Yafa Grille

Best shawarma sandwich in town. Great service. Reasonably priced too. We came in here to checkout the place and what a pleasant surprise. You gotta try the outside table if weather allows. My wife tried the falafel platter and loved it. Our daughter was not able to eat all of the huge filled to the brim sandwich. Go Yafa.
My daughter is going back to try other menu items

I visited the place in february as soon as they were listed, i was able to find parking right in front of despite being a weekend, i tend to try everything so i got shawermas and falafels, the food was good but was cold, it would’ve been better if they warmed up the meat before putting it in and also the bread could’ve tasted better warmed up next to the spit

Actually I’ve experienced MUCH better, both in customer service and taste. I’m probably just entitled, asking what unlabeled ingredients are before letting someone put them on my plate…
I’d been meaning to try this place out for a while, since I work in the area. I think DC is just not cut out for an amazing schwarma. (If you want an amazing one, head to Max’s Kosher Café in Silver Spring. You WON’T be disappointed. Just don’t go during Jewish holidays, because they’re closed). Every where I’ve tried in the city has been, AT BEST, passable. Aside from that, I’m just not used to having rice in mine (but I’m not middle eastern, maybe all the other places I’ve had them have just been doing it wrong. That’s not sarcasm.). I’ve even had better ones in England and Amsterdam. When England beats you in cooking…
So at LEAST the customer service can be great, right? I mean I know it’s busy, and you’re probably tired, but if Pret can weather a crazy crowd and smile, surely you’ll have no trouble doing the same. Clearly not. I asked a when the contents will be placed in the pita, what certain ambiguous ingredients were, and when I got to the end and there was still no pocket to be found, asked again, and the gentleman (loosely used) at the counter must’ve misheard me because he snatched the pita from the bowl and tossed it to the side and grabbed another one. «That’s not what I said,» assuming he thought I’d complained about the quality of the pocket. I again asked when it was going to be placed in the pocket. He pointed to the beginning of the line where I’d just come from and said they can make the «sandwich» there. How am I supposed to know you call it a SANDWICH? I’ve never heard schawarma and sandwich used in the same sentence before. MY BAD. I told him, I’d asked the guy when i walked in and he pointed to you. Thinking he would send it down to be fixed, I was quite thrown off when he responded: «Next time.» Ugh. As IF. Lazy AND rude. Then didn’t even give me the receipt, so I have no idea how much I spent. Judging from the other reviews, I can guess that it was far too much.
For those that think customer service doesn’t matter: check out the slew of restaurants closing left and right. Trust me. It pays to make your customer feel appreciated. They don’t have to spend their hard earned money on your overpriced concoction. #LESSONLEARNED
I’ll post the pic when I’m done being lazy myself

This is good food but terrible comparison reference for this place but it’s like set up like Chipolte/​Subway for middle eastern food.
Since Marvel’s Avengers talked about shawarma I’ve wanted to try it. I was walking by and saw this place reminded me of that.
They have nice plating options, I picked the pita pocket and then the process is just like that of Chipolte or Subway where you pick what goes in your food.

The falafel is delicious! Perfectly crispy and seasoned. I usually get a salad bowl. Everything looks and tastes very fresh. My biggest complaint would be that they skimp on the veggie toppings. ie, when i ask for some kalamata olives for my salad, they’ll give me TWO.

Visiting DC from NC and this place did not disappoint. There are so many Lebanese and other middle eastern restaurants but it’s hard to find authentic Palestinian food. Great place! A must-​eat if you are in DC. Friendly staff too!

I’m madly in love with Yafa Grille. I go here at least once a week, if not more.
I usually get the chicken shwarma rice bowl with toppings. I’ve had the beef before, it was fine. My husband always gets the falafel and seems to love it.
Staff is always great, too. Which is really hard to come by at a lunch spot in Farragut.

If you’re a fan of Roti, Cava, or other Chipotle-​style spots, then this is definitely worth a visit. The menu is pretty straight forward — you pick a type of shawarma over rice or pita and then start piling on as many toppings, veggies, and sauces as your heart desires. There are also a ton of delicious options for sides, and you can cheaply add them to your meal by upgrading to a platter. This is a great quick lunch/​dinner spot, although seating inside is very limited. The patio has a lot of extra seating if the weather holds up.

Today was my first time getting lunch here, and I really enjoyed it. There were about seven people ahead of my group in line, but it moved quickly. It’s set up like Chipotle, so you just go down the bar telling a variety of servers what you want. All of the servers were very nice, asking how I was doing and identifying things I didn’t recognize.
The food was really tasty. I got a rice bowl with chicken and a whole bunch of toppings. They really have a great variety to choose from — I got beets, eggplant (saltier than I thought it’d be), hummus, cauliflower, and a few things I didn’t recognize but that looked good. It was about $ 10 for my meal, which I think is reasonable since it definitely filled me up. And the warm, fluffy pita was a great bonus I didn’t know I had coming to me.
Since I’m working in the area now, I’ll be back!

Great place for lunch! Choose your base: salad, pita, or rice, protein, all the delicious toppings you want, plus a sauce. I chose a salad with chicken, several vegetable toppings, hummus and a couple spicy toopings, everything was excellent, including the fluffy pita bread.

Yafa is a good deal. There is a fair amount of food on a plate, for about $ 10 bucks. Rice bowls come with a ton of veggies and a pita. However, the food is hit or miss. I’m not a fan of the meats or the hummus. The roasted cauliflower is excellent.
Overall, this usually isn’t my first choice for lunch in Dupont. Falls kind of in the middle of the pack for me.
There is a lot of outdoor seating, but not much seating indoors. So, if you want to eat here, try to come in good weather.

Puffy pitas, every type of veggie (grilled/​seasoned/​raw), and smoldering yet friendly men behind the counter. What more could a girl ask for?
Service: I actually wasn’t paying that much attention to the attractiveness of the servers because I was so looking forward to my meal, but I’m sure they were all very good looking. My server was very friendly and helpful, though, and suggested I get both chicken and steak (no extra cost, half-​half) since I couldn’t make up my mind. It appears that Yafa is owned/​operated by people who grew up with Middle Eastern food judging from people behind the counter which makes me feel I’m eating somewhere authentic — always a plus!
Food: I’m a big fan of Roti, Cava, and other Mediterranean fast food joints (dare I say the Greek Deli) I’ve come across, but I think Yafa takes the cake. I did a half salad/​half rice bowl with half chicken/​half steak with so many veggies, raw, sauteed, pureed (looking at you, hummus). After eating all of it in one sitting (it should have lasted me two, but it’s a Friday), I do not feel greasy, gross, or bad in any way. Among the veggies, I particularly was fond of the roasted cauliflower, eggplant, and sauteed cucumber/​celery. On top of this goodness, I got a squishy, puffy, and warm pita bread.
Deal: A little under $ 10 for my salad/​rice bowl with all the toppings I want (and a mix of the two meats!). Again, I probably could have had this for two satisfying lunches, so great deal!
I will most definitely be biking over here again while the weather holds up for my Mediterranean lunch fix.

Best shawarma in DC. Always fresh and great toppings to choose from. I love the fried egg plants and hot green source along with Humas, onion, garlic butter and onion and cucumbers for my bowl. The owners are very friendly and caring for their customers.

The food is quite good, but the amount f food provided is paltry. If I’m paying $ 14 for a platter, I expect more food than I would get from a $ 8 chipotle burrito. Stop being cheap!
Update: I complained about them on Twitter and they blocked me. Do you really want to eat at a business that can’t handle criticism?

Very well marinated meats, many fresh toppings! They bake their own pita and it’s amazing!!!
It’s a must go place! They only need to open late!
Any rating less than five stars is really unfair!

I was in desperate need of dinner last night and had a hankering for greek. The Greek Deli closes at 4pm (lame) and I was too lazy to walk over to Zorba’s (though it woulda been worth it). Then I remembered passing Yafa when it opened. Middle eastern food less than a block away = close enough. So, I gave it a whirl.
I ordered two side dishes: baba ghanoush ($ 5) and hummus ($ 4) with falafel ($ 2). The bread was good the hummus was really good compared to store-​bought stuff (translation: it was a little bland compared to homemade – I like a little more garlic and lemon – but delicious). Unlike other places that make their hummus with olive oil this hummus has a wonderful nutty flavor that makes me think that Yafa makes it the right way, with tahini. The falafel was fresh out of the fryer, crispy and just slightly spicy. The baba ghanoush was the standout. Usually you get a kind of gummy bland version, but Yafa makes it really smokey.
I was mighty impressed by the portion size for the price. I was full before finishing even half. That order will make three meals for me; no joke. Three awesome meals for $ 12.
The service was fast and friendly, but it was 6:30pm so it might be different during the lunch-​stampede.
If you’re wondering, there are a couple of tables and a bar that seats maybe 5 inside. There’s also an outdoor seating area. I recommend you order your food, pop over to Bells Liquor on M street for a bottle of wine, and make a picnic of it.

I made a rookie mistake ordering a pita pocket to go. The food is certainly fresh at Yafa and the toping choices aplenty but my pita completely fell apart before I was able to get three blocks back to my office. I ended up eating it with a fork.
Steak Swamara was under seasoned for my taste. There are an overwhelming amount of topics to choose from and they don’t have a sign explaining what they are (some things are sort of indistinguishable).
Ordered fries and they were a bit mushy but okay. Compared to my all time favorite Roti — Yafa fails in comparison. It is, however, closer to my office and still pretty good so I will be back. Next time I’ll be smart and order a rice bowl or maybe hummus to go.

This place fucking rules. The falafel is better than new amsterdam, and I like the topping options better than cava or amsterdam. My only complaints would be that the only hot sauce they have is spicy cilantro, which is good, but not what I’m looking for when I ask for hot sauce. The other complaint is just as minor, but the prices are a bit higher than the competition. Like 10%. So again, no big deal, but it’s worth noting.
Oh, the staff are great too. Eat here. DO IT, SUCKA.

Yet another delicious place in close proximity to my job; dangerous! I’ve been here 3 times already and I’ve never been disappointed. Their fresh baked pocket pita’s are soft and always warm. I get the yafa falafel and I recommend that you do too. You get to pick all your fresh ingredients with no extra charge (winning). I love the purple cabbage!
The staff are lovely — make your next lunch stop here!
Enjoy :)

When I walked into Yafa, my first thought: They did an excellent job of re-​doing the old PoBoy shop. The space is large, bright, and open.
Customers have 3 options: A pita (7 bucks), rice/​salad bowl (9), or an «entrée» platter (11), that comes with sides and pita.
I was going to try the falafel, but audibled to the chicken, as the falafel looked far short of «Amsterdam» quality, while the chicken was fresh/​good-​looking shawarma.
The best part of Yafa, and the reason I am rounding up from 3 stars to 4 — unlimited toppings! GRK down the street, for comparison, gives you what seems like a few onions in your pita. It’s nice being able to keep pointing at toppings and having them added to your lunch.
And pointing is really the only option, since topping selection is overwhelming. Labels would be very useful here. Whatever toppings I got were good, but I have no idea what I got. (Also, hummus was a «premium» topping, and I’m not sure why)
Overall, I am a fan. The chicken itself was tasty if unspectacular, the toppings were great, and the price was decent for the portion.