Marina Grill and Deli

I’ve been going here for years, and pretty much ordering the same thing — off the sandwich menu. The sandwich menu items have always come with fries, but today the owner said fries are an extra $ 1.50. Boo. Be warned.

Ordered the chef platter which came with 2 beef kofta kebabs, about 20 small pieces of gyro meat (which was not dry or lacking flavor as stated in one of the reviews below), and about 6 small cubes of chicken marinated in mild spices with onions and bell peppers, along with yellow rice, hummus, bread, and salad. It sounds like a lot of food but with a mild to moderate appetite, it is easy to finish. I would have given it more stars but the atmosphere of this place is just average and prices are more expensive than what we pay for the same type of meal with more meat in Chicago.

Bathroom reminiscent of a Tijuana bus station… Pubes, white stuff, shit stains, TP all over, toilet seat up… And this was the women’s restroom. Had a horrible in-​dining fantasy of the open-​air kitchen being as dirty as the bathroom (OMG does dude have stuff on his hands… errr), and couldn’t finish my dry gyro combo. Went here based on Unilocal reviews. Clean up that mah’fahkin’ bathroom and give those sandpaper gyros some flavor already. Additional star awarded for decent rice.

Food went downhill from 4 star to 1 star. The place is not the cleanest. I saw the cook was sneezing into the food without even covering his mouth. The owner doesn’t seem very friendly either. Overall not a place worth going anymore.

buffet is awesome! Price good. Service good. Lemonade and mango drinks are not interesting. The food is worth finding this place. All on buffet is very good. Hard to be on a diet with places like this around. Great service and wonderful staff.

Wow. Extremely delicious food and extremely friendly staff. Will definitely be back. Don’t miss the tea with mint after a great meal

Hands down one of the best restaurants in the twin cities. Don’t let the simple exterior fool you, this place is fantastic.
Came in for the dinner buffet ($ 13.99) and thankfully brought my appetite. So many options, all fresh and delicious. Several types of salad, soups, and a variety of chicken, beef, fish, and lamb dishes. Several cooked vegetable options as well.
The lamb shank, roasted chicken, samosas, kabobs, and barbecue beef tips were out of this world.
Staff was incredibly friendly and warm and were constantly replacing the food on the buffet to ensure freshness and cleanliness.
A variety of traditional Egyptian/​middle eastern desserts were available as well.
Delicious mint tea was brought to our table afterwards. Will definitely be back and would strongly recommend you give it a try.

Small, simple, and one of the best buffets. Vegetarians and meatlovers will love this place. And don’t declined the hot tea at the end of your meal (it’s spiked with fresh mint!).

Marina deli is reliably good. The food is always tasty especially if you stick with the menu items they are known for (falafel, hummus, gyro, etc). I would not recommend straying from there though.
I go here fairly regularly for lunch and I’m always satisfied. I highly recommend the falafel it is very good and made fresh. Their hummus is also really tasty!
I’ve done the buffet a couple times and while I love being able to get bits of many different items and customize my meal, it’s definitely over priced. Which is one reason I am not rating them higher. Their prices overall are a little high.
Also, I’m always so surprised when I see restaurants still using styrofoam and this place uses it for to-​go as well as for their beverages. It’s 2015! There are so many other options out there.
All that being said, this remains a staple for me as a regular lunch spot and I’ll keep coming back for that hummus! Yum!

The food here is so good. Authentic, fresh ingredients, friendly and smiling staff, quick service for everything as it’s made to order. I can’t say enough great things. In a sea of hipster-​yuppified trendy northeast restaurants, this place is truly the place to come for nonpretentious, affordable and delicious food. One of the dinner meals is enough for two meals. My oasis in northeast.

This restaurant is a hidden gem in the TC! Gyros are delicious, probably the best I’ve had in my life. Try the Swiss mushroom gyro, unforgettable! Better yet, order to go and take it with you to one of the local breweries. Lots of food for a good price.

If I want good greek food, I go to Marina.
The gas station coolers against the wall of the restaurant space are awkward and uninviting.

I visited this place and got the Swiss mushroom burger, a salad (in lieu of the fries), and three pieces of chicken kabab. The burger was large and surprisingly good given that the patty seemed like it came out of a factory rather than something crafted in the store. The salad was a mix of shredded lettuce, ricotta, and tiny pieces of tomatoes and cucumbers with a sauce I couldn’t identify. It didn’t look like much but tasted okay. The chicken kababs were flat and thin with grill marks. They tasted okay but I wouldn’t order them again as the meat was too gray for my liking. Overall the place was clean and well-​lit. The cashier /​manager was friendly but in noticing him pick his nose a couple times after I ordered, I’m not sure I’ll be returning.

This place looks like an old corner store converted to an eatery. I opted for the dinner buffet, for about $ 15 including tax. Good selection of meats, salads, sides, and desserts. Lamb shank is available here, and bbq beef ribs (never seen that at a Mediterranean place). Gyro meat was good but a bit salty.
Pay first and seat yourself. Make as many rounds as you want, and clean up your tray when done. During the time I was there, no one approached me offering service, which was perfect for what I was looking for tonight.

We’ve lived about 10 minutes from this place for 4 YEARS now, and I still can’t believe no one bothered to tell us about this restaurant. What a gem!
We’ve gone twice now, both times for the buffet. Such a huge variety of foods, all REALLY good, and for a ridiculously low price.
In particular — and I know this is a weird thing to single out — the hummus is amazing. Truly, I could order a vat of that and be a happy camper. It’s the best I’ve had since moving to Minneapolis from Toronto (where there is great hummus EVERYWHERE!).
Can’t recommend this place highly enough. Will definitely be back!

Three of us ordered the delicious Family Platter for 2, and it was more than we could finish. The buffet also looked tasty.

Absolutely delicious! I tried it for the first time and everyone in the family was happy– kid-​friendly options, lots of vegetarian options, something for the meat lover, etc. Staff were very friendly and clear the plates right away so you can get more food.
Love this place, will be going back!

Very rarely does a place remind me so much of my home state Florida. Prior to going I checked out the menu on line and was not happy that I was going to have to make a single decision. Upon arriving I scoped out the buffet and to my pleasure the variety was more than vast. Restaurant clean with a great ambiance and the staff a pleasure and polite. So very happy to have found this great place and I will be heading back very soon!

Marina offers halal Mediterranean cuisine along with a service which is par excellence and prices that are a bargain considering the value you get in return.
I have visited this restaurant regularly for the past 10 years, at no occasion have I been disappointed by the freshness of the food or the quality of the service. It is truly a cultural and culinary experience.
Furthermore during Ramadan, the whole place bursts in to this festive spirit during Iftar (Breaking Fast) time and yes I have seen many other local Minnesotans join in the festivities here.
You can also request a complimentary Tea at the end of your meal which helps with digestion.
There is a parking lot which on most days has parking available.
The bathrooms could be a little cleaner but with the amount of traffic that they have, I can only imagine the difficulty of maintaining that but still wanted to lay down as a feed back.

Huge buffet with so much stuff you’d better unbutton your pants and stay awhile. There are many, many options to go with here, so it’s a bit of a scattershot proposition. The gyro meat is pretty tasty but not unlike other places. I found the kofta kabob swimming in oil and although it was a bit drippy it was very good, especially with some hummus. Everything is set out in a big spread: pastries, pita, baklava, bread, etc. It’s like a big ol’ picnic. They have chicken drumsticks, shrimp, fish, ribs, mashed potatoes, green beans, rice, and a bunch of other stuff. Then you have your tabouli, hummus, fruit, soups, etc. It’s all kind of overwhelming. I think next time I’ll order something off the menu but the buffet is very impressive. Not all of it is the most fresh or quality food, but in sheer abundance you can’t go wrong. I did find the falafel to be a bit small and dry.
After a spell I just had to cut myself off from the buffet and stare up at the soccer game on a large TV. That and gaze at the coolers filled with various drinks, which made me feel I was in a gas station (I know, it used to be one). The one thing I wasn’t fond of was that they have you use styrofoam-​ish plates and bowls, when perhaps it’d be better to just have real dishes. I didn’t want to be unsanitary and bring my dirty plate back up to the buffet, but the result was I felt guilty for using several plates and bowls. This place is definitely unique and intriguing.