Jerusalem’s

Absolutely delicious! I’ve passed this place several times and didn’t even know it. I’m so glad a friend recommended this place because it’s amazing! I had the vegetarian combination platter and enjoyed every bite. Will definitely be making this a regular on my restaurant list.

This was a fun look at something outside my comfort zone. I visited this place about 20 yrs ago before I knew anything about food. Fast forward to 2015 and I had just watched a couple of my cultural heroes, The Fung Bros giving an eval on Lebanese food here:
It got me totally hankering to eat something similar. Ok, I realize Jerusalem and Lebanon are essentially mortal enemies but the geographic area is close and the cuisine seems somewhat similar to my mid-​east ignorant palate. So, to Jerusalem’s I went.
Loved that it has its own little parking lot and the décor inside makes you feel like you are eating under a Arabic tent instead of in the middle of friggin’ frigid tundra like MN. However, what I really liked was the friendly service. I felt like it was run by a family (I think it is) who were welcoming me to their place to show off what they love about their culture. Other diners in the room seemed to be their own family members. We got a lot of tasty and I believe authentic food (it looked like what the Fung Bros were eating too) and had a fun nice time. I’m a little worried that the place was not crowded on a Saturday night (hint: support the heck out of this place all of you uptight hipster Minnesotans so that we don’t lose this type of cultural restaurant from our landscape!) and the Kibby and Shawarma that I had seemed a little dried out which I interpreted to mean that maybe they are not as busy as they could be and that they are holding food for service tomorrow. Regardless, it was tasty and cultural. I also found out that they have a lunch buffet so that might be worth checking out. I liked it for what they are bringing to MN. Perhaps they could improve upon the freshness of the food but really what I ate I enjoyed and I will be going back to give them the chance to earn another star. Check it out Minneapolis for a nice cultural break from meat and potatoes!

Friendly staff, the best falafel and tabbouli around. Plenty of parking and delish min tea. Love this place!

Two of us came mid-​afternoon to this small restaurant and were happy to find that the lunch menu/​specials were still in effect until 4pm. One of us ordered the combination plate and the other ordered the chef’s special combination.
I’ve never been a fan of falafel because they always seem so hard and dry, but after trying Jerusalem’s, which were soft and moist, I may be a convert. The hummus was wonderfully garlicky. Everything on our plates was delicious, and we should have taken a photo when we finished, because our plates were absolutely clean. We enjoyed everything. Great value for money.
We also enjoyed the servers, who were obviously not trained but seemed to be family members. As we left our tip, the server commented, «Awsome!». Definitely would go back.

We’ve been here a couple times and always very happy with the food. The sawirma dinner, hummus, falafel, fried potatoes, etc. were all very tasty. Even the little herbed spice flat-​bread strips (don’t know what they’re called) brought out as «table bread» were very flavorful. The waitress was friendly and filled the waters, maybe not as fast as some high-​$ places, but certainly fast enough for someone not looking to catch a flight. The prices were great, and the atmosphere was pleasant. We’ll definitely be back soon… and trying some of the good looking desserts next time.

Great prices, wonderful service, and great food. Will definitely be going back.
I’ve never had middle eastern food before, so I was unsure what to order. I asked my boyfriend, he helped a little. I had the Jericho salad, that was AMAZING, I did ask for the sauce of the side since I only like a little bit of sauce/​dressing on my salads. I ate it with more sauce than I usually put on salads, I ate it like that and in the pita bread, both ways were great. My boyfriend got the combination plate and he really enjoyed it.
The waitress had 6 total tables while we were in there and still gave us enough attention. I told my boyfriend, one thanks for not telling me what kind of restaurant we were going to, since I’d probably want him to choose another place. And second, next time we are around this part of Minneapolis, we should come back.

Ordered for the first time. Sadly disappointed. The pitas fell apart on the sandwiches. Ordered a salad — hardly any lettuce, mostly tomatoes and cucumbers, and it was DRENCHED in dressing. They were also very delayed in making the order. Good flavor in the beef and lamb, but would not order again.

SAL. and his FAMILY are BACK!
Thank goodness! I had to be honest with him and tell him that his uncle did a pretty rough job cooking while they vacationed in Jerusalem w family. Told him seasoning was very bland He informed me that 3 weeks before they returned to the U.S., his uncle learned he had a very serious illness, and thus w diminished spirit, his uncle let the restaurant slide. Sal was very upset. This restaurant and cooking are his soul.
Just had the large baba ganoush — fresh lemon. Not sharp. Subtle Vivid flavor of fresh parsley. Wonderful spices. Even kalamata olive flavor this time SO smooth. Perfect blend,
balance no one ingredient jumps out. The best Baba in Minnesota and Wisconsin
YUM. Just like Atlantic Ave Brooklyn 1975!
Jerusalem makes me long for old New York City when we had Sahadi trading’s large barrels of olives and downstairs on Atlantic Ave, a tiny bread maker who rolled out exquisite ¼ inch thick giant pieces of whole wheat bread super fresh — heavenly aroma. Manhattan has become too spotless wealthy and now more sterile. It has lost its grit and earthiness.
Today I am alone. 2 pm. A last minute oasis relaxing calm perfect Just had a huge rain, patio door open to to the Restsurant — lovely fresh air, Sun now out. Peaceful
I could slowly eat this baba EVERYday relaxing at home from a long day in shorts Tshirt watching TV. Yum so healthy Was going to bring most of it home to share. Oh well
Ah, My kofta dinner just arrived. Super hot (warm). Fresh kofta. (had only chicken but made some fresh beef. His great great seasoning is BACK! (thank goodness !!)

Changing my review from 5 stars to 4 stars. Why? Well, the restaurant now charges a 2 dollar ‘minimum wage increase fee’ on all bills. You could just be more sneaky and less ‘Republican’ and just increase my shwarma dinner platter price by .50 or something. You charge $ 1 for a small cup of olives and the waitress I always get is the OWNERS WIFE… Im pretty sure a right-​wing, living wage supporter punishment of $ 2 is not necessary. I still like the food but I am disappointed they have stooped to a low level due to the minimum wage increasing a small amount in Minnesota.

Sadly, I have to knock a couple stars off after my recent visit.
I came back last night with a friend of mine. We arrived at about 7:30pm, and the place was dead. 1 other table that I saw. We ordered almost immediately, but our food took a good half hour to arrive. By the time it came out, we were PRETTY hungry. We both ordered a shawarma platter, which comes with meat, rice, hummus and salad. The meat is supposed to be eaten inside a pita (or at least that’s how I’ve always eaten it), but the server didn’t drop it off with our food. She said «I’ll be right back with your pita», but didn’t come back for 15 – 20 minutes. We ate our food without the pita, because we were too hungry to wait. She completely forgot about our pitas, because she asked if we wanted our check before she brought them out, and I reminded her that we would still like some.
The food was still tasty as can be, I was just REALLY disappointed with the service this time. It wasn’t busy at all, so I’m not sure what the issue was. I’m afraid that maybe business is slipping for them too, because both us and the other table paid with a Groupon. :-(

So good! The zatar dusted pita crisps were a great start, the honey doused desserts and Turkish coffee sent me home satisfied. We shared a platter and got to sample tons of great food. The falafel were so moist (best I’ve had) and full of flavor, the hummus and baba ganous were so tasty. The place is intimate and everyone is so friendly-​I can’t wait to return.

Don’t do it.
I cook better Middle Eastern food and I am not even from that part of the world. Example: the tabbouleh was made up of tomatoes… so. many. tomatoes. and a dusting of parsley. To quote Ottolenghi who actually knows Middle Eastern food, «as is not always understood in the west, is all about parsley … this is essentially a parsley salad, not a bulgar salad.»
The falafel was laughable. Honestly, the pita bread was the only good thing.
Save your money and just make this food at home.

Best middle eastern food in MSP! Don’t let the location or look of the place discourage you from trying this gem, the food is amazing. The service is spotty when they get busy, but you go for the overall experience, so get over it! The staff are very friendly and proud of this food and it shows.
Everything is extremely fresh and has a twist on typical recipes because they are family recipes which makes the staff so excited to talk about the dishes. The falafel has a ton of flavor and is the perfect consistency which is no easy task. The fried eggplant is enough reason to go back and the kabobs, holy crap don’t get me started.
My favorite part of the meal? The home made zatar! If you haven’t experienced zatar you’re missing out, we keep a giant bag of it at home because it goes on everything! Their zatar recipe adds a toasted flavor that was unique and wonderful.
Don’t forget dessert when you visit, their home made baklava and custard are fantastic.
We can’t wait to go back,

I was out with my best friend last night and we were looking for a new, interesting restaurant to try. After a lot of Googling and searching for options we decided to give Jerusalem’s a shot.
When we pulled up to Jerusalem’s we honestly almost didn’t go in. It looked pretty run down from the outside, which made us nervous. In the end we did decide to go in and try it out, and we were so glad we did.
The dining room is small and cozy, and our server was kind and helpful. The service was a little on the slow side, which seems to be the norm after reading other Jerusalem’s reviews. Very oddly you have to walk through the middle of the somewhat sketchy looking kitchen to get to the bathroom. The bathroom was worse than most gas station bathrooms and I laughed to myself when I saw how it looked. The sink to wash your hands is actually in the back of the kitchen. Don’t let any of that get you down, though. Just go, take it all as part of the experience, and enjoy your time there!
The food was absolutely amazing. Let me say that again. It was amazing. It was truly one of my favorite meals in a long time. My friend and I shared a Mediterranean take on the eggroll, which also came with a dipping sauce, hummus, a tomato/​lettuce/​cucumber salad, and pita bread. We also shared a small plate of the baba ghanouj. We were groaning with delight, it was all so good.
For entrée’s my friend ordered the spinach pie, which came with a tabouli salad, hummus, and pita bread. She wasn’t a huge fan of the mint in the tabouli salad, but she loved the spinach pie. I ordered the falafel sandwich and it was delicious, not to mention a huge portion size. I probably shouldn’t have allowed myself to eat the whole thing because it was so big, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want waste one bite of it!
We finished off with dessert – baklava for my friend and a kataifi for me. Yum!
The whole dinner experience only cost us $ 45, which was nothing given how good the food was and the portion sizes. I can’t recommend this place enough! I will be back for sure!

I purchased a Groupon for Jerusalems and ordered online thru
. Upon arriving to pick up my food, I was informed that Groupons can’t be used for
orders…the hostess tried to convince me it was my fault because I did not call the restaurant to make sure it would be okay, when the Groupon automatically redirects you to the eatstreet website.
Aside from that, my food was cold, SUPER salty, and the appetizer combination platter was MAYBE 1oz each of baba ghanouj and hummus.
So now I’m out $ 25 plus what I paid for the Groupon and have some cold ass food.

Had the Sheik’s Delight (serves 2).
Delicious and would recommend!

It was an exceptional experience. The food, décor, environment, and service was amazing.
At first I was completely oblivious to everything that pertained to this restaurant. I went in and saw the menu without knowing 90% of the things on the menu. The waiter was especially helpful as I was unfamiliar with many of the terms on the menu as well as what I would have liked to have that evening. I asked specifically that I wanted a plate that was most authentic to the culture. She refereed me to the curries and to a few entrée’s that was suggested to represent the restaurant the best. I decided to go with her recommendation and I couldn’t be more happy.
I tried the combination appetizer which consisted of a variety of items that the waiter suggested would give me a general idea of the kind of food they would eat. There was a circular item that I believe was fried chick peas that came with 4 different sauces on the plate all having a similar taste but with their own unique taste to them and consistency. The plate also contained their salad with its own unique dressing as well as pita bread on the side.
For my entrée, I had their Jerusalem plate which included fried chick peas, pita bread, lamb, salad, a few other items similar to the chick peas that I don’t recall the name of, and a few other items that I can’t really describe. The plate was delicious and I especially loved the lamb. It was well seasoned, and it was very tender.
Overall I really like this place and I would recommend it to someone who would like to try something new.

I’ve been in this place a few times to eat. Every time I’ve been here, I’ve been satisfied. The food was great, and the servers were great. My favorite dish is the falafel. I’ve been there in the daytime and the night time. Both times of the day, I’ve been satisfied. I love that they let you smoke hookah in their deck. I also love that they have belly dancers perform there every once in a while.
From what I’ve observed, this place seems to pull a pretty good crowd. I will continue to go back there when I’m in the mood for Middle Eastern food.

We got a
coupon for Jerusalem’s. Those coupons are a great way to try places, especially places with mixed reviews. Jerusalem’s is definitely one of those (the buzz: great food, spotty service. But it’s near Eat Street, so maybe it’s worth a try.
On our way out of town, we made a late-​afternoon stop here for takeout. We chose the items for our to-​go feast, but when we presented our coupon, we were told «We don’t take those coupons for takeout.» I pointed out that this was not stated anywhere in the terms of the coupon or on the website. The server scampered away and The Manager appeared in her place. «Those coupons are only good for sit-​down eating.» I asked why this policy was not stated anywhere. «It’s not written, but we never take those coupons for takeout. Plus, you have to spend at least $ 50 to use the coupon.» I said, yes, we are planning to spend $ 50. (Um… $ 50 in restaurant food isn’t hard to achieve). He repeated that we couldn’t use the coupon unless we sat down and ate a meal. Then we left. And exchanged our coupon for a gift card on
. Never to return!
Let me get this straight. We tried to spend $ 50 at your restaurant (at a slow time of day when the joint was practically empty), but you WOULDN’T LET US. Interesting business model.

I have been back a few times since my last review and things are looking up! The food was even better than it was Pre-​Ci Era (my life before a child Era)…We had a Groupon for $ 40 so we went all out! Ci had this yogurt drink which I did not care for but she loved loved it!
For appetizers, we had hummus and Falafel and both were fresh and amazing! I could see the chef (owner) making the food so I know it was fresh. It takes a little longer but who cares! I would always rather have fresh and have it take a little while. I have always loved their hummus and I am picky about hummus.
Ci had the combination plate with Kibby and all sorts of things… I absolutely hate Kibby and I tasted it just to make sure and Yep, I still hate it but she loves it!
I had the Shawirma platter of course which is what I always get and it was great! We were the only people in the restaurant. I believe our server was the owner as well. The better half, the wife!
She was attentive and pleasant! The décor remains the same as it should. You feel like you truly are entering a tent in the middle east when you enter.
Come check it out! Its one of the last remaining original Middle Eastern restaurants left!