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Arpi's Phoenicia Deli

MY REVIEW: This has become our go-to place for Middle Eastern food. We went again this weekend; I had the chicken schawarma, and my husband had the lamb. We had a great spinach salad topped with fresh fruit and a yummy vinaigrette dressing and also a small order of the hummus. The hummus is delicious and plenty for two people to share; they have an unlimited supply of pita bread on the little serving island in the center of the seating area. All the food we've had has been very tasty and fresh. We'll definitely keep going back.

NAME: newbride
SUBMITTED: 7/16/2012   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2012
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: We've had gelato at the little adjoining coffee house and decided to come back for lunch. I had a chicken shawarma and thought it was great - very flavorful and served with a nice sauce; my husband had the lamb and really liked his as well. As a side, we got a salad topped with a lemon vinaigrette - delicious and nice and fresh. My husband also ordered some kibbeh - not really my type of thing, but he enjoyed it. The food is served cafeteria style so you can see all your options before deciding what to order. We'll definitely be back. Prices were very reasonable for the amount and quality of food.

NAME: newbride
SUBMITTED: 3/30/2012   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2012
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: First time to Phoenicia Deli, and definitely not the last ! Having grown up in the middle east, I have tasted all kinds of shawarmas and other middle eastern cuisine. This was a great experience. I got the spicy lamb shawarma, with sides of tabouli and taziki sauce.

The lamb was delicious and cooked well. Great flavors supplemented by the "hot" sauce. Tabouli was fresh and delicious and so was the taziki. Really enjoyed the free garlic sauce - which was excellent- and the pita bread. Everything was so fresh and the ambience of the place was perfect. Loved the decor and openness. Also, hardly took any time to get my shawarma. Liked the fact that they had $1 sides, which tasted so good !There were a gazillion sides to choose from. The Humus was really good and so were the thin french fries! And everything is so reasonably priced!

What a wholesome lunch that was! If only I lived closer I would be eating here several times a week! But I will definitely be back to try their other items. This is a must try!

NAME: KD
SUBMITTED: 10/27/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I am happy that this place has gone bigger. Although the mom and pop eatery made it more home feel like. I guess is ok.. I just want to say I miss my salad!! No longer I can get the specialty salads they had a the old location. I could not even pick what I want on the salad. They are all pre-made. I dont like onions, well I could not request a salad without it. It is already mixed with the rest of the ingredients except the dressing, which that also change. Salad was Ok. but I definitely enjoyed the ones from the old location. I hope and wish them the best.

I will probably go back to go give them a second chance ;-)

NAME: GG
SUBMITTED: 10/14/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I have been to this place three times already, I noticed that someone complained about the Shawarmas being smaller, but they cost $5.00 vs $7.00 in the old store. for 5 bucks you can get a shawarma and you can also pick what size of side you want. The food is excellent quality as far as middle eastern food. Most middle eastern restaurants cut corners and add a lot of salt to their food. This place focuses on quality ingredients. They have ceviche a Peruvian dish as a side among other sides catering to other cultures besides the middle east.

another point is that you can get a glass of wine or beer, the Ice tea is excellent quality as well. It seems that the owner of this place really thought of his customer, and I thank him.

NAME: rs
SUBMITTED: 9/13/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/11
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Used to go to the location across the street quite often, but just visited the new one today. In a word, delicious! I had their chicken shawarma pita wrap and falafel, a great deal at only $7.50. The wrap was huge, and packed full of chicken, potato and tomato slices; the garlic mayonnaise and tahini sauce are still amazing! Spoke with Arpi to compliment her beautiful new location and wonderful food. She is a very gracious and friendly woman. Will definitely be making it back, especially since I enjoy shopping at the Phoenicia Market almost every weekend.

NAME: Rebecca
SUBMITTED: 9/12/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: New place is beautiful- but its certainly not the same price.

Now its a buffet line- like all the other middle eastern places in town and everything is ala carte.

Went with friends to lunch- and it was $17 without wait service for meat and 2 sides with a drink .They charge for pita in the line- but cold pita is available on the self service bar. At least the garlic sauce stayed the same and its still free.

They have changed the famous sandwiches too- now they are smaller.

What a shame- the other one had fresh great food all the time with terrific prices- a plate with meat and 2 sides was $7.99 - but $17 for lunch is just too much.... I have been a loyal customer ever since 1983 but I wont be back.

I am so totally disapointed after being excited to learn about the new foods and hours.

NAME: Lucy
SUBMITTED: 8/31/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/10
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This place is always packed at lunch, and for good reason. The food is great! I especially recommend the Chicken Shewarma, which is sliced rotisserie chicken wrapped in a pita with roasted potatoes and a heavenly creamy garlic sauce. The kibi (a football shaped pastry stuffed with seasoned beef and pine nuts) is also too good to be true. Nice owners, too!

NAME: John J
SUBMITTED: 12/28/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2007
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I go here every week and always order the chicken shwarma wrap. Incredibly flavorful and filling, and reasonably priced as well. Love the chili and garlic sauces - that garlic sauce should be its own food group. Simply divine. My friends have had the hummus, falafels, tabouli, and beef shwarma, and they loved them as well.

Regarding the comment about the long wait during lunch, I've never encountered that problem. I always go during lunch (around 11:30) and even with a full house, I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes.

NAME: Spl
SUBMITTED: 11/2/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2007
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: What a great place for Middle Eastern food. Beef or Chicken Shwarma both are excellent and the price is good too. The hummus, and baba ganouj so good. Food and service always great.

NAME: susan
SUBMITTED: 10/6/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2007
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: The food is excellent, with prices that are excellent for the gyros and good for almost everything else. In the restaurant are a variety of "world foods" for sale. It is clean and well-lit, with a nice front porch, albeit only fifty feet from the roaring exhaust-spewing madness of Westheimer.

However, I have two cautions. First, expect long waits to get your food, up to forty minutes during business lunch. It's unwise to go here on a lunch hour unless you get there early. And second, be aware that take-out portions are often smaller than what you'd get in the restaurant. Taste and quality are excellent however.

NAME: athloi
SUBMITTED: 6/25/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/07
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: Phoenicia Deli is my favorite place to eat in Houston. Simply the finest shawarma-bikr and hummus-b'tahini I've ever had outside of the Middle East. I've been eating there for more than ten years, since it was a little hole-in-the-wall joint with five tables, and smoking was allowed inside, if you can imagine.

These days, it's a little pricy, and can be seriously crowded on Saturdays. You have to be prepared to eat in the middle of a crowd. They're also closed on Sundays, which is a drawback for me. If you're going there on Saturday, I'd suggest hitting it at about 2pm to avoid the worst of the lunch crowd. But even if you have to wait a while, the food is its own redemption.

Try the hummus, the babaghanoush, and the tebouli. You have choices of breads, sauces, teas, etc to go with it. They also stock a large selection of ethnic groceries from their wholesale/retail grocery across the street (the old grocery back in the corner has moved across the street now, and can probably compete with the best of the New York or California Middle Eastern shops).

So my review is a resounding thumbs-up. Phoenicia is the only place where I'm actually happy to put up with crowds, a tricky schedule and rather pricy meals, simply because it's that good.

NAME: Jerry
SUBMITTED: 5/30/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/07
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: GREAT FOOD!!! I got my first taste when my boss treated me to lunch one day... I'm hooked! The only reason I don't eat there often is because we're on a tight budget!

Each time, I've ordered a half and half shawarma plate and each time it was GREAT! I'd never had a shawarma before, and I loved it! I tried both sauces (offered on the condiment station) and they both go perfectly with what it's suggested to go with, although both meats are great on their own! I love the tabouli and on a recent visit I tried an additional side order of hummus. It was great, but I could do without that much olive oil on top... I'm not a huge fan of plain olive oil, though I cook with it often!

Also, I love the Mango tea (sweetened, and with a squeeeze of lemon) and the Panettone they put out at the end of lunch is a great finish to the meal! I always leave stuffed when I go for lunch!

Beware though, the line is long, though it moves steadily. Overall, if you've never tried it, get there!

NAME: Nzinga
SUBMITTED: 8/17/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/2006
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: I love this place! Great food. The shwarmas are soooo good. Time to go back this next work week. If you've never been to this place, you need to check it out!!

NAME: sealbach
SUBMITTED: 8/5/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 07/06
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: I've always wanted to eat here, but everytime I come the place is closed. I'm not sure how this place keeps getting good reviews - you can never get in the door!

I just called them again and got an abrupt "We're already closed!". It was 8PM. Hey if you've been in Houston for 15 years I would think you would figure out that that's a little early for a city of 4 million+ people.

I'm sure this place has a loyal following, but I'm getting to tired of trying to join the ranks.

NAME: are_you_ever_open?
SUBMITTED: 7/27/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Never/Never
FREQUENCY: Visited once

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