Petra Falafel House

Hands down one of the best falafel sandwiches I’ve ever had. Really, everything I had was delicious. I also got the vegetarian and hummus grape leaves which were a treat. My mother got a kebab sandwich as well and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The food was great, but why the four stars instead of five? Service. When I come to a restaurant I expect good food and good service. The cashier was extremely confused with what we ordered, and my mother almost didn’t get her kebab. Upon checking our receipt, it was clear that they forgot to make it. They also almost got our orders wrong on top of it.
Good food, service could be worked on. I’ll definitely go back, but I’ll always check to see that everything is accounted for.

If first impressions mean anything then we’ll there you go. Thursday five pm and there was no ice in the pop machine and they couldn’t give back change from a twenty without taking ones from the tip jar. The air conditioning was on but it felt muggy. Parking spots are narrow along this strip. People were super helpful and friendly. Drink was included with the meal. Plenty of cultures represented by the clientele. That speaks large if you want good authentic food. Dumped my pop after. five minutes and got another round. Still no ice. Bummer. Maybe I should have asked for water. but the food. Wow. Chicken was chopped and full of flavor. Best humus ever. Chicken on a bed of rice. Two types of humus and great pest bread too. Super nice people. But still no ice. Time to refill.

Amazing!!! Simply amazing!!! Great little family owned business with super yummy food!!!

Food is fair. The chicken somewhat tuff and maybe precooked therefore lacking in that sizzling freshness associated with grilled or sautéed fresh meat. The babaganoush was sour and maybe that is the way this middle eastern place prefers it. So I won’t be returning.

Best middle eastern food in town. Salads are always fresh and crunchy. I had the chicken shawerma plate. Tons of food for about $ 10. The hummus was delicious, the chicken was flavorful and the rice was great.

I order online from Petra on occasion and they always deliver food in a timely manner, and it’s always really tasty. I’ve sampled a little of everything and I am really impressed by their lamb shank. They include rice and salad with their meals, and I usually request hummus. I love Mediterranean food, and Petra brings excellent food with a lot of heart. The manager recognized me by my address once and checked in with me to see if the service and food were up to snuff, I really appreciated that.

Staying at the hotel next door and stumbled upon this gem in search of substance after a long day on the road.
Got a chicken schwarma platter with enough food for two people to easily share for only ten bucks.
To top it off the staff was friendly and food was divine!

Very good, authentic Mediterranean food with great prices given the large portions. The restaurant itself is a bit drab, but the service is fair. Luckily, on some evenings they provide delivery!

Decent food, terrible service.
Don’t order delivery, make the trip.
Ordered at 3:45 pm and received it at 5:30pm on a Friday afternoon. Called an hour later to ask about the status, told me 10 minutes, 10 minutes. Called 30 minutes later, they told me it had just left, how long had it been sitting?!
Food gets here, the sheepish delivery driver wouldn’t look me in the eye or acknowledge their 1:45 delivery time for a damn falafel with a sorry for the wait.
NOTE TO OWNERS: Don’t be ass holes, learn some customer service, then accept responsibility, regardless of your control of the situation.
Honestly should have made the trip in to try their dry and drippy falafel. The Baklava is the only reason they get a star.
Maybe I won’t partially tip ahead of time when I can’t make the trip in, if I even decide to eat at this particular falafel house.
Think twice before ordering online here. Something goes wrong, it’s probably your fault for not ordering enough.

Great food and plenty of it. The wait can be a little long when they are busy. The food itself is well worth the wait. During lunch they serve a pea soup that you get no matter what you order even if your getting food to-​go. Good food and plenty of it the portions well satisfy most.

I had takeout from here last night and it was good. Definitely will be coming back. We had the gyro platter and lamb Shawerma. Both were good, rice was flavored nicely, hummus was pretty good too. The only thing I didn’t like was the pita bread. It got hard and stale quickly when it wasn’t warm. But honestly the rest of the food filled me up so I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Definitely 4 stars for takeout/​quick dining food!

Excellent and fast. Perfect carryout. I had the chicken shawerma pita with everything and veggie dolmah. Very easy to order online through Unilocal and ready when you get there. Will definitely be back. Can’t believe I just discovered this place! If you like Mediterranean, you must try.

Great beef Shawerma! Staff is incredibly friendly. Clean, open layout conveniently near a mediterranean market. Arabic music videos play which makes eating here a more authentic experience. For 6.88 you get fries, a drink, and shawerma. Not too bad on occasion. The falafel is very authentic and donut shaped– a different flavor compared to more pedestrian falafel restaurants. Petra is definitely worth your visit.

Great food and great service! First of all, it says a lot about the restaurant when you have cultured people creating and serving your authentic (as can be) food. I’ve eaten here a few times in house and every time, no matter if you order a sandwich or an entrée, they begin your meal with a complimentary lentil soup. The serving sizes are very… American! More than you expect for the prices! (Cheapest sandwich is $ 4.99 [and its huge], and most expensive combo and item on menu is $ 11.49!)
Into specifics– The chicken shawerma platter and sandwich were absolutely delcious! It’s a curry spice mixture I’ve ever had around IC and I’ve lived here for 10 years, always interested in cultural/​spiced up food. The gyro is served with a heaping amount of meat for the price ($ 5) which is rare around here too. The only complaint I had was the beef in the beef tekka was over cooked.
All in all, this place deserves more recognition for their outstanding food and very reasonable prices! My most recommended for Mediterranean food in town! I plan on eating here at least every month or two to get my Mediterranean fill and to try the rest of the menu!

I’ve been coming here pretty often and now feel comfortable enough to leave a review. Good food, consistent quality in my experience. A bit on the pricey side and a bit slow, but the staff is friendly and the food is good. Delivery is also an option which is nice in a pinch. The falafel isn’t the best but enjoyable. What I do like is that the pita sandwiches don’t skimp on the meat. As a young adult with a healthy appetite, this is very much appreciated and noticed! Solid place.

This is the most Americanize Mediterranean food I’ve ever had. I got the basic falafel Pita and french fries. I had not intended to get the french fries but it came as a combo. I do think the french fries are good however I rarely have met a french fry I didn’t like. I didn’t care for the soggy pre-​dressed lettuce and the falafel balls were not crisp enough in my opinion. Also I never tasted any hummus. The woman who took my order was kind. Wouldn’t recommend.

Awesome! We got the kabob platter, the falafel pita and soup. Everything was delicious and the service was amazing. We’re coming back again. Don’t know why it took so long for us to make a visit in!

I live nearby, and I eat here quite often.
The food is cheap and delicious. It comes in large portions, and delivery (or pickup) tend to be quick. The family that runs the place is quite nice.
My favorite dish here is the lamb Kabsa, which at 10.99 is hilariously cheap. It is a seasoned lamb shank served on rice with vegetables and lamb drippings in it. It also comes with hummus, and a fresh little salad. Every time I buy this dish I have two conflicting thoughts in my head: First, I think that I am putting them out of business because this food is so cheap. Second, I think that I must order the Kabsa because it is so delicious. It really is a personal struggle, but I always err on the side of ordering the Kabsa. They are still in business, so I must be wrong.
Go eat here. The falafel, the gyros, the shwarma and everything else is cheap and delish. Although it looks like a fast food restaurant, and is priced like one, the food here is much better than many sit-​down falafel restaurants I have been to.

ORDERED: Falafel Pita $ 4.99, made combo $ 1.50, Baklava $ 1.50 (all to go)
SERVICE: Nice folks but SLOW. Stuck in Iowa time. If I worked in Iowa City I’d fear they’d wreck my hour lunch. No real sense of urgency among staff.
TASTED: I hit the road and started with the jasmine rice. Really good with a touch of heat. The falafel was conveniently wrapped in foil and easy to eat while driving. The taste was strange — first time I’ve had pickles in falafel. I believe Petra uses tahini instead of tzatziki sauce making the entire dish bitter (parsley, pickles, garbanzo beans will do that). Disappointing falafel. The baklava was dry and my clue should have been when I watched them serve it from a grocery store bakery box.
ODDS OF RETURN: ⁴⁄₁₀

Tried Petra on the way home from work and they did not disappoint. The petra combo was a shmorgasborg of mediteranean delights that left us with major leftovers. The side of feta salad, babba ganoush and hummus were delicious, amazing and delightful in no particular order! We got containers of all three that left us with plenty for the week. The falafel was very good and the Gyro we had was some of the best we’ve had in a while. It was less expensive than Oasis and about 95% as good. Hummus and babba ganoush were equally as good as any where in town, falafel is a close second because of the size and the only differentiating factor between Gyros is that Oasis puts falafel in the Gyro. Feta salad was really good and the package came with fries and a drink for about $ 15.
Great spot that’s on the coralville strip, easy to get to and with lots more parking than Oasis. Definitely worth trying and better than anyone else if you want leftovers!