Al-Tarboush Deli

Great little spot in the Loop. Haifa salad was so fresh and tangy… A great way to start a meal. Meat pie and spinach pies were hot and yummy. Beef and lamb gyro was great, so was the beef shawarma. Next time we will save room for dessert!

I come here bi-​weekly. The family is so sweet and the food is the best STL has to offer when it comes to homemade Lebanese food. Spicy hummus, Shish Tawouk, falafel, and chicken shawarma are amazing. :)

Is it possible to have good service but the food is subpar? Yep and that would perfectly describe this place. The owner is just as nice as I remember when I 1^st went to the store 20 yrs. ago. However, the food is not on the same quality as I remember. It’s been about 15 yrs. since my last visit and unfortunately it will probably be the last time I do.
Look, I have been eaten Middle Eastern/​Desi food for over 25 years… long before it was chic or the hipster thing to do… So I know what I’m talking about when it comes to these beautiful types food. Lol
I would say 20 yrs. ago the food was ³⁄₅ …Service ⁴⁄₅ …but as of my last visit I would say food ¹⁄₅ and service 3.5÷5. Let’s take a close look @ my recent visit:
I used a groupon (and thank the Lord I did)]
Grape Leaves: ²⁄₅ the seasoning was very flavorful; however the rice was too hard
Beef Shawarma: ¹⁄₅ The overall size of the sandwich is small compared to other places. They use tahini sauce (which was very good) instead of tzatziki sauce. The meat was oily; tasted like overcooked potted meat. Felt like I should have been eating this on a camp out trip.
Walnut baklava: ³⁄₅ Good stuff not too sweet; just right… however it is pricey considering the size
Overall ²⁄₅

The first gyro that looks and tastes like the gyros I used to eat all over Greece (with an Amstel). Two unpretentiously excellent sandwiches and drinks for less than $ 25. Sweet!

If you find yourself hungry while strolling down the Loop, take a slight detour and stop here. Al-​Tarboush predates the strip’s gentrification, so you know loyal customers have kept it going.
The prices are low, the service is amiable, and the recipes are legit. A-​T has some of the best falafel around and the chicken shawarma with hot sauce is too tasty to put down before it’s gone. The hummus’ texture is creamier than what you can buy in a store and the tabouleh is freshly chopped and full of mint.
I’ll be generous and say the décor is utilitarian. The walls are lined with hookah paraphernalia, limited groceries, and fridges full of to-​go items. This is a deli. What else would you expect?
Tip: swing by before a trip to Forrest Park. The food begs to be eaten picnic style.

had a beef shawarma, and it’s just not good. and I’ve had shawarmas before, I know what good taste like.
presentation is definitely very low. it’s poorly wrapped so that it looked passable when they cut in half, but when you eat, everything breaks apart. there’s definitely not enough meat to make up the 6.99+tax, with way too much lettuce and tomato and all. the bread is not fresh and is definitely taking over the whole thing.
sorry to say this, but no I would not rec this place to anyone.

Okay let my start of by saying I’m a self proclaimed foodie. I love food!!! And this place met all my foodie desires. I ordered the beef shawarma and that was so freaking good. My Wife ordered the chicken and rice and I’ll tell you what, that was better than my beef shawarma!!! And I really don’t enjoy chicken!!! And also you must buy the baklava it is worth it!!! I shall definitely return to this gem.

I have been coming here for years. The falafel is fantastic. Always freshly fried and fresh ingredients. I have also enjoyed the tabouli and hummus. The owner is a really nice guy who always has a smile on his face. It’s not fancy, but it’s really yummy. They also sell hookahs and all kinds of hookah tobacco.

All the food here is really good. The spicy hummus — amazing! The baklava — holy crap, not to be missed! But the falafel here is truly the best in the city.

The owner is very friendly and makes everything fresh to go for each customer. The falafel wraps are heavenly and always satisfy my cravings. They’re not too expensive, either.

I will drive far out of my way to pick up Al-​Tarboush. The food is incredible and the service is always excellent. The limited table space makes carrying out ideal, but you will be taken good care of should you choose to dine in. You will notice that the owners know a lot of their customers by name, face, or order. That is because the food keeps people coming back.
For starters, get the falafel sandwich. It is by far the best I’ve had in a long list of other restaurants. Try it with the spicy relish if you’re interested in an extra kick.
I can’t say enough good things about the rest of the menu. You can’t go wrong with the Zatar pita, dolmadas, meat and spinach pies, chicken schwarma, hummus, or tabouli. Literally everything they make is high quality. That includes their homemade shisha! They have several fresh and creative flavors that are inexpensive.
Give them a try if you’re in the neighborhood. There’s a reason many of their customers are regulars.

Quite honestly, major awesomeness! The beef shwarma was a bit tooo salty for my taste. The little beef pies were soooo good. Perfect size. The baba ghanouj was very delish. Smooth. Parking is a bit of a pain, but this hole in the wall is well worth it. They sell a lot of hookahs including disposable ones too. Who would have known that there is such a thing as disposable hookahs?

This by far is the absolute best falafel and Lebanese restaurant I’ve ever been to. The food was amazing and was served to us extremely fast. The woman working as the cook and cashier was the most friendly and bubbly person ever. I would recommend this restaurant to anybody in the St. Louis Westgate area!

The food is absolutely amazing. I ordered 12 pieces of falafel and it was the best I have had since I had my aunt came over from Palestine. Definitely a place to eat out but if you are picky about looks then the restaurant isn’t going to bring much ambiance. The Staff is incredibly nice and helpful. The prices are very well set and comfortable if you like middle Eastern food. Cheaper than a restaurant but with equal or higher quality!
If you are in the neighborhood I’d recommend you trying it out for yourself.

My husband and I tried this place based on the Unilocal reviews. We had the beef and chicken shawarma sandwiches, and they were amazing. They were friendly and courteous. We also had an almond baklava and a pistachio baklava. Both were wonderful.
We definitely will be coming back next time we’re in The Loop!

I just adore this place. The owners are sweet and kind, and the falafel is amazing! Seriously. Every time I go there I think to myself, «It’s just falafel. How good could it be?» And then, once again, I’m blown away at how delicious it is. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s the best falafel I’ve ever had! It’s also a cheap and easy lunch on the go, when you don’t have time to make something at home. I keep telling myself I’ll try other items off the menu, but the falafel just keeps bringing me back!

I just moved to the neighborhood and wanted a quick lunch other than my usual places, like chipotle. This is definitely what I’d describe as a «hole in the wall», which some of the best food can come from. Once entering you see some hookahs on the shelves. a few tables and some grocery items for sale. The guy at the counter was very friendly. I got the falafel and it was FANTASTIC! I’m looking forward to eating here more and trying out more items in the menu. Outdoor seating would give this 5 stars from me.

I went here today with a friend for lunch as I had a
coupon I wanted to use.
I ordered the gyro with hummus and he had the hummus wrap ($ 3.99). They were both very good and reasonable. There is not much selection here as they seem to focus on what they do well.
I also like the selection of hookah pipes and tobacco available. There is room for about 10 – 15 people to sit inside this place.

I came here with a
gift certificate and LOVED this hole in the wall with yummy gyros and hummus! It’s a tiny little restaurant and you serve yourself with napkins, plastic utensils, and water, but the owner and staff were really friendly. At first we weren’t sure when to pay when we were ordering at the counter, but the owner told us, «Sit down. Eat first!» when we tried to pay first.
We ordered a lamb gyro, lamb and rice sandwich wrapped in pita, and a garlic hummus appetizer. The appetizer came with a huge dollop of hummus and about 7 – 8 slices of pita bread. The hummus was creamy and smooth and tangy – we had enough to take home too. I really liked my husband’s lamb gyro, which came with a soft chewy pita, creamy sauce, lettuce, and lamb. My lamb and rice pita bread sandwich reminds me of a burrito – it also had some creamy sauce, lettuce, onions, and slices of lamb. We contemplated getting some baklava but were too full after eating our 2 sandwiches and hummus plate.
The best part is that the whole menu is super affordable — each sandwich is $ 7 and the hummus plate was $ 4.50. A few people came in and got their food to go, and they have a front counter with options for takeout including some other meals, pies, and baklava. I’m glad we discovered this place and will be back when we’re craving gyros!

This place is still a solid 4 stars for me. I’ve come here countless times with the bf. I love their falafels, tabouli, garlic hummus, grape leaves, and beef shwarma.
I like buying a large variety of stuff and eating all the hot things for one meal and all the cold things or another. It works out great! The prices are reasonable, the people are friendly, and it’s super easy and convenient for me to come here.