Water Park Cafe

I stand by my previous review that this place has the best falafel in the area. I am updating to say that I accidentally ordered a full medames wrap today (a teeny miscommunication) and it’s amazing too! Like an Egyptian burrito. So good!

Amazing Egyptian food in a little Crystal City kiosk next to the waterpark, who’d have ever thought? I’d never heard of Koshary before but it’s apparently an Egyptian street food made of rice, lentils, chickpeas and macaroni topped with tomato sauce and fried onions with garlic and hot sauce. It’s a very unique tasty and filling meal for around $ 8. The fresh made baklava is also about the best I’ve ever had, it wasn’t too sweet and wasn’t too sticky either.
The service was VERY friendly and the owner treats you like an old friend even if it’s your first visit. He asked me how my meal was and told me to be sure and leave a Unilocal review. They’re only open seasonally since unlike the rest of us he’s smart enough to close for winter and remember there’s only outdoor seating so get it to go or delivery if the weather is subpar. Can’t believe it took me so long to try this place but it won’t take me too long to be back here.

So delicious for street food! This place wasn’t even on my radar until my fiancé and I were in the area and were hungry. We each ordered a Chicken Shawarma Wrap (broiled marinated chicken breast served in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and garlic sauce). Our sandwiches were juicy and heavenly and that garlic sauce was out of this world! We also got a side of hummus. Delicious! I am Middle Eastern and LOVED this place immensely! It felt so homey and was all kinds of wonderful. Even my fiancé (not Middle Eastern) could tell how magical this food was.

Purchased the chicken kabobs but the meat was tough and the meal was not as tasty as the chicken schwarma I can last time, bummer.

First time ordering delivery from this restaurant and WOW. The prices are very reasonable, the delivery was prompt and the driver was incredibly polite. Blown away with the freshness and execution of the food.
Being a native Detroiter I’ve been spoiled with the great Arabic food found in Dearborn and while the menu at Water park café isn’t the most expansive, this is the closest to the authentic shwarma and fattoush I fondly remember.
Highly recommended and I can’t wait to order from them again.

Great mom and pops shop right by a cute little park! View was very refreshing, and the whole experience of sitting outdoors by the park with good food was very tranquil. This was my first time in Crystal City, but would definitely come here again! Very nice prices, delicious food and great egyptian/​turkish style coffee!

At first glance, it looks like any park vendor with ice cream and sodas, but they actually serve some great, authentic Egyptian food here! It’s one of the few places in the DC-​metro area that serves koshary — a traditional Egyptian dish that you won’t find at the Middle Eastern restaurants in the area.
Don’t be fooled by another reviewer below, with whom I completely disagree — the koshary portion was quite large! I challenge anyone to eat it and tell me they’re still hungry.
I tried the koshary, ful medames, baklava, stuffed grape leaves AND stuffed cabbage leaves. Everything tasted like homemade goodness! I can’t wait to go back.
The owners were super friendly and generous. I wish they

Flavorful, inexpensive food in a great setting in waterfall park. We had a 3 hour layover at national and walked here for lunch rather than eat overpriced airport food. Best decision ever. The baklava, which I don’t normally eat because it’s often way too sweet, was delicious here.

Great lunch today!!!

Not recommended $ 8.25 Koshary for a small dish with no flavor, unlike the original. Too bad, I got so happy it said Egyptian food and it was an American Koshary lol. I knew before I went that this would happened. I «may“give them another chance and that’s all.

l like it.

What a great hide-​away. Nestled across the street from Morton’s steak house amongst the water falls, the sounds of the city don’t even make it to your ears.
The food choices were simple and priced well. They helped me choose what I would like and when I ordered the Egyptian coffee, they brought it to me as I wrapped up with my falafel. Both were delicious! To top it off, they brought me a desert for free since they could tell I was new there.
If you’re in the area, do stop by. Well worth it

This place is THE most unassuming, low key place. I have lived in this area multiple times and I would have NEVER thought this was anything but a snack bar from the looks of it. Thankfully, Unilocal steered me in the right direction.
I came here on a Sunday night when many of the Crystal City restaurants have closed up for the night. I pondered the menu for a while since everything sounded so appetizing and finally decided on the koshary to go. The food was reasonably priced ($ 6.95) and the service was great. The owner was very friendly and personable. He seemed happy to be there and pleased to serve me even though it was nearing closing time.
The most important part though was the food. It was fantastic. SO flavorful and filling! I will most certainly be back again and again!

A five minute walk from the hotel and I find the sounds of waterfalls and a delish little Egyptian café. I ordered the beef shawarma and some hummus. Shawarma was really tasty although I didn’t detect any sauce. Juicy tender meat and you can’t beat the price. My eyes were bigger than my stomach though. I only ate part of the hummus. Tomorrow I will return to try the coffee and baklava. And get some bread for the remainder of my hummus.
I will try most country’s hummuses. Lebanese is my favorite. Persian is good. This hummus tonight (if authenticity Egyptian) is very tasty but different than I’m used to.
Both items totaled $ 12. I’m stuffed and have leftovers. Night is gorgeous and warm enough to sit in the park. Nice.

Top notch. I’ve eaten here repeatedly.
Their shwarma is delicious, as is the falafel, and the hamburger. The food is fresh, prepared quickly, and inexpensive.
They even have a form of table service. The little building where they cook is right next to the Crystal City Water Park, and if you sit there, they will bring your food out to you.
It’s one of my favorite places in Crystal City. Go there. You will be glad you did.

Falafel wrap was flavorful and the best I’ve ever had. The Egyptian coffee was strong, smooth, and just sweet enough — easy to sip. The owner was very hospitable. Cozy environment though a bit close to the tracks (train). Very happy to have tried this place.

All I can say is: WOW! This is my new favorite spot. The food is amazing, generous in portions, so delectable. The seating by the water is relaxing, calm, and quaint. The owners are SO kind. I enjoyed chatting with them so much. They treated us like family. Thank you guys so much! Will be back very soon to try more of your delicious food!!! I had the lentil soup (the best I have EVER had), the baklava, which was gone in 2 seconds :-) and of course the KUSHARI!!!

Was out for a walk and noticed the sign on the sidewalk advertising Egyptian food. Being a Middle East food lover I had to stop and give it a try. I ordered the falafel wrap. Definitely the best falafel I have ever tasted! The wrap was so big I could not finish it. The prices are more than reasonable. I have paid much more for much less quality in other places. I grabbed a date maamoul to take home and have with coffee later. All I can say is YUM!!! While I was there the owner gave me a taste of his basbousa. It was wonderful! Can’t wait to go back and try the Egyptian coffee and a different dish.
The owner is so pleasant and nice, making the experience even better. The setting in the water park is very peaceful. Water falls, fountains, shady trees… Good place to bring a book, hang out, relax and enjoy some very good Egyptian food, dessert and coffee.
Note: He also sells other food items aside from Egyptian food but I highly suggest giving his authentic food a try. You will be happy you did! :-)

Finally made it to DC when they were open (they’re seasonal – April through October). WELL worth the wait! I’ve scoured the world looking for the best shawarma, and few measure up to this.
The thing that made this one stand out was the meat. I ordered the beef shawarma, and it was seasoned well and grilled up with a nice char while still remaining perfectly juicy. The sauce was light but a perfect balance to the flavor of the meat.
Also, the owner could not have been nicer. Great service with a smile. The setting is perfect, too – the park is so peaceful with the waterfall fountain and all the greenery surrounding.
Note there are really two schools of shawarma – Arabic and Jewish. In my experience, the Arabic ones (which I’ve had in Jordan as well as at Lebanese and Egyptian restaurants both here and overseas) use thinner laffa/​taboon bread and a thinner sauce, while Jewish shawarma uses a thicker hollowed-​out pita stuffed with a huge variety of ingredients and sauces mixed in with the meat. I do prefer the Jewish style (exemplified locally by Max’s Deli up in Wheaton), but this is bar none the best example of the Levantine Arabic-​style wrap I’ve found anywhere in the US! I give it four stars just because I do prefer the Jewish style, but if you like the thinner Arabic style, consider this a five-​star review!

*4.5 Stars* Their chicken shawarma is delicious! The flat bread is soft and chewy, the chicken is tender, and the sauce… my goodness, the SAUCE is so tasty. Just make sure to grab a handful of napkins. This sandwich wrap is drenched in an oil-​based garlic sauce that tastes amazing, but seriously gets everywhere. My coworker ordered the beef shawarma which had a yogurt sauce instead, and she didn’t enjoy hers as much as I enjoyed the chicken.
They also serve turkish coffee here *see pic.* The method in which they prepare it made the coffee really smooth. Theirs had a slight herbal taste to it and was very enjoyable to drink. I was completely wired afterwards too.
I usually bring my lunch to work, but I will gladly make an exception for the chicken shawarma any day!