup with Duran Adana. Basically a burrito with a mild sausage and a home made sauce wrapped in a flour wrap with lettuce and tomatoes and it's always spot on!!

We stopped here for lunch on Saturday. I got eggplant parmigiana. It didn't have much flavor, and it was over cooked. My friend got a penne pasta dish with shrimp. The shrimp was over cooked. After asking the shrimp be cooked again, we were told no. The chef eventually did cook more shrimp, and then it was undercooked. His dish was drowning in oil. It was gross. The waiter was friendly, and the female owner was as well, but we were disappointed with the food. We will not be returning.

I stopped here for lunch because I had a doctor's appointment nearby, and thought this would be perfect. My experience was alright, probably not enough to get me to come back soon. The ambiance, or lack thereof, was off-putting immediately. It seems very worn and dated, not something you love for a restaurant. At lunch, you order at the counter and they bring it to you. I had a Mediterranean wrap, and it was decent. They do have fountain drinks so that is a plus. Overall, nothing spectacular. I might come back, but not rushed to do. I will say though, it is a good place to come for a quick lunch. I came right at 12 and my food took about 8 minutes. Plus, it's local!

I had the beef kabobs and my husband had the kofta (meatballs). Both dishes were boring. Where were the wonderful spices? I wanted the marinade for the beef to have paprika, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cumin, & thyme. I got an overcooked kebob that hadn't even been seasoned with salt & pepper. The kofta should have been flavorful with garlic and spices. My husband said that it tasted like cooked hamburger meat. I like Turkish food and know what these items *should* taste like so I was excited to try Sumela's. Sadly, even the raspberry salad dressing was boring, tasting like oil and vinegar with no hint of raspberry. This was my first - and last time - at Sumela's. The waitress was enthusiastic and pleasant so the 1 star is for her.

Delicious food and dessert! Looks like a little hole in the wall restaurant but worth the visit. Stopped in after a show at the theater. Very busy with take out orders and a few dine in's.

Food is good and wait staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. But the owner Matt is a complete jerk who treats his employees like garbage. I overheard him degrading his employees and just being very nasty to them. If you want to support someone who treats his employees like this than you will enjoy it.

Excellent authentic food and the owner is very nice. Great options if vegan as well. And the Baclava is delicious.

So incredibly good! Probably the best baba ganoush we have had in the states, and the spanakopita was so authentic and yummy. We also tried the tabouli, hummus, falafel and piyaz (bean salad). Our new favorite place when we visit high point!

We popped in for a lunch today while in High Point. It is located in a little strip mall just past all of the furniture mall places. It is a small place that specializes in Turkish/Middle Eastern food. This day my wife tried a lamb kabob plate two skewers of lamb and included piyaz (a white bean salad with onions, tomatoes and other spices) mixed veggies (mushy cauliflower carrots etc.), rice, warm pita points, and a cup of yogurt/cucumber sauce that reminds you of tzatziki at a Greek restaurant. I went with the Durum Adana which is ground beef and lamb with spices grilled on a wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and the same yogurt cucumber sauce. I will say that the lamb kabobs were grilled to perfection, slightly above medium rare nicely seasoned and juicy. The other food was not bad, but not super either. We were brought a piece of baklava after the meal, that was pretty good too, like all baklava super sweet and rich. I do feel it was a little pricy for what we got, almost 40 dollars, and the weird thing (that I cant not stand) was that were had to order at a counter first, then pay, then get the food at the table. That's not bad but when you pay with a credit card the receipt asks for a tip right then, before any service or product is delivered to you. That to me is ridiculous. A tip is supposed to be based upon your service and quality, how can you determine that at that time? Overall the food was good and although I would return here (and pay in cash only) I would only return if I was in the area for another errand or so.