YAFO Kitchen

I had dinner yesterday at Yafo Chicken, and it was an excellent experience from start to finish. The restaurant offers a wide variety of flavorful options, making it easy to find something fresh and satisfying. The dishes were well-prepared, with delicious seasoning and generous portions that highlight quality ingredients. What stood out most was the warm and friendly service—the staff was attentive, welcoming, and genuinely made me feel at home. The atmosphere was casual yet vibrant, perfect for enjoying a relaxed meal. I also appreciated how quickly the food was served without compromising quality. Yafo Chicken is a wonderful spot for anyone looking for great taste, variety, and hospitality. I will definitely return and highly recommend it.

YAFO Kitchen in Charlotte, North Carolina, offers a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere that seamlessly blends modern design with a cozy, casual vibe. The interior is bright and clean, featuring contemporary décor that creates an inviting space for both quick lunches and relaxed dinners. The staff is notably friendly and accommodating, ensuring a pleasant dining experience from start to finish. Whether you’re dining solo, with family, or meeting friends, YAFO Kitchen provides a comfortable setting that caters to various dining occasions. For those seeking a place that combines a lively ambiance with attentive service, YAFO Kitchen in Charlotte is undoubtedly Helwa Approved.

The food was great. Too many toppings to name. Everything was delicious and the staff was very helpful while we figured out what we were doing since it was our first time.

Love the falafel plate, there quality and quantities is both amazing

One of my favorite restaurants in Charlotte. It is consistently delicious. While my go-to is a bowl with all my favorite toppings, I have tried the arayes and the chicken sandwich and both are great as well. The mac and cheese is some of the best I have ever had and is a must every time I visit.

Pretty good flavors. No complaints for a quick lunch. I would recommend it. The food seemed healthy and Fresh.

Delightful cafeteria style restaurant. The food seemed fresh and was absolutely delicious. There was so very much to choose from, and the staff was so patient and helpful. I had an avocado chicken salad dish that had a hint of yellow curry and a sauce that capped it off beautifully. Definitely a must visit. I know we will be back.

I found this gem a few months back when I first moved to Charlotte and have been a loyal customer since. My favorite menu item is the 'create your own bowl' option which usually ends up lasting me for two meals because of their large portions. They have a large selection of fresh toppings, sides, and proteins, and everything tastes so good and authentic all at a great price (~$15/bowl with chicken, falafel, and cauliflower give or take) - life hack: use the pita bread they give you to make a falafel and cauliflower sandwich with their garlic sauce. SO GOOD! The service is also great! The employees are super friendly and patient. They also offer a rewards program that they don't really advertise at all, so make sure to ask when you go in so you can start earning some points! The one thing I wish was they offered was nutritional information! Regardless, as long as this place is around, I'll be there. Go check it out for yourself!

YAFO is one of our favorites. The family meal packages are perfect for our larger get togethers with cousins and grandparents, and the smaller package is perfect for our family of 3 to have a large dinner and leftovers! I love that everything is so customizable -- with our different food needs, everyone has a dinner they can/want to eat, and we don't have to cook 5 different meals! The service at this location is always top notch. Everyone is knowledgeable and helpful, and no matter what time of day or week, it has never been understaffed. Sometimes with the larger packages, I will need to wait on a batch of fries or the chicken that is coming out. It is never long, and the staff put everything together that I will need so quickly! The restaurant, food service areas, kitchen, and counters are always clean and well stocked. I never have complaints here!

Never. misses. You can tell they make their food in house and always use the freshest ingredients!! They actually fill up your bowl with good portion sizes. Service is good, ambience is relaxing, fun, and inviting. Truly 10000% better than Cava & Mezeh and I will choose YAFO over them any day of the week!!! Tip: get their Greek Yogurt Mac & Cheese, you will not be disappointed

My new favorite fast casual restaurant! What's nice is you can order meals other than a bowl. Let's be real, it's 2024 and there's a bit of bowl fatigue with all the Chipotle mimics that have blown up in the last 10 years. I sampled a bit of everything and it was all delish. My favorite things were the chicken schnitzel with the cauliflower and tahini side, and the harissa dressing on my salad. Also, you can get grape leaves which I love! I will be back more than I'd like to admit.

I like the food here and love how they have healthy options. The staff are friendly fly and courteous. My only concern is that since the summer is here and people begin to sit at the outdoor seating that the servers will do a better job at cleaning outdoor tables. As we ate lunch today there was a table in the far corner that appeared to not have been cleaned in a very long time. Our table had hair on it and it was a windy day. For hair to have been stuck to the table, it hadn't been cleaned. The floors had leaves and debris. Please keep the patio clean where customers will come to sit. It's a nice area in Dilworth, please keep it nice for the customers. Thank you

Whenever I am craving some good Mediterranean food, Yafo is my first choice. It is on the pricier side, but the food makes it worth it. Their falafel is always so warm and has just the right amount of crunch to it. I always get their BYOB and add greens with rice and all the toppings I can choose from cucumber tomatoes salad, chickpea salad chicken, and falafel. It's always a favorite, and it gets me full all the time. Everyone from the staff is super friendly and very efficient. They get that line moving. It's a small, cozy location. They have outdoor seating as well. It's definitely a good lunch spot, even if you're on the go.

Refreshing is the word! Love this place. Went for lunch, and the mac n cheese was amazing. Super creamy and flavorful. I did a build your own bowl, and the flavors are so fresh. I sat outside as it was nice weather. They have ample seating, great food, and friendly staff

Of course I love the Brussel sprouts and the mushrooms are my next favorite thing!!! Customer service always great. Location always gave clean tables to sit at.

The quality of their food is top notch. This is my go-to when I need to feel extra nourished.

YAFO is a common rotation in our cheap-ish, healthy, takeout selection when we don't want to cook. The food is great quality, especially the pita!

I w only ever had food delivered from here but everything has been DELICIOUS! Their take on tacos is genius. I couldn't eat both of them! The Moroccan carrots and the Brussels with dates are heavenly! It's always packaged nicely. And the food is always hot. They are always on time too! I can't wait to go try them in person.

My first time here and I LOVED IT! Build your own bowl was amazing and there are so many great topping options (you can tell by my loaded bowl that I was excited to try everything). The side pita that it comes with is also so good and soft! So delicious, everything tasted fresh, and it was a big portion of food! I'm obsessed and already want to come back

Haiku: YAFO Kitchen Well-seasoned chicken Build your own bowls or pita Leave fueled and content. --- I was craving something hearty, yet healthy to eat and YAFO Kitchen, a fast-casual Middle Eastern street food concept, fueled my soul. We came with a party of 8 and ordered two family meals, which was well enough food. The Shawarma Chicken and Greek Chicken were well-seasoned and not dry. A must-order side is the Greek yogurt mac and cheese (creamy and somewhat healthy because it's made with Greek yogurt). I also adored the Greek salad, it was refreshing with the cucumbers and tomatoes. I would definitely come back for the Greek yogurt mac and cheese and try the other sides.

Huge fan of Yafo and I have been for years. Recently I was so sad to find out that the delicious lamb they've always had was replaced by ground lamb. I tried it.. not really a fan sadly. But I still love the food here. It's nice to have a healthier option that also tastes good. My favorite side is the brussels sprouts and the Mac and cheese tastes good too. This particular Yafo is located in a good location on East Blvd by Harris Teeter, other restaurants, yoga studios, etc. There's plenty of seating and parking is plentiful.

This ia one of our favorite fast-food restaurant chains! MENU It offers a variety of delicious items and sweet drinks and sodas. My wife and I usually go for a chicken family meal. It's always delicious. LOCATION This particular spot is located in an easy-to-get-to shopping plaza with a large free parking lot. Staff is always friendly and welcoming. Overall, 100% recommended.

I enjoyed Yafo as fast casual option on a recent trip. It has a great variety of meat, veggie, and topping options for Mediterranean style foods. Everything seemed fresh. It is very comparable to Naf Naf and Cava. The sumac onions and chicken shwarma were very flavorful and the portion sizes were generous. I did also enjoy the harissa hummus. I did not feel that this location particularly clean. I also have to be careful about cross contamination of food and felt like they were very messy when getting certain items with noticeable spillage causing a large allergy risk. For the food quality it is definitely worth a visit!

Was with a buddy who lives in Charlotte getting into town after a long drive and he suggested Yafo. We got there just a few minutes before closing but the staff was super friendly. I ordered a quinoa bowl with shawarma chicken and added some roasted cauliflower. It was excellent. The chicken was moist and flavorful, the roasted cauliflower was really tasty and the hummus, baba ganoush and quinoa were good too. Also gave me some habanero-based zhug which was nice and spicy. Totally loved the place

YAFO is a walk up to the counter, build your own, type place. I've done everything I know how to do to copy the shawarma chicken Greek Bowl, and the mac n cheese. Y'all Lemme tell you it's everything. The sauces they you get are amazing. I love the lemon garlic and the green sauce. Not only is the food great, but the service and staff are so kind and patiently helpful. The ambiance of this place is nice, upbeat, and the patio is open during warmer weather. It's a whole vibe. Must try! If is relatively lower price, I'd you don't buy 17392 gallons of mac n cheese lol. 11/10 recommend. I'd walk here everyday if I could.

Was craving mediterranean food and I stumbled upon a jackpot. I love Mediterranean food but I don't eat it that often and this is the first place that I found in Charlotte that tasted really amazing. I really love the idea of the create your own bowl. I ordered a bowl with half jasmine rice and romaine for a base , hummus , Tzatziki , Cucumber tomato salad and even more Cucumber , sumac onions, seasoned beets, mediterranean pickles, feta cheese, and the most amazing Shawarma chicken! I honestly could have just ordered the bowl itself because it's a-lot of food . I ordered brussels sprouts on the side , so good and greek yogurt mac and cheese which i was apprehensive about ordering but it's very creamy , cheesy and good . I was hoping the pita bread would be warm, but it was still soft and good . Definitely a 5 star meal for me I can't wait to eat more

I wanted to try something new for lunch today so I headed to Yafo Kitchen, after hearing lots of positive reviews! I was happy to see the large interior with lots of indoor seating in a cool, busy, and trendy environment. I built my own bowl with falafel, lettuce, rice, hummus, and lots of veggies! Then I added a greek yogurt Mac and cheese to try on the side. All of the food was very fresh and delicious, I was pleasantly surprised! I definitely will be going back here to try more of the items on their menu.

Popped in for lunch yesterday and omg, the folks working here were so nice and helpful!!! My bowl was soooooo good, but I love YAFO. I had a build your own bowl: half rice, half spinach and kale, added olives, beets, hummus, onions, dolma and mushrooms and some other stuff I can't recall lol. Perfect healthy lunch!!! I could legit go back right now and get another one. YAFO doesn't really ever miss. :)

Get the Brussel sprouts - they won't disappoint! What I love is the consistency of their food. I've had the chicken tacos with Brussel sprout sides - amazing. Today I had the 1/4 rotisserie chicken with Brussels and cauliflower. The Brussels taste just as they did last week. They get s little busy at lunch but it's worth the wait. Deliciousness!

Hot chicken sandwich really good as well as their original lemonade...a chipotle for Greek food..

If you want something fast, but hearty and filling - get yourself a Yafo Kitchen bowl built to your liking! Portion sizes are generous! I picked a build your own bowl, with shawarma chicken, hummus, tzatziki, tomato cucumber salad, more cucumbers, sumac onions, romaine, and a side scoop of Greek yogurt mac and cheese! I don't know what magic is in that greek yogurt mac and cheese but it is divine, luscious and creamy! I usually don't like greek yogurt but couldn't even detect it in the mac. I went to the East blvd. location which was very clean and well-kept. Staff was super friendly and efficient! They had a lot of folks come in for to-go orders and handled them all quickly. IG: @feisty.eats

My husband and I have been to all three locations of Yafo Kitchen, and the Dilworth location is our favorite, mostly due to its distance from us and plentiful parking. We have a Cava closer to our home in Lake Norman, but Yafo's falafel far surpasses Cava's in both taste and texture. Their toppings are better (and more generous!), too. My husband and I both had salad bowls - mine with falafel, and my husband's with Shawarma Chicken. They pile fillings into the bowls, and everything is fresh and delicious. While I greatly miss their homemade laffa, the new pita isn't bad. It's much fluffier than the usual pita, and delicious when dipped into their hummus or baba. I wish they would open a location north of the city, but we'll definitely be back if that never happens!

This is the only place that will keep me full, is perfectly seasoned, cheap, and is always consistent. The staff here is awesome, the food is always fresh, and I crave it constantly. Cava stands no chance

I was looking for some Mediterranean food and YaFo came up. It was my first time visiting, but will not be my last. The service was great! I explained it was my first time and they walked me through the process. I ordered the chicken shawarma pita and potatoes. Both were seasoned perfectly! I also sampled some of the Greek yogurt Mac and cheese, and I will be getting that next time!

Good food, questionable ethics. Just went in to get a gift card, at checkout it asked if we wanted to add a tip, we indicated no. When ready to pay the bill it showed five dollars added for a tip. The person behind the counter went ahead and added it. We questioned it, clarified we did not want to pay a tip for a gift car, he adjusted to take tip out then he was not happy and not good assistance following. Very disappointed with how they tried to slip a tip in without our knowledge. How many other times has this happened and no one catches it?

So yummy!!!!! A fresh/local CAVA. Absolutely delicious :)) I recommend the chicken schwarma bowl. The baba ganoush, tatziki, and harissa hummus were delicious.

This location has terrible customer service. I was treated very poorly while purchasing my order based off this location not accepting $50 bills (which is not posted anywhere in the establishment). I walked over to Harris Teeter to get change, and when I came back in I was ignored by the manager and employee at the register as they continued to check out other customers in line while my order sat right behind them. Needless to say, I left without my food and will never return back to this location. I shouldn't have been treated this way.

Oh my goodness, this place was absolutely fantastic. It's my first experience with meditrainian type dishes and this did not disappoint. I had the avocado ball which consisted of chicken salad on a habbed avocado on a bed of crunchy lettuce. It was an absolutely Wonderful experience. A must visit

First time dining in. I previously ordered to go last year and really enjoyed my meal. Going through the line was pretty straight forward. I chose a salad, got my toppings, got a side of mac and headed to the register. Everything was fresh and delicious. I wanted to redeem a birthday offer and there was a little confusion with that. I emailed ahead and was told I could come anytime during my birthday week but at the register I was informed it has to be used on the day of your actual birthday. Anyways, nice staff, plenty of space to eat both inside and out and overall delicious meal with plenty for leftovers.

I love Mediterranean food and Yafo kitchen is sooo good! I love mixing all the different flavors in my Shawarma chicken bowl.

We discovered Yafo last year and have gone back multiple times. Good: *Flavorful food, we really like their food when it is prepared properly. Bad: *Preparation - if food is prepared properly, it is great. Unfortunately, there is always inconsistency with preparation, and I don't get why. For example, one time we ordered two sides of the mac and cheese because we enjoy it, but it was so overly salty that we had to throw both out (it was a take out order and we do not live exactly close to here). This last time, back to it's normal goodness. Another example is arayes, this last time it was black on the outside, way over crispy and overly cooked. *Changes of menu - I wish they would do a better job of utilizing their social media account and letting people know when menu items would be taken off. My favorite menu item was the moroccan lamb baguette, which I got last time, and now that I look at the menu, it is gone. In fact, all of their baguette sandwiches are gone. *Their change from the rotisserie potatoes to the garlic potatoes - both are good, but the rotisserie had a lot more flavor. I really do like Yafo, but I feel like there could be some improvements to make it to a 5 star for me.

This place has the best fast casual Middle Eastern food in Charlotte! Every single item I tried here was amazing. I got the Israeli hot chicken sandwich and it was really spicy! I loved how crispy and tender the chicken was. It had so much sauce, pickles and slaw. The sandwich was so big and filling! It also came with a side. So I chose mac and cheese. And it was the best mac and cheese I've ever had! It was so rich and creamy. I loved all of the spices in it as well. I also tried the chicken spanikoPita. It was like a spanakopita and chicken bake put together. It was super cheesy and the pita was really flaky. You also have to save room for some baklava! It's small and a little pricy for the size but it's soooo tasty. I love that they use a lot of pistachios and syrup. I will definitely come back here and try other things! I love how they have so many fresh options and at such a great price!

Way better than cava!!! We recently found yafo and are obsessed. The bowls are hearty and healthy. The food taste so fresh! Honestly the best "quick" food in Charlotte. Again I can't recommend this place enough!

Fresh healthy food! Always delicious and fast. Great vegan options! Everyone is really nice and friendly

Okay, YUMMY! I really enjoyed the menu's range, especially for a fast/casual spot. Very easy to accommodate dietary restrictions and still enjoy a delicious meal. Overall, this is a great option for a quick bite. The Angel bakery pita here is also delish and it was fun to see that outside of Whole Foods.

I actually don't know which location I ordered from (Doordash to my hotel) But what I do know is this place is YUMAZING!!! I love mediteranian spots where you can build you own bowl ( like Mezzeh and Cava). This place has a lot more to their menu than those establishments, but I opted for the bowl because I was looking for something familiar and comforting while away from home. The flavors are OUT OF THIS WORLD. Have you ever been to Hummus Bowls and Wraps in Vegas? That was my faveourite place to get these types of bowls. I think Yafo has officially tied for first place!! The cauliflower and brussel sprouts were so so good! So was the mac and cheese. The grape leaves were a bit on the sour side for my personal preferance. The mushrooms were very flavorful and cooked perfectly, but I was surprised to see they were just one type of mushroom (maybe button mushrooms?) For some reason I was expecting a variety. The sauces are super yummy and the pita is as well. 5 stars for sure, will order again whenever in the area! Wish I had them at home. What my stars mean: 5 is outstanding, a must-experience, someplace I would bring/recommend to a tourist 4 is great, someplace I would love to go back to again and again. Backup options to bring/recommend to a tourist 3 is good. Someplace I would return to if in the area. I probably wouldn't recommend to a tourist, but possibly to a local. 2 is ok but only because it is either cheap or convenient. 1 means I would not return

The best food. I haven't tried a single thing I don't like. I always get a bowl with half rice and half of the daily grain, tzatziki and Tunisian hummus spreads. you get unlimited toppings all of which are delicious and then it's an up charge for sides. That can rack up the cost quickly if you're like me and can't help but having a variety or trying new things. I always get the tabbouleh, carrot salad, cucumber and tomato, cabbage slaw, chickpea salad, and lemon quinoa salad. The extras I get are usually the Mac and cheese, cauliflower, and chicken salad. Sometimes I add meat but it's a ton of food, so sometimes I leave it out. Can't recommend enough and the price is on par with everything else nowadays, ranging from $12-17. But again it's a ton of food. And it's a lot of grains and veggies so you won't feel bad eating all of it !

This review is for takeout only! We placed an order online on a Saturday night. It was a pretty big order, and when we called asking if they could label the bowls with each person's name, they were happy to do so. Great customer service! We did the Build Your Own, which start at $8.99. With the add-ons, it definitely adds up very quickly. For my grain bowl, I got jasmine rice, hummus, diced cucumber, diced tomato, purple cabbage slaw, sumac onions, mediterranean pickles, kalamata olives, chickpea and roasted red pepper salad, and feta cheese. I also added the cauliflower with tahini and Brussels sprouts with dates, both for an additional cost. For my protein, I got the pulled rotisserie lamb. I've also had the shawarma chicken, and out of the two, I definitely prefer the lamb. It has more flavor. All in all, it came out to be $17 for my bowl. Everyone else really enjoyed their bowls. My sister got the falafel and said it was delicious. For sides, we got rotisserie potatoes and greek yogurt mac + cheese. The potatoes were not worth it. The mac + cheese, however, was AMAZING. Moral of the story is that it's pretty expensive, but you can get 2 meals out of it easily. The ingredients are fresh and it's so tasty. You definitely don't need sides, but get the mac + cheese.

Great food and service. Only downside is parking at the central ave location can be a challenge some time.

This place doesn't miss! Whenever I'm in need of a healthy meal, Yafo is my spot. Their rotisserie chicken is juicy, well seasoned and baked to perfection. They have a ton of healthy sides to select - from Brussels sprouts to red cabbage slaw - there are so many options. This time around I tried this Greek Yogurt Mac N Cheese and this was the best creation ever. Who would of thought that Greek Yogurt and cheese blend well together!!!! Definitely a must try.

Fresher ingredients than CAVA and a local chain? Yes and yes! I built my bowl with half grains and half greens. One thing YAFO doesn't do is skimp on toppings, which we all really appreciated! My bowl was filled to the lid and I had enough food to get two meals out of it! You can get as many cold toppings as you want for no additional cost. For my protein, I got the chicken shawarma, which wasn't dry at all and seasoned well. They also include pita if you'd like. Customer service was exceptional and efficient; they even let us try the new Israeli chicken. Overall, no complaints. I love YAFO and will definitely be returning more often!

Amazing options and everything is super tasty! The chicken peta tacos are soooo good and the sauces are all great!

This is like the Mediterranean version of chipotle but healthier. I usually order a bowl with half and half rice and salad. Then I can choose any toppings I would like. If you are vegetarian this would be a great place to go. Usually a bowl is pretty filling to the point I might have some leftovers but if you eat a lot then hopefully you get enough toppings. Typically my bowl is filled to the top. If you want more of something, don't be afraid to ask! On top of that you also get pita. The food is already pretty saucy that I did not need any sauce.

Love love Yafo! So my go to, is just half rice and half romain bowl with alllll the toppings. Every now and then I will add protein of chicken or falafel. Then a side of the green sauce. And every time I contemplate, do I want that amazing side of Mac and cheese or not??? The answer 90% of the time is, YES! Oh, and I can't forget the naan bread. I have tried the hot chicken sandwich and it was a little too hot for me. It's big and packed full flavor. They sell canned beer and wine too. There is plenty of parking and a nice outdoor patio that faces East Blvd. The staff is always so sweet, talkative and tiding up the tables. I just have all the love for this place!

I didn't know what to expect with Yafo, but I just knew that I wanted Meditteranean food. I didn't expect to be blown away! Everything was delicious, though my coworkers were over the moon with their spicy chicken sandwich, which makes me think that that's what you should be ordering. However, I got a rice bowl with lots of protein and was just as happy. The meat dries a bit (my lamb) as your food gets cold, but that's pretty normal--just eat faster (lol). Shawarma chicken was also flavorful and wonderful, and the falafel balls are a treat as well. Their red spicy sauce is indeed spicy, so do be warned.

Yafo Kitchen has quickly become one of my favorites. It's a fast-casual Middle Eastern food concept great for lunch or dinner! With a menu of simple, fresh ingredients, they make it pretty easy for us to find healthy options and at affordable prices. I love the Build Your Own Bowl option because you can put in whatever you like! I'm personally a big fan of falafel for my protein and Yafo does it right! This is a place that I will dine when I want to eat out but don't want to have anything too unhealthy. Highly recommend!

YAFO is an AMAZING place to get AMAZING Mediterranean food! Can you tell it's AMAZING?? Well, at least for me it is. LOL! I could eat here every day if I had to without a second thought. There are so many great options to choose from. If you want a bowl with salad, grains, or a mix they have it. If you prefer wraps, just a protein or just side items, they have it. They have tons of toppings as well....baba ganoush, tahini, tzatziki, Mediterranean olives, tabbouleh, falafel, etc. Sides such as cauliflower, brussel sprouts, mac and cheese, etc. I've never had one bad dish or any type of food here. I normally go to the SouthPark location, but this was my first time at the East Blvd location. Just as great and not disappointed. Inside, there is a good amount of seating and there is also seating on the patio, which is nice. The staff was super friendly and helpful with creating my dish and then getting me through check-out. Located in the same shopping center as Harris Teeter on East Blvd, so plenty of parking in the lot. If you have never had Yafo before, try it as soon as possible to become addicted to it like me! :)

For a quick meal, this is the place to stop. You select what you want in the bowls or wrap there are many choices for base, toppings, proteins and sauces