Ya Hala

The service has always been a bit of a miss here, but now the food seems to be in declination now as well. What was once my favorite place to get a vegetarian combo, is now just a sad little slim plate missing ingredients and that kick it used to have. The meats are not cooked or seasoned very well, either. I feel loyal so I will stick with a solid three stars, for now.

Great food. Love going to this place! The waiters could be a little more attentive, but other than that it’s awesome.

Great hummus. The shrimp scampi brings me back though. Not something I would have associated with middle eastern.

Best hummus ever.
That said, everything else seems kind of hit or miss. But there are enough hits to keep me coming back time and time again, especially because I live 4 minutes away.
One of the «hits» is the chicken kebab dinner — SO GOOD. However, every time I walk in and order it to go, it takes about 30 minutes to get my food. The other night, I called ahead of time, knowing that they take a long time to prepare the dish. When I got there, the restaurant was totally empty, and I could hear that nothing was cooking on the grill. The cashier said to me «it’s going to be about another ten minutes.» 30 minutes later, I got my chicken kebab dinner to go. Yikes.

This place was a dirty, small hole-​in-​the-​wall dive. That said the food was good and the prices were right. I will go back.

Do not eat here, not only is the service horrible the food is not good. I trid the gryo plate. The gryo meat tasted like hot dogs, the rice tasted like a plain package from the store. Not going back. the salad was lettuce and tomatos

Horrible food. Overpriced. I got sick.
In addition to being bland and overpriced, the food also kind of looks gross, as though it weren’t fresh.

I really like this place. It’s a total hole-​in-​the-​wall (complete with some dude selling sun glasses out front), mom and pop kind of place but that’s what I love about it. The services is always super friendly and you feel like you’re stopping in to have your friend’s parents cook you a meal.
I feel like Ya Hala takes care of me.
Oh, and the lunch special is only $ 5 and make great take out.

From the outside it looks a little sketchy, but I went with a friend while feeling adventurous. We showed up late and it looked like they had started to close a little early so we took our food to go. We ordered a lamb schwarma, a felafel dish and the baklava. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast the food came out and when we brought it home it was delicious! Everything was tasted great, but we agreed the falafel was something special.
I can’t give it a ⁵⁄₅ since I didn’t get a chance to check out the dining area and service. But based on the food alone, I’d highly recommend giving it a shot.

I have dreams about the hummus. No kidding. It is the BOMB! (how do they make it so creamy??)
I have tried several dishes (and all the deserts) — and they were all really good. This after eating Middle Eastern in The Village (which was the best. ever.) But Ya Hala is comparable. Very hot, fresh.
Ok, I admit I have a hard time dealing with the non-​cleanliness of the place. But hey, I’m from the east coast and most of the best places back there are just holes-​in-​the-​walls. Just don’t eat there. Get it to go. Make sure you call 20 min ahead of time at least. Oh, and don’t forget the hummus. Omg the hummus. Dang, now I want that hummus…

Not sure why this place gets so many low reviews. The food here is some of the best Middle Eastern food you can find in Denver. I’ve not found a better Baba ganoush and baklava anywhere. The service sometimes is pretty slow on the uptake and they’re bad about giving you refills, but the food always comes out pretty fast and that’s what’s important.

Maybe this place seems to be a little «Hit and Miss» overall– but Ya Hala was a Big Hit for myself on my first visit last week.
I met up with local Denver Unilocaling Legend Stephen K. for lunch last Friday afternoon.
(see his review for all the awesome details–
)
As mentioned in many reviews the service was slow– but I must mention it is more of a cultural thing– make the time to actually sit down and ENJOY your experience at Ya Hala people!
and on to the food:
AMAZING! I’m usually «not a fan» of Middle Eastern Cuisine (having mostly eaten at Jerusalem)
I inquired what would be the best menu option for me to try with the most protein and our friendly/​efficient server suggested the Mixed Grill entrée which included one Skewered Chicken (which was some of the most flavorful and juicy Chicken I’ve had), and also one each of Shish and Kafta Kabobs served with a generous amount of fragrant saffron rice and rich smooth creamy hummus.
All in all= a filling and healthy lunch.
My only regret would have to be that they were out of Turkish Coffee on my first visit (sad face) — however I will make sure to make time for another relaxing lunch sometime soon.

Was here with Terry L yesterday for a late lunch. Still amazed this place only has 2 ½ stars for an average. I found out some things that could account for that…
Came in and were promptly seated. The overall feeling I had from this place before was «really good Middle Eastern food, but be prepared to wait 45 – 90 mins for it». That wasn’t the case this time. Our waitress asked us what we’d like to start with, and we ordered creamy, creamy, dreamy hummus… pardon me, but it was really (censored) good. Somewhat sweetish, but sooo smooth, I had to wonder if they made it in a bowl with beaters the way Japanese swordscrafters made katana blades: by folding it over and over 1000 times. Or more. Either way, for hummus it was exceptional.
Both of us ordered the «Mixed Grill Entrée», with skewered chicken, shish and kafta kabobs. All 3 were really good, and the chicken one was exceptional we both thought; all moist and flavorful with grill aftertaste all over it. (That tastes better than it sounds.) We also got a generous helping of pita bread and hummus — just what we’d had as an appetizer, so be forewarned if you try this path :) — and house salad. The saffron rice was really soft and tender, and just fragrant enough — not too little, not too much.
Terry had to take off, so I «grilled» the waitress (part of the family that runs this place): why did service here used to be so bad? Not that directly, but that’s the answer I was angling towards. Turns out, as in many businesses or restaurants, there were a few bad employees that were doing things like stealing food, giving food away free to «their friends» when they came in, and that kind of thing — on top of those things, they were some of the people cooking in the kitchen, and they dragged their feet pretty often. Those people have since been shown the door, and it shows — service was VASTLY improved here from the last time I was here, around a year ago. Also heard a lovely story that a woman from «Google+» called, apparently, to tell her that a lot of the neighboring restaurants in what I like to call «Middle Eastern Row» (from Evans south for a few blocks along the east side of S Colorado Blvd) were leaving fake reviews and bad reviews on Google, a-​plenty, about this place. Why??? People can be so freakin’ petty. The woman who called the restauranteur wasn’t going to do so, except for a streak, apparently, there had been so many, she felt a moral obligation to do so. *Interesting story*. (I wonder if any of those negative reviewers have reviewed here?)
I caved in at the last second and bought a «ma’amoul», which is a «shortbread cookie filled with dates», popular in Levantine cuisine and in the Gulf countries. It was interesting, but not addictive, I think.
Overall, I think this place has gotten a bad rap, somehow… maybe it was the glaring «Best Middle Eastren (that’s right, *ren*) Food In Westword 2008» or whatever was out front that angered the other Middle Eastern eateries nearby. I don’t know. All I know is, they seem to have cleaned up their service issue, and the food, as always here, is outstanding. (I busted up laughing when the word «Jerusalem» came up and another patron sitting nearby said «Oh, Jerusalem makes *horrrrrrrrrrrible* food». Laughs for the win!) I’m happy I gave the place another try. They also make great gyro sandwiches, and have a lunch special of gyro sandwich, fries and a drink for $ 6 — not a bad deal at all. (A few pics uploaded.)

I would come just for the hummus, but they do well in all the areas that count. I also really love the dolma, and the shawarmas are good.
The place feels like a total dive, but that is part of the appeal, I think they might have gotten all of their decorations from Family Dollar, and they definitely have my shower curtain (majestic dolphins) as a wall decoration. Still, its the food and service that count, and they get those right.

Being Middle Eastern I though I would finally try this place out after driving by so many times. First off, there is take-​out or waiter service in the dining room. No counter service where you can eat a table without being waited on.
The place is a real dive, very outdated and old booths, poor lighting and lame décor. The lentil soup was great, I recommend it. For those commenting on how great the pita is, I think it is the same pita you can get at Sunflower Markets just heated up.
I got the beef shwarma plate. It was nothing special and didn’t taste authentic to me. Real shwarma is sliced off a rotisserie right before being served. The menu says it has a garlic rub and it was a little tough and aside from the garlic, not very seasoned. The plate is half rice and half meat. It also comes with a couple of pitas and hummus. It was filling but nothing special. Since you have to be waited on to dine-​in it ended up being about $ 15 for the meal.
I would consider trying it 1 more time and getting something else but I am still looking for other Middle Eastern restaurants.

I can’t say I’m well-​versed in the Middle Eastern cuisine, but after this meal, I can definitely say I shouldn’t base my past experiences on my distaste for the food. This meal was a game changer. First I got a salad and hummus/​bread. The salad was sub-​par, it was bottom end lettuce with vinegar. The Hummus was awesome, I just wanted more!
The actual meal of Beef shawarma was initially my approach at a ‘safe choice’… basically beef and rice. The portion was huge though, and was mixed quite nicely. I can see myself ordering that again!
The thing I need to not order again is «Vimto» (which is a drink), it tasted like slushy syrup. Very sweet. I think a soda or just water would be a better choice for next time. Yes, I will be back for a «next time»!
Oh, and I enjoyed the cultural music they had on the TV’s. Really set up a well-​rounded experience.

If you are up for navigating a sketchy exterior and somewhat dingy décor upon entrance (that reminds one a touch of Disney’s Aladdin on a Dollar Store Budget) you will be rewarded with delicious food…
The flavor packed lentil soup is the best I’ve had, the hummus is delish and the pitas (at least those I have had) are always fresh. The chicken kabobs are always moist and well-​seasoned, and while the rice pilaf is heaped upon dinner plates with a little too much gusto (I am not sure it is humanly possible to eat that much rice in 1 sitting) it has a good flavor.
The service is worth note. I believe glacial is the best description. Do not stop here if you are in a hurry! I have to confess at I may occasionally be overgenerous in my ratings, the service here definitely causes the bump from a solid 4 to a 3.
In sum, if you’re not scared of a little grit, you love good food at a good price and you have some time to kill, this is your place.

I work just a block from here and I (heart) the garlic dip… especially since it works to keep everyone away from desk when I come back from lunch. :)
The place is a bit of a dive, but the food is good. As noted in other reviews, the service is seriously lacking.

The garlic dip and hummus were soooo good. My kebab was pretty good. One member of our party said it was the best mediterranean he’d ever had.
+4 for the food.
–2 for the shitty service, general dirtiness and tea that tasted like poison.
+1 for the FREE REESE’S PIECES.
FYI — The little candy machine by the door wouldn’t take my quarter but every time I turned it, it gave me another handful of Reese’s Pieces. Hehe.

Sucks