Wally’s Falafel and Hummus

We frequent this Mediterranean joint located in dinkytown which blows holyland out of the water. The falafel deluxe & chicken shawarma sandwiches are our favorites. You can order falafel by the piece which makes a good appetizer or addition to the shawarma sandwich. The bakalava is a tad dry for my preference. Quick service & family owned.

Wally’s has had my heart for over four years, thanks to the spicy chicken shawirma. Thank you for all the shawirmas. I am very happy to give you my money in exchange for one of the best foods in the Twin Cities!
Perfection is hard to describe. In the case of the chicken shawirma, I suggest consumption for a true understanding of why it’s so perfect. The chicken is perfectly seasoned. The pita is soft. The garlic sauce, pickles, fries, and optional Sriracha harmonize.
I’ve tried a few other items, but nothing else has left me as speechless.
Parking in Dinkytown can be difficult, but the service and the chicken shawirma make the trip worthwhile. Go! Just make sure you save a shawirma for me.

Falafel are definitely these guys strong point. They were food sized and perfectly fried. Not greasy with lots O flava. The shawarma was just ok, average for the twin cities.

The spicy falafel is like a PRN anti depressant for me. It is delicious, gigantic, and affordable. Dining in is fun with wooden booths to survey the scene and to go is fast enough. When I couldn’t wait for the falafel the prepackaged grape leaves provided a great appetizer. The boo usually gets a gyro meal and I get his salad! This place feels like home.

I got the shawarma platter. The cloves overwhelmed the rice, so I couldn’t eat it, but the rest of the food was amazing.

Absolutely amazing chicken shawarma! Visiting from DC and thrilled that we ate lunch here. Amazing!!!

Husband and I got kind of turned around when walking through the U of M neighborhood. He was starving (he’s the type that gets Hulk-​style hangry) so I pointed out Wally’s. I am always up for a falafel! We crossed the street and husband went in and ordered some falafel for me, and a kufta kabob sandwich with a large side of rice for himself.
First of all — falafel are 50c a piece. Ho-​lee-​shit. There are advantages to dining in a college town. I was super happy with the level of spice and crispiness of the falafel, definitely one of the better ones I’ve had (falafel are like sex: even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good). Husband ordered the spicy version of the kufta and it was dynamite. The few bites I stole were delicious. I didn’t try the rice but husband said it was nothing to write home about.
All in all, loved it to pieces. We’re definitely going back and trying that giant meat platter that has 82 different kinds of schawarma. Maybe all the frat boys can roll me out the door like a keg afterward.

5 on 5 for the food. For the service. And the ambience. I ordered a chicken shawarma plate with rice. The quantity just overwhelmed me — the item came with a bowl of salad and 2 pita breads cut into 8 pieces. I couldn’t finish the chicken and the rice — got it packed. The quality of the preparation was good as well — I am certainly coming back to this place for more good Arabic food !

First off I’d like to say that this place deserves a 3.5 stars but it obviously isn’t an option here. The boyfriend and I went here for lunch and ordered the meal for 2 for $ 26. It was definitely a great deal… since that meal can definitely serve a party of 4, there was A LOT of food, and pita bread. The meal comes with the following:
Fresh brewed mint tea
Mixed Salad — I thought the dressing was quite sour
Pita and Hummus — the hummus is delicious and was topped with cucumber and pickle spears
HUGE plate of rice, chicken, beef, gyro meat, falafel all on 2 pita bread — the chicken and beef were a bit dry, the gyro was absolutely amazing, and the dipping sauces were great too. I wasn’t a huge fan of the falafel.
dessert — some sort of almond cake. I wasn’t much of a fan of it because it was hard, dry, and crumbly. It was way too sweet too.
We didn’t finish the food so we took the leftovers home. We were able to make 2 more meals with the food we brought home. It definitely tasted a lot better the next day because all the spices and flavors soaked in some more. All in all, it was a great meal and I’d definitely come back to try the gyro sandwiches.

I talk about this place when I m not in Minneapolis! I dream of their Hummus and would like the one I make to be that creamy! I don’t go meat here so I can’t rate that but I eat all the rest, starting with foule a past made out of beans to dip pita bread in the bread comes with it and is warm and soft, simple goodness. This time I had it followed by a falafel plate, the falafel are arranged in hummus with a couple of veggies and just amazing. My friend took grape leaves and let me try one they are minty flavored and crazy good .
The falafel are the best I tasted in a long time they are hot soft, freshly made, so tasty.
I like the service too, quick and friendly and in our case at 4 pm real fast.
We sat outside on the sidewalk, see the world go by and enjoy a middle eastern yogurt drink!
I ll be back if I m lucky tomorrow

While on the verge of becoming hangry this evening, I ordered Wally’s delivery via Bite Squad. First of all, I made the VERY disappointing mistake of ordering the «Beef & Lamb Shawarma» instead of the gyro (Which is what I thought I was ordering). So when it arrived, and it didn’t look or taste like a gyro, I was feeling pretty downhearted. The meat was very dry, and the traditional middle eastern flavors I was craving were missing. The meat was also more like roast beef, not at all like gyro meat, and I didn’t taste any lamb in it. Also, the portion was really small for being $ 7.
Fortunately, I had also ordered veggies samosas, which lifted my mood from ‘devastated’ to «Yum!». They again were a bit on the small side for $ 7, but the flavor was good, and they were filled with chickpeas, which is my favorite way to have them.
Finally, I ordered a side of fries with my food, and I definitely could have done without them. They were crinkle-​cut, fresh out of the freezer, and into the microwave. In other words, mushy and flavorless.
So bottom line, will definitely order the veggies samosas again, and I want to actually try their gyro before writing this place off.

We ordered the two people plate. It is more than enough for two. We loved the chicken, beef, and gyro meat. Their pita and hummus were also one of our favorites. But the dessert with walnut was a little too sweet.
Will definitely go back for another meal. Lol

Wally’s has been on my to-​eat list for ages. Finally visited and was underwhelmed. Run-​of-​the-​mill «Middle Eastern» fare. Tried one of the sampler platters, giving me the opportunity to sample quite a few items. Nothing was really awful, but just not great. Overall there was too much oil and the chicken shawarma was definitely too dry. The service was a little off too — no one seemed to invested in the customers but more so there own personal affairs.

With Wally’s you truly get a big bang for your buck. Not only is the food delicious and great quality but they also give you enough food for lunch and dinner! I usually order the Gyro Plate with rice, you can also get fries too. The gyro plate also comes with a side salad and lots of warm pita bread.
The people that work there are very quick and friendly which definitely makes every visit that much better.
Tip: As with all areas in Dinkytown parking is limited so make sure to plan for extra time to find a spot. If anything you can also park in the ramp on 5^th St. off of 14^th St.

Our favorite place in the Twin Cities for quick and great Middle Eastern food. If we go as a family we get the wally’s platter of four and there is plenty of food.
Their gyro meat is wonderfully spiced and there have been times when all we do is swing in for a takeout of just their meat!

In San Diego, California burritos were my go to. I mean it is just the perfect mix of mexican and american food wrapped in a glorious bundle. How can you go wrong with adding copious fries and cheese in your burrito? You can’t.
In Minneapolis, the chicken shawarma reminds me of this fusion comfort. I’ve gotten lamb/​chicken shawarma and gyro here and each time they did not disappoint. They come freshly wrapped and hot. The shawarma has fries and some garlic sauce in there. You can get regular or spicy version, which just means there is some siracha in the wrapped bundle of joy. The spicy version has a decent kick. Their baklava is perfectly, lightly sweetened… although I don’t know if they are homemade or bought elsewhere. Seating is somewhat limited. I am sure I will be back to try their other plates.

The samosas here are delicious!
I got a shawirma and one of my friends got a gyro. I thought the shawirma was alright and was on par with the gyro. Though the gyro seemed like you got more food, maybe it was all of the lettuce. I’d probably get the gyro next time as it seems like the best bang for your buck.
The crema was alrightttttt. The baklava was DAMN AMAZING! YOU HAVE TO GET IT!

Amazing falafel amazing service and the chicken schwarma had salad dressing on it that was too vinegary which meant I couldn’t eat any of it :(I liked the pita and the aioli but I wasn’t impressed with the salad. Next time I’m trying the sampler appetizer platter. I hope that will be better

Turned to Unilocal to find some good eats next to the university, and Wallys seemed like it had some good reviews.
The place has a calm and clean ambiance. There are pictures of the dishes displayed around the counter. I settled on getting the chicken shwarma plate, which costs about $ 11. After that, pick your seat and they’ll bring you your food.
Before the plates came they brought out a small salad, and some pita bread. Wasn’t expecting that, so I was pleasantly surprised.
The plates came out fast enough, and looked pretty appetizing. A mound of shredded chicken on one side, rice on the other, and a small container containig what I think is mayo. I’ll admit that I was slightly perturbed about the mayonaise, but thats just me on my anti-​mayo high horse.
I mixed everything together, mayo and all. It was quite delicious. A pretty decent tasting shawarma plate, not the best I’ve ever had (that honor goes to a little place in detroit).
All in all, good place for some middle eastern if you’re in the area. Good alone or in a medium sized group.

I first discovered Wally’s three years ago when I first moved to Minnesota, and I’ve been going ever since. I have had their falafel sandwich/​falafel deluxe, hereesa, chicken kabob sandwich, koshari, tea, baklava, sampler platter, gyro, salads, soup, and Wally’s Plate for 2, and I would recommend them all! You get what you pay for! Clean casual setting with nice staff, good portions, etc. There are options for people of all dietary backgrounds!
Because I’m indecisive, I usually get the sampler platter, which has hummus, baba ghanoush, kibbeh (a deep fried yummy meat dumpling), mini samosas, pita bread, pickles, and falafel, because it’s filing, delicious, and has a nice balance of things. The hummus is so creamy and smooth, and the falafel is scrumptious as is everything else. I can easily murder an entire platter in one sitting. Definitely a good meal! The koshari is a wonderful comfort food containing pasta, rice, lentils, onions, chickpeas and a wonderful tomato sauce.
The setting is simple and casual, good for grabbing food to eat on your own or with a small group of friends. It’s also a nice place to have tea/​dessert and catch up with friends. I love the lively atmosphere, which is that way mostly because of the loud Arabic pop music in the background, sometimes you’ll hear the guys making your food sing along, which is pretty cute. Oh habibi! ;)
Wally’s is located in Dinkytown and is easy to get to from campus and also accessible by public transit (bus lines 2, 3, 6, 16, etc.).
A couple of cons: the cashiers will only punch your card if you buy a sandwich only. I go all the time and buy things that cost more than the sandwich, but they won’t stamp it! Also, their french fries are crinkle fries that probably come from the freezer section of some store.