Black Lime Mediterranean Cafe

CLOSED (or closing) as per news release dated 3−14−14

The Baba g was delicious! ! I ordered a chicken kabob platter and wasn’t expecting so much food! I got a skewer of Chicken and another of fresh veggies. .I try to leave rice alone so the guy let me choose 3 sides instead of 2! So salad, hummus and baba g it was. I would definitely go back. But one note… they only have chicken or beef, no lamb :(honestly can’t remember if there was fish/seafood.but I its been almost 2 weeks ago and I still am thinking about the baba g!

If you are a fan of Mediterranean food, then you will probably find this place pretty good. Only reason I would not go back are the prices. I had a salad and it was around $ 9.50. The salad was a decent size and I ended up eating ½ for lunch and ½ for dinner — but still, it’s not a sit down dining place so why are you charging almost $ 10 for a salad!
The salad was fresh though, and with my recent health kick I felt like I was doing the right thing. They also give you pita bread and hummus with the salad, which was good.
Will I go back? Ehhh, I will have to think on that one.

Food was decent and the staff were acceptable. I agree entirely with one of the other reviewers who noted that there are so many choices that it’s hard to figure out what goes well with what, and the staff, though pleasant, are hardly culinary experts. It’s also always taken a long time to get my order.
My biggest complaint is that likely because of the restaurants poor location (it’s not on the most traversed strip of Crystal Drive, and it’s set back from the street such that it’s difficult to see), its operating hours have been cut substantially as of late. Essentially it’s now a weekday lunch place, so for those of us who live in the area, and work «typical» work hours, it’s no longer an option. This has been particularly frustrating for those of us who bought a recent LivingSocial deal (acquired during the «old hours») that we can now no longer use. (LivingSocial has been characteristically useless in the matter, but that’s obviously a complaint better directed at them then the restaurant).
I just don’t see this place lasting too much longer. According to its Facebook page, it’s steadily cut its hours over the past several months. Given the likely end to this story, I wouldn’t bother with the place, lest you get attached to it and suddenly discover that its closed.

Its close to 245pm
I’m having a late lunch.
I’m guessing this place closes around 5pm or close to it
I looked at the menu options at work so that I would be all set and not look like ths was my first time here (in case a line formed behind me)
When I entered the place, it was quiet AND empty.
No customers.
No staff.
I stand there for a minute or two at the counter and a male appears from the back.
I being to place my order.
You pick your BASE (what your food will go in): salad, sandwich or potato
Why dont they have any pototoes?
The guy says that they sold the last one 20 minutes ago.
I had my mouth set on a POOOOOOTATO!
so now, I need to make the biggest decision of the day: do I get a different base or do I leave the place?
Having never been here before, I decided to stay.
I got the mixed greens as my base and topped it off with CHICKEN, ONION SALAD, MIXED CHEESE, BALSAMIC DRESSING & a little lime dressing.
this salad was great.
Including a fountain drink, the total for my meal was $ 10.83
Im gonna go back again and make sure that Im early so that I can get a potato

It feels like closing time anytime a day, we walked in through the door to be greeted by the chef on his break with shoes off halfway in the corridor eating lunch. we avoided stepping on his shoes and made it the ordering station, Another chef girl looked to us suspiciously I guess she could tell that this is our first time here =D yet I have no idea why she kept looking at us again and again in a blank expression. ANYWAY the food is great, tasty and so much variety in protein and toppings, girl in pink uniform that takes your order was very friendly and nice.
Back to closing time, while you eat expect to be accompanied by people dusting and brooming the floors around you.
It was 4:30 pm Saturday by the way.

I went there on a Saturday for lunch with my fiancé. There’re 150 minutes parking lots right in front of the place for $ 1.25 which is pretty convenient. They have their own wi-​fi too. Only one member of the staff was helpful and smiley, all the other ones were being unprofessional and unfriendly.
The food is simply delicious and juicy. I created my own bowl of chicken and a variety of salads (tzatziki, hummus, chickpea, tahini, couscous) on a bed of fresh lettuce and spinach leaves; which is convenient if you’re going for a low-​calorie plate. I also tried their black lemon juice which was weird at the first sip, but then I got used to that bitter-​sweet pleasant taste.
I’d definitely go there for a second and a third time.

I really want to like this place more than just two stars. The idea and concept is exactly what I’m looking for in a lunch hour restaurant, the place is clean and the staff is extremely friendly, but I just can’t get past the way they cook their meat. The steak was salty, the chicken was dry, and the shrimp was slimy. The falafel is the best option, but even then it’s kind of unimpressive. If I was a vegetarian, I’d probably be eating here every day. The veggies are fresh and the side dishes (especially the hummus and tabuleh) are quite tasty.
I’ve tried most of the menu, and sadly the falafel was not good enough to warrant a return visit. I probably won’t be coming back on any more lunch breaks.

I don’t know what took me so long to try this place out but I really love it. I always get the salad and shrimp. The toppings here are unique and if you’re not familiar with Greek cuisine it could be a bit overwhelming at first, but the restaurant staff will explain what everything is. And if not, just grab the manager and he will walk you through the line.
I really like this place because they don’t have your average toppings, like baba ganoush, garlic roasted broccoli, 3 different types of humus and so forth. The dressings are even fun to try. But after eating here a few times I realize that after adding bab agonush and hummus to your salad, there is really no need for any dressings.

Meh is right. The service and staff was great. Fast and helpful. But the food was virtually inedible. I had the steak salad– holy salty. The beef was super chewy and all of the topping were way too salty and over marinated. The pita it came with was virtually raw.
I might go back to try a sandwich, but I won’t go out of my way.

Amazing service and a awesome selection of unique Mediterranean food options!
A friend and I met for dinner and we were pleasantly surprised by the Chipotle/​Cava Mezze feel of the place. We were also thrilled about the opportunity to top our salads with an array of unlimited vegetables, hummus and dips. The lady behind the counter was very accommodating to our wanting to try new things. The Manager was also great at making sure our first experience at the Black Lime Mediterranean Café was an excellent one!

Five stars for service, 1.5 stars for food.
The people of Black Lime are really kind, sweet, accommodating folks. This review is not a reflection of the folks working the counter, because they are gems.
It’s the food, which is, essentially, the entire point of going to a restaurant.
First off, I was stoked about the concept of this restaurant. Halfway between a Chipotle and your friendly, neighborhood Mediterranean joint? Sign. me. up.
Sadly the meats were woefully dry, bordering on jerky. The salads were close to being excellent, but just off enough to throw off the experience. The portion sizes were odd — with the less expensive bowl brimming with food and the platters, a bit spendier, being rather sparse. I was hoping for the flavors I’d come accustomed to at places like Pita House and Leb Tev, but they just weren’t the vibrant punches of garlic and citrus I had hoped for. More like a poke. I will say, the garlic sauce is very tasty.
For now, I’ll chalk this up to being a new place — it was very new when I visited. I’ll give it another try in a few weeks. It has potential, but as it was when I visited, it fell flat. I have high hopes for you, little lime, please prove me wrong!

In general I liked the place. I was confused by the «grilled flat bread» and the «lafta» being a wrap. Why list them both in the menu?
Oh well, once I got over that, I ordered a falafel and I enjoyed it. I loved that I could get unlimited toppings, the only downside is all flavors mixed together in the wrap (which I don’t mind, but my friend did) perhaps getting a platter is a better idea if you want to enjoy individual flavors.
I would go back and try the vegetables instead of falafel.

Note: The address listed on Unilocal is correct (Crystal Dr), but the pin on the map is not correct (shows up on Arlington Ridge Rd). Verify correct map location before you go.
Once you’re there, though, the food is excellent. It’s like the Chipotle of Mediterranean places. Check out the menu before you go, as they offer numerous sauces, toppings, and bread types.

So Black Lime finally opened! After walking past it for what seemed like forever while it was under construction, I felt like it had a lot to live up to.
And I’m happy to say that it delivered fairly well. I have eaten here I think 3 times and each time they seem to get a little better. The first time was for their soft opening and I was pleased to see that all of their proteins are gluten free, so of course I went with the falafel. It was tasty albeit a bit dry. I loved all of their options for toppings but at that time nothing was labeled so it was a bit hard to figure out what was what (and no way of telling what was gluten free).
The second and third times I have eaten there things have gotten a bit better. All of their toppings are labeled now so its a bit easier to figure out what is what — although still no idea what sauces have gluten in them, so its a bit like russian roulette.
I’ve had the chicken and the falafel salad bowls. I really liked the chicken it has a good lemon flavor and the greens always seem fresh.
Service has been decent and it is usually a quick in and out so I can eat at my office.
I will def be hitting this place up when I eat out at lunch.

No.
The falafel was a super grainy/​dry texture. The «wrap» portion of the «sandwich» was a gluey wheat tortilla. They were understaffed (even for an empty night– they had one person grilling meats, one assembling orders and no one to ring up at the register, so i waited until the people in line behind me were done ordering.

Really enjoyed this place — it’s a great addition to the CC lunch scene. I was impressed with the chicken plate and the toppings were flavorful. I almost wish they limited your choices, because it’s hard to pick!
This is a new restaurant, so I’ll let them work out their kinks without docking them stars because the food is really delicous. Unlike the Chipotle’s of the world, I didn’t leave feeling weighed down and crappy. Everything tasted fresh and healthful. Can’t wait to go back again (later today.)!

So, I had my second trip to Black Lime. I tried the chicken and I wish I had gotten steak. They are still working out bugs. On my first visit I pointed out a difference between the menu board and what the register was charging for a steak wrap. On this second trip they got their production line out of sync and started unwrapping food trying to figure out what was what. I don’t like that.
For a while, your experience here is probably going to vary as they continue to work out how to get from the order to the register with the correct prices. I also overlooked a couple of things on the first visit, one being that the steak is pretty chewy. I most likely will go back from time to time, but I think I overrated initially and am changing to three stars.
1÷30÷13 and then on my third trip they charged me for steak when I got chicken. Did the same thing to my coworker. Check your receipt!

As others have mentioned, Black Lime is trying to position itself as a Mediterranean Chipotle, but it’s no Chipotle.
It’s a little bit confusing, and the employees aren’t super helpful. They have a lot of options for toppings, to the point where it’s hard to tell what will go well together. I got a salad bowl with steak, and the steak was very chewy. For such a large meal that only comes in one size, it would be nice to be able to eat half of it and save half for the next day, as I do at Chipotle. However, at Black Lime, most of the toppings are sauces and dips (like hummus, baba ganoush, etc.), so you end up with a VERY saucy meal, one that wouldn’t keep well if you wanted to save part of it for later. I tried to minimize this problem by getting only one dip and one sauce, but it was still overwhelming, soggy, and not very flavorful. They say the ingredients are high quality, but it’s impossible to tell, since they’re drowned in sauce and hummus.
The best part of the meal was the side of eggplant fries, but they were really greasy and clumped together, so I don’t think it’d get them again.
Overall, Black Lime was a disappointment. Despite its blandness and an overall unpleasant experience, I’d consider going back if it were really healthy, but I can’t imagine that it is, since everything is covered in sauce. Seriously, they put about half a cup of dressing on when I said I just wanted a little bit. They also didn’t have nutrition information available or on their website.

Stopped in on their opening day for dinner and it was good. It’s like Roti or med Chiptole. For sandwiches it’s choice of flatbread — which is a wrap — or pita. I had the flatbread and friend had a steak salad.
First the food. The chicken was quite flavorful and tasty. All the free sides were also quite good. My friend sad he loves his salad too. Pita chips are a little pricey as a side at $ 2.69. But the sandwich and salad were reasonably priced.
Staff is going through growing pains. One was really friendly, one was complaining how she was «having a moment.» This was at 8pm and we were the only customers, but to be fair Cal Tort and Jimmie John’s were both dead too.
Only complaint is on the pricing. The menu card you get before you order has diff prices that what I was charged. Soft drink 60 cents more, chicken 10 cents less.
Place has a nice décor and comfy booths but the backs are kind of stuff. Not a big deal. All in all I’ll definitly come back.