Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh — Restaurant in Ames

I was excited for this food but it was very disappointing. We ordered stuffed pitas and chose a lot of great sounding filling options. Hummus, mushrooms, sautéed veggies, eggplant spread, the works. I was expecting a hearty sandwich bursting with all these wonderful ingredient choices. What I got was a thin baby pita with very little filling. It was barely a snack amount of food because it had such meager contents. I couldn't even tell if the hummus was in there at all. I opened it to start eating and I felt like, is this a joke? The ordering line was chaotic and it was hard to tell if the staff member was paying attention to the order and filling it correctly so I'm not sure what all ended up inside the pita. It didn't look or taste like it was stuffed with all the yummy stuff I ordered. The menu has a lot of good choices but the price for the food value we got was a total fail, and the sandwiches didn't taste enjoyable at all. We enjoy vegetarian pita sandwiches like this at other places, including a wonderful local place right down the street. So, the meatless option definitely isn't the problem. They just don't put enough food inside the pita, and the pita is small. The fries at least were good and fresh tasting. The national menu shows a plate option, and I think this could be a better way to get a decent amount of food for your money. But the local online menu didn't show a plate option. So I can't recommend this place to anybody on a budget unless you're just looking...

Nice looking store. We went looking for the Simple Greek. It is not on the sign or anywhere in sight. Instead there is Garbanzo Med Fresh. Great interior with gorgeous signage in and out.

We ordered traditional gyros. Since we have a history with the Greek community in another state, we looked forward to a great gyro/pita hand held. We were disappointed. The distinct gyro taste of lamb/beef was hard to discern. The sandwich was heavy on cucumbers. Most of the meat was not hot. The sauce had way too much dill...not a traditional taste. It was off.

In addition, the review here give the restaurant a $ on cost. There are no meals under $11. Everything is more. Plus there is not service, yet they ask for a tip at the counter. That's bad form in my book. The store looks great, the service was good for a 'stand at the counter and order your own food kind of like a subway'. But both of our gyros were off. And I felt light on the portion of meat.

I suggest the manager/owner rethink their recipe for a traditional gyro. It would not induce me to ever return. And meat should be served piping hot, not lukewarm to cold. This store has great potential in my opinion and I am rooting for them to get the...

Low rating due to value of food. Spent $18 on a pita, fries, and soda. Food was good quality, but I have been to other places around that have as good of quality for about half or 2/3 that. What really struck me was the size of the fries. They had some Tractor soda. Wasn't good/wasn't bad. I guess it was different, but seemed to be different to be different. I like to try new things, but different doesn't necessarily equate to good.

Anyway, $18 seemed to be awfully high for lunch. Maybe I am living 20 years ago, but I feel I have gotten more value other places.

Restaurant was clean, just one of those 'industrial' styling with not much personality.

I would go back if someone else is...