Spices Mediterranean Kitchen

Spices is CLOSED… Oh I am so sad right now!
This place made good food. I was craving their fries and hummus so I drove are from work and they are closed. I shed a tear and drove off so sad.

This place is delicious. If you are looking for authentic Mediterranean food, look no further. I get the gyro plate every time, it comes highly recommended. Every time I am in Chandler, this is where I go for lunch.

I got the chicken schwarma with their Mediterranean salad. We also shared some hummus with hot pita bread and their homemade Boureka. All were super fresh with excellent flavor. They are extremely friendly and very speedy with their service! It was very affordable, you can see them making everything fresh and with a sense of urgency so you don’t have to wait long for a great meal! Very quick and easy

I enjoy this place and the food is outstanding. The guy who runs the place is personable, takes your order in such a kindly, friendly way and takes time to get to know his customers. He aims to please… if you want to know the ingredients in the sauce, if you want extra sauce, any custom order, no problem, he’ll handle it. LOVE the lamb/​beef mix, and the Falafel is very good. The homemade hummus is among the best I’ve had, and it’s great with the super spicey ‘green’ sauce that they offer. I’ve been back several times and will for sure go again. It’s right up there with Pita Jungle, and prices are a bit cheaper.

Great place clean, people are easy to talk to and they explain the food. Nice out of the way place for a great meal and conversation with the owner and staff. Food is awesome some the best and authentic.

My family and I have eaten here probably a dozen times and we absolutely love this place! There isn’t a plate I’ve ordered that I didn’t enjoy thoroughly, although I haven’t ordered everything. Shawarma, a side of grape leaves and a hummus sampler are my recommendations. The owner is outgoing, friendly and has always made us feel at home in his restaurant.

The food is always amazing, but the service is the real standout! Maybe the nicest, most considerate owner in Phoenix. Showed up once right at closing and turned to leave when we saw the hours. The owner ran out to stop us and insisted we come in anyway. Still had top notch service even after closing time.

Honestly, I never write reviews on here but the exceptional customer service and delicious food made this a must.
First off, I have been to Spices a handful of times now and every time the owner has gone out of his way to ensure my experience was the best possible. His confidence in his food along with his «Opa!» greeting are just a few examples that show this is truly what he loves.
Now to the food. I am usually extremely picky about the chicken I eat and both the chicken shawarma and the chicken kabob have been phenomenal.
Long story short, you need Spices in your life. The restaurant and the menu may be simple, but the quality of the food and the fast, super-​friendly service give this little establishment a lot of personality.

Located in a typical strip mall, I’ve had this restaurant on my bookmark list for over a year. It closes on weekends, making it difficult for me to visit. We arrived right after the lunch rush, and were greeted by two of the staff. The menu is small but appropriate for the type of establishment. It had falafel, shawarma, grape leaves, Mediterranean salad, and yogurt called Labni.
For appetizers, we decided on the grape leaves. After that, we ordered the falafel platter which included a Mediterranean salad, hummus and tahini dipping sauce. We also ordered the lamb/​beef shawarma plate and substituted the rice with Labni. Their version of hot sauce, called schug, was also order for $.95 extra.
Grape leaves had a nice presentation but were served cold. The coldness made them firm, bordering on hard. They had a great spices mix and lemonony flavor. They seem similar to the canned grape leaves I have purchased many times before from Mediterranean establishments. Either way, they were tasty and I would order them again, but slightly heated.
The falafel were definitely good, crunchy on the outside soft yet not greasy on the inside. They were not great but they were tasty. The tahini sauce needed more salt. It did have a nice texture and worked very well with the falafel. The Mediterranean salad was chopped very diligently and had a nice fresh taste and made a great addition to the falafel. The hummus was creamy but also need a bit more salt and garlic. The lamb/​beef shawarma pita sandwich was surprisingly light. Wrapped in a grilled pita along with Mediterranean salad, the meat was well spiced and not fatty. I substituted Lebni for my rice, it was thick and slightly sour as it should. I do believe this lebni was store-​bought and not made in house. Also, the pita bread, grilled nicely and definitely fresh, was just your regular, every day store-​bought pita bread. It would be a nice touch for this restaurant to have a different type of pita bread such as handmade or fluffier pita bread. The surprise, for me, was the hot sauce. It was called schug, and had a nice strong kick. I added it to every bite I took of falafel or shawarma.
For dessert, we ordered the Malawach, a cheese– filo pastry that came with tomato chutney. It was extremely fresh, not over dry considering it was made with filo dough, and had a real nice savory flavor to it. Definitely a great way to end the meal.
Overall, very solid food, but not mind blowing. For sure, everything is extremely fresh, In fact they ran out of a number of items at the end of the lunch rush, which I respect. A restaurant should make their items fresh everyday. I am looking forward to returning and trying other items off their menu.

Terrific service. Great food. One of my favorite Mediterranean places. The chicken Scharma is awesome, try it on top of the free salad.

This is not a kid friendly place. The manager/​owner was extremely rude to my children. All the other employees were fantastic though. The food was great, prices really high though, like comparable to a sit down restaurant… This is not a sit down restaurant, though they are trying to give the vibe of an upscale take out place. I was appalled at how the manager treated us so we won’t be back, we’ll go back to Turk Dish down the street on Rural and Ray. One other complaint is on their bathrooms. I saw a review from a month ago that discussed this and it still is not fixed. The woman’s restroom is out of order, and so my daughter and I had to use the men’s room which is fine, and it was pretty clean so I’ll give them that. The urinal was also out of order, and since we didn’t use it, wasn’t a big deal. But the toiled had to be flushed from inside the tank. Pretty tacky…

Not bad but overpriced. Quick down and dirty review.
Dinner salad was good but small.
Garlic pita was $ 4 for one small pita.
Gyro plate was huge and was very tasty, although the rice was bland and oily.
The gyros seemed a bit burned and had a bit of a sour smell as they neared your face.

I see a lot of reviews with people complaining about the restrooms. I do not go here to use the facilities… I go here for GREAT food, enough said!
My boss and I get take-​out from Spices at least twice a week. The smell of fantastic food has brought many-​a-​coworker into my office inquiring «What is that?! Where can I get some?» I now take orders for several people in my office and pickup lunch for everyone. Troy loves the gyro sandwich. Bill gets the chicken shawarma plate with rice (a favorite of mine too.) I have tried many things on the menu but always go back to the falafel sandwich with hummus — add house made hot sauce on the side. The hot sauce is AMAZING, if you love spicy, and is worth paying extra for.
I also saw complaints about the staff. seriously? You are probably an a$$ hole yourself and did something to offend them. Everyone who works here is very kind and goes out of their way to assist me whenever they can. As far as nickel and diming customers; you pay more for certain things because they are made FRESH, and in house. On more than one occasion, I have been given a free drink — so no, they are not stingy. I absolutely love this place and the staff. This is a family owned business. Their main goal is to deliver fantastic food, not kiss your ass. That being said, everyone I have ever seen in line before me — or while I am waiting for my food — was treated kindly and with respect.
Don’t let any of the poor reviews deter you from trying this place, it would be your loss.

I’ll start my review off by stating that I specifically went to Spices to get Chicken Shawarma and Rice, so yes, I was really disappointed because they didn’t have rice at the time I had gone, however, am basing my review off the food that I did end up getting. Spices re-​opens for dinner at 4:30pm and unfortunately the rice wasn’t done being cooked when I arrived around 4:50pm. I was given an expected time of about 15 – 20 minutes. I wasn’t able to wait but in the back of my mind thought that they should’ve had it ready to go 20 minutes after re-​opening. I’m not sure if this is an everyday thing or if they were just running behind on the day I went.
Anyways, I decided to still get the Chicken Shawarma plate which came with the shawarma, a small salad, french fries, and pita bread along with tahini sauce. I have to hand it to them for packing probably one of the best to-​go boxes I’ve ever gotten! Pictures of the packing are posted! The salad (mix of cucumbers, tomatoes, & onions) was in a small container and the chicken shawarma was wrapped separately so the juices from both didn’t mix together in the box and get the fries all soggy. The only thing I didn’t like from the meal was the fries because they were way too salty. Also the tahini sauce was really bitter, but the chicken was flavorful enough and tasted great as a «wrap» in the pita with some salad that I didn’t even need that sauce. I will ask for tzatsiki next time though!
The price of the meal was fair. Considering how tasty everything was, I’d go back to try the rice & arrive at a later time to make sure I get it!

I start doing these reviews and I can’t stop. The food in the valley is getting better, and it is a Mediterranean flood of deliciousness! This place stands out because of the little things you taste from their chiefs. They cook quick and efficient, and their taziki sauce is the best in town.

Spent way too much for little portions. The food is ok. Nothing special. And prices too high for the mediocre taste and very small portions. There a lot of other medditatianen restaurants in the area with better options and better prices. I’m surprised they maintain being in that location for so long. I live close and it would be nice to have a spot to pick food from with reasonable prices. Also hours of operations are not convenient.

Update, 3 years later: Spices is still the best. If anything, the food’s gotten better, and the unusual (but delicious) drink selection has grown. I have out of town family who talk about how they want to return to the Valley just to go here.
The Avengers would totally save Spices first, if aliens attacked Phoenix. True facts. And then: shwarma. Of course.

I regret not visiting this place sooner being so close to my home! I had the chicken shawarma, it was delicious! Normally I eat very small portions but this was so good I couldn’t stop eating and finished my plate.
I was waiting for the owner to show up and introduce himself just like the reviews said and sure enough he did. He’s just as pleasant, warm, and friendly as they say he is.
I also was happy to see that the food network was on TV instead of sports. I don’t have cable, I was glued to some reality BBQ show lol. I contemplated staying until I had enough room for dessert, which looked mind blowing.
Overall great little spot for delicious food. I’m looking forward to returning to try the falafels, hummus, and dessert.

I got here late, just as they were closing for lunch. They suggested I order anyway and could eat outside. I was hungry and went for it ordering the Shwarma and a side of dolmas and water to drink. The food came quickly and I sat in the outside eating area which is nice.
The food was good and flavorful but loses some appeal when eating out of Styrofoam containers and seemed spendy for lunch when I added it up around $ 16.
If I’m going to spend that much on lunch I like to eat with plates and real silverware, not plastic. With so many choices, why go back?

While this strip mall restaurant may not have the aesthetic appeal of fancier dining facilities, the kebabs, shawarmas, and falafels unapologetically commence an assault on you tastebuds that is sure to be the most brazen and welcoming thing you will experience all year.
The hummus was explosive with flavor, the «mediterranean salad» was brash with character, and the owner was filled with energy and enthusiasm. He constantly checked-​in with every guest to make sure that you were enjoying every part of the meal. You could tell that he cared deeply about his customers and his cuisine. It was a true pleasure dining here and I will be back sooner than later!