Firinji

This place was not bad. It had cute seating with little orange flowers on the table tops. It made me happy when I walked in. I ordered the veggie Cobb in a wrap… it was just okay. Nothing to write home about. While I was there, as I checked in on Unilocal,a coupon came up for free hummus. This made me even more happy!!! I showed the cashier and he was says, «oh that’s from the old owner, we cannot use that». I said okay, well you should inform the new owner about it. I look up, and they have a chalk board with menu items written on. Right before my eyes was written about check in and get a free order of hummus. I then proceed to point this out, but the cashier tells me again…“that was from the old owner, we never erased the board.” I just said okay and kept it moving. The owner was not present and everyone there was comfortable with confusion. I also ordered a fruit… hmmm a fruit… I forget the name of it, but it’s advertised as fresh fruit ice cream, but it came out like a watery smoothie. Yum yum!

It is a really good restaurant, I enjoyed all the food especially the chicken with curry, try it you will love it! I strongly recommend this restaurant and I will go there again and again !

I can’t believe that Firinji is catering only now. I’m so sad. Budo, we love you so much! I wish you so much success. –Lilly

I am truly going to miss having Firinji’s amazing, delicious and heart-​healthy foods for lunch and dinner. I am pleased though to know that they will still be around to cater, giving us all an option to have food at events that is delicious and heart-​healthy. Budo, I wish you and yours nothing but great success as you move to your next chapter.
(The restaurant side of the business is closed, they are only doing catering now)

I will need to rate again once I actually taste the food. The 1 star rating is due to the delivery service, EatStreet. I placed my order but did not receive a delivery time, so I called to find out a time. Once I found out that the time was going to be too long, I asked to cancel my order. There was no one there that knew how to cancel my order (they could have muted me while they asked around if anyone knew how to cancel an order). The experience was so unprofessional, however I did receive an email 30 minutes later saying my order was cancelled.

Firinji is always a great standby when I don’t know what I want for dinner. The food has always been consistently tasty for me– the kumpir, kebabs over Greek salad (my favorite, especially with lamb), the pita bread and the fruzis! The baklava and hot chocolate are great too (though the hot chocolate comes in a small mug).
BYOB is a plus! It’s a great place for catching up with a friend (one time I was here for 4 hours with a friend and they didn’t try to kick us out– it was pretty empty though), studying and getting work done, and meetings (we had a book club here!).
The only thing I don’t like here is the service. It can be slow, and many times they don’t deliver the orders at the same or near the same time. I guess they just deliver them as they’re ready, but one time my friend waited 20 mins for her dish after I got mine. Sometimes you have to remind them.

Tried the Chicken Curry Kumpir, kebab platter and hummus and pita! The Kumpir was clearly the winner!!! A must try! Loved the atmosphere too — very casual offering free wifi! Very friendly people as well! Will definitely visit again, and soon! :)

Takeout/​delivery Ok the food was good, but they got my order wrong. I ordered the ciabatta but got the wrap. There wasn’t enough curry in the wrap, but the smoothie was good despite not having straws. -.-

Serioulsly the WORST middle eastern place I have ever been to. The baba ganoush was horrible!!! Slimy with no flavor.

Firinji was an interesting spot and not what I was expecting. The décor was artsy with a bit of a hipster feel. :) They are currently undergoing construction outside so the façade is not inviting at the moment.
We ordered the free hummus for checking in on Unilocal which was good. We had the chicken curry kumpir and the Mediterranean salad. Everything was good, but nothing stood out. John enjoyed the chicken curry but it was not outstanding. The salad was average. The baba ganoush was a little off. They give you big portions so that is a plus.
We enjoyed our food, but I don’t think I would rush back any time soon. Since there are a lot of really good spots in this area, I think Firinji might have a hard time staying busy.

I ordered a kebab platter from here recently, as well as a side of hummus. The food was delicious and nicely packaged. The platter came with a side salad that was in a separate container to keep it cool. Also, the delivery was quick and the delivery person was very polite. I would definitely order again!

Quick and easy Mediterranean/​Middle East/​Greek food that’s actually quite tasty.
Firinji is a great example of new age fast food places trying to present healthier options. I’m not sure on the calories of what I ate, but it seemed certainly healthier than a burger and fries. Modern and hip, you can order online with one of the most robust online ordering systems I’ve seen. Although there’s currently construction outside that obscures the front of the building (I walked by it initially myself), the inside looks very new and tastefully decorated.
I ordered the Middle East Kumpir ($ 9.99) and an order of Baklava ($ 3.25). It’s a little pricey, but you get a lot of food for your dollar. The Middle East Kumpir included hummus, baba ganoush, roasted veggies, fresh tomato salad, feta and kalamata olives. Everything was in one tray and tasted delicious — just a medley of Middle Eastern flavors that played off of one another with each bite. The Baklava also wasn’t bad, with a sweet nutty flavor on a flaky dough. If you’ve never had the dessert before than I highly recommend getting it a try.
Overall, Firniji offers some of the best Middle Eastern fast food you’re likely to have. It’s still nowhere close to best I’ve ever had, but for a quick fix with plenty of delicious options and a step-​up from your usual fast food, Firniji will satisfy.

I had eaten Firinji’s fare at the Ardmore Music Hall but this was the first time I had been to their location. We ordered takeout since we were off to an outdoor concert in Bryn Mawr. The food was excellent as usual. Kampir is my favorite and it didn’t disappoint. My only complaint is the takeout container which couldn’t handle the liquid. It soaked through and I had to do some quick work with a plastic bag to save the day. My advice is to ask for a double box.

I’ve ordered take out from this place 3 times already. No complaints here! They’ve always been fast and the food is exceptional! My husband and I very much enjoy the chicken skewers and they always provide enough pita bread for us to dip in everything and anything that we order, lol.

This was a very underwhelming dining experience. The food tasted rather bland. The server kept giving my dish to my fiancée and vise versa. For the price, I think there are better options around… Overall, I don’t think this restaurant has a particular identity yet.

Just moved into a new place and we’re not really set up to cook at home yet – Firinji came through once again with generous portions of tasty, healthful food. The curry chicken kumpir was spicy and filling, and once again, the baklava was really superb.
But what moved me to update my review this time around is the good service I received this afternoon. I ordered my food through Grubhub and basically managed to bungle it in every way possible, which led to me calling Firinji no fewer than *three* times to try to sort out my mistake ordering online. Oops!
The woman who took my calls remained gracious and patient each time, explained everything clearly, and took effective steps to resolve the issues with the order. In this case the customer was wrong (oops!) but I still managed to get my food in a timely fashion because of her help.

Fantastic. My second favorite middle eastern place ever. The food is mainly Turkish. The portions are a very good size, perfect for sharing. I got the Mediterranean salad with lamb kebab. The salad is a very loose term, its more like a mishmash of different items. The lamb was amazing. Succulent, full of flavor and very gamey, in a good way. I feel like good lamb needs to be gamey. I would suggest getting a salad over a platter, the salads are huge. Another high point is freshly brewed tea in front of your eyes. You choose your flavor, they brew it fresh. Its fantastic.
Its a little pricey, two lunch portions, 2 iced teas and an order of baba gonoush was 35. But thats ok, we’ll be back.

Let’s get one thing straight — this is a Turkish place. Or more specifically a very Americanized Turkish joint. These are Turkish words (firin = oven, Firinji = baker, with C’s being pronounced as J’s in Turkish) and Turkish dishes retwisted to perhaps attempt to be more familiar Americanized forms. So let’s not get fooled by the «Mediterranean» or «Middle Eastern» tags up top there.
Okay bro we get it, it’s Turkish food, but was it any good?
Lahmajoun wrap — so the Turkish lahmacun is really a favorite of mine. Typically it’s a flat pizza with minced spiced meat, cheese, or other toppings on top. Also folded up a bit and called a «pide». Very typical street food. Firinji morphs it into a wrap for some reason, but the familiar flavors plus a few more are kinda sorta there. A messy, satisfying wrap. Not great, not bad.
Kumpir — another very typical Turkish street food. Stalls line certain streets in Istanbul offering all types of toppings to their baked potato foundation. But this one missed for my lovely Istanbul-​raised girlfriend. There, the potato is whipped with butter and the toppings stacked. Firinji’s was flat, purely a potato with stuff thrown on top. And atypical ingredients for her liking — she’s used to corn, mayo, Russian salad, hot dog slices, olives… but not kebab. Seemed like they just repurposed their other dishes and threw it on a potato and called it a kumpir. Tossing stuff on a baked potato does not a kumpir make.
As others have mentioned the food took a long time, but they were nice enough to offer some hummus while we waited. Decent stuff, service was overall fine but the food was just a weird twist on traditional Turkish street food that actually took away from the real thing rather than add anything exciting or familiar so can’t go above an A-​OK here.

Firinji is awesome
Don’t forget the Unilocal and level up deals…
Firinji offers some of the best Mediterranean food of the main line, try Smiley’s in Manayunk for the best!
They have an interesting loaded potato which can overwhelm the plate. But I really enjoy the portion sizes.
Staff is very friendly and helpful. The resturant is very clean, and the idea is very unique.
I got a Kabab platter which was so filling and tasty that I had to take some home.
For Ardmore they are underpriced! Ardmore resturants are typically very expensive, but Firinji will feed you well while not breaking the bank.
Go Try it.

Firinji is awesome. Don’t forget the Unilocal deals as I am always about saving money!
Firinji offers some of the great Mediterranean food for the main line. They have an interesting loaded potato which can overwhelm the plate. But I really enjoy the portion sizes.
Staff is very friendly and helpful. The restaurant is very clean, and their ideas for food creations are very unique. I got a Kebab platter which was so filling and tasty that I had to take some home. For Ardmore, Firinji is cheap! Ardmore restaurants are typically expensive, but Firinji will feed you well while not breaking the bank.
Go Try it.

I stopped here for lunch today with my Main Line Unilocaler friend, Lindsay V. You go in, pick a table, walk to the counter, order, and they bring your drinks/​food to the table. It’s pretty simple.
Firinji (okay, really, how do you SAY THAT WORD?) boasts an eclectic environment and is comfortable enough for a long visit. Their hot chocolate is absolutely perfect on a below-​freezing winter day. I really want to go back and try their fruzi, too, but could just not justify ordering one today after spending half an hour cleaning off my snow-​covered car while wearing a record of four clothing layers.
Anyway. To the meal: I had the open faced chicken kebab sandwich, which consisted of three pieces of chicken, four pitas, and a fancy salad with feta cheese, tomatoes (did not try these), olives, and lettuce, all in a nice dressing that was likely something balsamic but I could be wrong.
The plate was huge, and there was no way to finish it unless I had sprouted a second stomach, which unfortunately did not happen.
I’d definitely go back if I’m in the area again.

Nothing like using Unilocal mobile app to get a free pita and hummus plate for checking in!
Lets just say the hummus was fresh with a nice garlic blend to it, matched with warm pieces of pita to add. Nothing but spectacular, a perfect blend of flavors at your finger tips, I only wish I had more pita to go with this. Now I just wait for my Curry Steak Kumpir to be prepared that I had ordered so I can dive into that.
As I was waiting for this work of art to be whipped up I noticed they were bringing me a plate of Kumpir, but this wasn’t steak. They had brought me over chicken instead. I was a little perplexed, this did look good, but today was steak day. I will be back for the chicken the next time.
The steak Curry Kumpir was seasoned to perfection. Mouthwatering blends of herbs and spices with a medium kick to it. I think the steak was cooked a little too long, few dry sections, but still was delightful. Another plus is you could taste the freshness with every fork full with the tomatoes diced in a parsley and herb type of dressing mixed with other veggies. If you are a meat and potato kind of person than this is a must order.
For $ 8.99 you will leave fully satisfied, thus making you want to come back again to try more from their menu. I know I’ll definitely be back to try their Kebab, nothing screams carnivore like meat on a stick !
The only knock I have is the steak being over cooked, and the amounts of pita they give you. The waitress bringing me the wrong order, that could happen to anyone. Firingi has a nice set up, it was clean and the kitchen looking in good shape, seeing they make everything in front of you. A great atmosphere and staff they also have an interesting selection of fresh fruit smoothies and different coffees’ to choose from. This is a place to come and relax and enjoy a good meal or a tasty beverage, I know I will return again.

I have had one meal there and I cannot wait for more. The overarching theme of my meal there is that they serve whole foods both as lunch/​dinner and as dessert.
I ordered a kumpir which their baked potato. I know that doesn’t sound all that impressive but order one and check out the photo I posted. I ordered the veggie delight. That thing is buried in roasted veggies which all taste pleasantly like themselves. I loved the use of onions. Really well done.
I also tried some of my wife’s Middle Eastern kumpir. Really good and surprising not too salty as some restaurants do when they bring out hummus and baba ganush.
Afterward we had the fruzzi which is literally frozen fruit put through a machine that makes it into a custard-​like consistency. This is what we should be having for dessert! If I had a kid, this would be the treat I would hype up and get them excited about. I had blueberry and mango and my wife had pineapple. They were all great but the blueberry was by far my favorite.
Apparently they have Turkish coffee which I did not try. I will have to next time time.
A real find on the Main Line, this place!

Dear Firinji,
I’ll wait an extra 5 minutes for a wrap that doesn’t attack my outfit when I try to eat it.
Hugs & Puppies,
M
—
Their salads are always good (mandarin with steak is perfect), and the lamahjoun wrap is super delicious but 50% of the time it’s a mess. Seriously, half the time it’s perfectly wrapped up and easy to eat and the other times it’s half burnt and falling apart to the point that I give up and eat it with a fork.
The truth is I like their food and I eat here regularly, but the lack of consistency just kills me. I’m rounding up because the people that work here are so sweet and I genuinely enjoy their food. Usually.