Shiraz Mediterranean Grill

Stopped today as I was passing through from Nashville to Lexington. Unilocal’d it and checked the place out. Hands down a phenomenal lunch. I had the lamb combo with Shiraz salad and a cold pomegranate tea. A family business-​very friendly, where everything is made fresh to order. A must destination for the foodie for great healthy fare.

I AM BEYOND UPSET!!! I can’t tell you how far I drove to eat at the Shiraz on poplar level Rd around 830 only to find that they were closed!!! I googled the business hours and it said that they didn’t close until 9pm. When I got there, I walked in (yes the door was still open) and the young lady said that they closed at 8pm. I explained to her that the Web said 9pm. She said something about they haven’t changed it in Google yet. WHAT THE CRAP!!! I DROVE I KNOW MORE THAT 25 MILES!!! Get your crap together!!! It’s unfair to the customers not to have the correct information available!

I have to give 5 stars. I keep coming back to here and never leave disappointed. Quality! It’s definitely a go to place if your anywhere nearby. Not the same olé same olé we eat all the time.

Overpriced. I had the hummus and really lacked flavor. It was not your traditional kind I’ve ever had. Def not worth what I paid.

Great place. Must try Chicken Shawarma sanwich.

This is the most flavorful food I have had in a very long time. Do yourself a favor and get the Shiraz Eggplant on the side of whatever dish you get. It was packed with flavor and made me forget that I was eating eggplants. Each of their rice dishes has a unique flavor that stands out from the other. The worker at the counter let me try the herb rice and the lentil rice and I had to toss a coin to decide which to have with my meal. I ordered the lamb loin combo, and I was so excited to see the lamb cooked fresh moments after I ordered it. The food here was excellent and I was satiated without feeling absolutely stuffed.
The wait staff was also phenomenal, they answered the dozens of questions I had on taste preferences. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is completely casual. The high backed booths with small pillows add a level of comfort I didn’t know was possible for a small restaurant like this.
The price of food was very reasonable. Each of the entrees was somewhere between $ 10-​$ 12 and came with rice, a side, a drink, and hummus with pita bread. This place is a gem among the assorted chains along Poplar Level Road.

What happened the one on Hurstbourne was so good at one time. Now it has become so mediocre the staff just seems to give your food in any olé fashion burnt or the portion is just thrown on the plate.

Shiraz has some good food. From the multiple Mediterranean restaurants we have tried in Louisville, Shiraz has been the most consistent in terms of flavor/​taste.
The tzatziki is homemade according to the guy that we see each time we go in who works the register. It is one of the top 5 tzatzikis we have tried.
The chicken kebabs are delicious… the marinade they use is mysterious but enhances the flavor of the chicken and when combined with the tzatziki sauce, it is a combination that won’t soon be forgotten! They do charge separately for the tzatziki sauce, so be sure to ask for it when ordering.
The salads (Shiraz salad, quinoa salad and fatoosh salad) are all pretty good– ask for the salad without grapeseed oil, as the oil will oftentimes overpower the mellow flavors of the tomato onion and cucumber.

Awesome food!!! Fresh, local, and delicious!!! Owner/​chef and his brother are very friendly! Ask for a taste to help make a decision.

The Popular Level Shiraz is a wonderful restaurant. However, it’s easy to miss. It’s at the far north end of the Quarry Shopping Plaza. This is an old strip mall that is about half way between Trevillian and Hess on the east side of the road. In other words, it’s just south of the DQ on Popular Level.
My wife and I love their chicken kebabs and the friendliness of their employees. All of their rice dishes are great. The place is always clean and the atmosphere is inviting for being such an informal venue. The price always seems a bit high for the quantity of food, but since it doesn’t have table service we don’t pay a tip. That creates an instant 15 percent savings. Subsequently, we always remind ourselves that the price should be compared with a Chipotle, Qdoba, or Panera rather than a full service restaurant that expects its customers to pay its employees. We also like the fact they DO NOT have a television. It’s getting harder and harder to eat out without watching a TV. We greatly appreciate the absence of these distractions!
Advice: After you order your food and you are getting your drink go ahead and get your silverware and napkins. When the food is brought to your table it will be without either of these items. No big deal, but you will save yourself a trip if you plan ahead.

I know everyone in Louisville loves this place. It gets great reviews, they’re locally owned, and they’re successful enough to have several locations. I just don’t get it. The food is okay. It’s not authentically Mediterranean at all. It’s like the texmex of Mediterranean food. If you want the authentic experience just head toward downtown or the highlands.

We got take out from this location and ware not happy with what we found when we got home. I got the lamb combo and the meat was so burned that it crumbled. I was able to salvage ¹⁄₃ of the lamb and the rest went into the trash. The rice was dry and obviously old. Had hummus as a side but they don’t give you anything to dip into the hummus. Am I supposed to just eat straight hummus as a side? Bad all the way around. Not worth spending another 20 minutes round trip taking the food back. The person preparing the food knew that the food was bad and sent it out anyway. Not worth the money at all. I don’t recommend this place to anyone.

I was visiting family in Louisville & my uncle (also from out of town) chose this place as a healthy option to meet for lunch. Glad he did, because I cannot say enough good things about it!
Everything was fresh, full of flavor & delicious! We shared the sampler platter as an appetizer. I got the jumbo shrimp combo, my aunt & uncle tried the salmon & mahi mahi combos. (Can you tell we don’t eat red meat?! LOL) We all tried each other’s & agreed that everything was great. We also tried the baklava, which was also excellent.
The place is very clean & brightly decorated. Our visit was on Black Friday at noon, so they weren’t too crowded, which was nice. Bathroom was also very clean & well-​kept.
The best part about our visit was chatting with the owner & his family who also works there. They are the sweetest Iranian family & most of their recipes have been handed down from their grandmother.
This will be at the top of my list to visit the next time I’m in town!

The food was fantastic, the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food, I will definitely eat here again!

The best Mediterranean food in Louisville… The flavor is a real kick in the fatoosh! This is the place hands down for Mediterranean in Louisville. Very clean place, nice hard working owner.

I sometimes forget about this healthy option for dinner. So glad I remembered recently on an evening when i was struggling to figure out what I wanted.
This place cooks your hot food to order and you can taste the difference. I ordered the veggie kabobs with rice and a side of tabouleh. The veggies were perfectly grilled and lightly seasoned. The rice was delicious and complimented the veggies well. I always enjoy the tabouleh. It tasted super fresh, I am sure they made it up that morning. I asked for a side of tzatziki sauce to dip my veggies in which made them even better! I love the flavors of this food! I also shared an order of hummus with my boo, which is always a tasty treat on top of the other items I devoured for dinner. This is a great option if you are looking to eat quality food but don’t feel like cooking and also not spending a load.
I will make a point to get back over here sooner than later. I never feel overly full or bloated after dining here and the staff is always friendly. A++

My first time at Shiraz, and I had a very pleasant experience. I would give the place, and my dining experience about a 4.8 stars, which rounds up to five. Although I dined inside, I will probably opt for the outdoor seating next time – it’s so lovely (see photos)!
As for the food, I had the «Spicy» Avocado Bruschetta and falafel. The bruschetta was definitely not spicy, but it was tasty. Although its name indicates that it is spicy, I wasn’t at all displeased that there was no spiciness. My only complaint is that the bread it was served on was too crunchy. Some May like it that way, but I would prefer the bread a bit softer. The crunch and taste of the bread reminded me of a time when I accidentally overbaked reheated pizza, but ate it anyway. Just too browned. But that’s just my taste. Nevertheless, the appetizer was good. The falafel was excellent, and actually had a spicy flavor. It was served in a generous portion of two large halves, as you can see from my photos.
I want to also comment on the excellent service. It was speedy, and the cashier was very pleasant, polite and friendly. The restroom was clean, also. I will definitely return.

Solid food here — this is one my dinner rotation restaurants. I like the Chicken kebab with Herb rice and tabbouleh while my wife usually enjoys the Mahi Mahi kebab. The herbal rice and fatoosh salad with falafel are another favorite. For desert, they make the best Baklava in town. Friendly service although the wait can be a tad long at times.

If you’re near the zoo or the MegaCavern and get hungry, this is the place to go. Quick, delicious food at a reasonable price — we only had an hour to burn between ziplining and a tram tour at the MegaCavern, and we ate at Shiraz and still had time to spare. I got a veggie quesadilla, which consisted of fresh shopped veggies mixed with quinoa and spread with avocado, and it was delicious. My cousin enjoyed her kabab and lentil rice. Shiraz is an unassuming place, but I can’t think of anything they could’ve done better.

Spent 5 hours at the zoo, got so wrapped up that we forgot to eat. Consulted the local Unilocal,found out the closest place was Shiraz. It sounded familiar, had good reviews, and only 2 minutes away. We had to investigate.
The restaurant was at the end of a small but fairly new-​looking strip mall. The interior was very clean, colorful, with hand-​painted accents on some of walls. The menu was a little overwhelming at first, but managed to settle on a Chicken Kebab with tzatziki sauce, with tabbouleh and the herbed rice (recommended by the staff). My wife ordered the Lamb Kebab (since we’re fans of lamb and find it so rarely) with the habanéro pesto, with hummus and the herbed rice. The lamb was a little pricey and wasn’t posted (listed as Market Price) but I figured it was worth the occasional luxury. So we sat and waited for our food.
It took a little while, but they apologized saying the lamb took a little longer to cook. Didn’t care, we just wanted to eat. I’ll say that I’ve had better Mediterranean food, but not often. We each tasted our entrees and my wife and I discussed trading… Just so we could each get the most out of our visit. She begrudgingly accepted my offer of two chicken kebabs for one lamb. Very begrudgingly. One bite and I figured out why.
The chicken was moist, succulent, and well-​seasoned. As enjoyable as chicken can get.
But the lamb…
was jaw-​droppingly fantastic.
I will return to eat this again.
The herbed rice was excellent, the tabbouleh was decent (although a little coarse), the tzatziki was good and garlicky (mixed with the rice).
But that lamb.
I mean, do they really need to sell anything else?