Yalla — Restaurant in Atlanta

I had high hopes for this place, and then I went there this weekend.

The food smelled amazing, lots of spices, I felt that this would be a great quick-serve option for Mediterranean / Middle eastern food.

So I'll cut the chase, the problems I had with this place. All the stuff they put into an item blends too many flavors all at once. Instead of distinct flavors, everything blends together. The shwarma option has probably 3 ingredients too many for my taste (hummus, baba ganoush, Israeli salad & pickles, fried eggplant, harissa, tahini, amba) . Also the item I ordered was dripping oil, I don't think it was from the meat, I think one of the ingredients they added wasn't drained well before.

Pricey and portion size. I ordered the laffa which is a flat bread rolled into a burrito-esque shape. $15, too much food for one person.

Service - This is where I really felt like they fell down. The close at 9pm on a Friday....just let that one sink in for a second. I was the last order. You order first and then pay when the food is ready. I sat and watched my cashier walk over and start making her food while my food was sitting ready for me to pay. I didn't say anything because I wanted to see how long it would be before she decided to actually do her job. She was so intent on filling her laffa up with all the leftover meats that were just cooked, she didn't care to come over. In fact when some desperate customers walked by and asked if they could order the scraps, she looked up said no and continued to make her food. Only until after she was done did she come over and take my money.

I grew up in a restaurant, and know a little bit about food service. My impression is that this place was started by someone with a vision but they hired people who don't...

I really enjoyed the food here and really had a hard time deciding what I was going to eat. There were so many wonderful dishes on their menu and all reasonable priced. There was a few items on the menu that I was unsure of and wished that the staff would have been a little more helpful with making suggestions as they saw me stand and stare at their menu for 5 minutes (Okay. So I exaggerated a little). But for real.... I did have to Google a few items.

Anyhoo... the food was delicious. The eggplant was everything. I love how it was prepared and how it was integrated with the other ingredients to make a dish. I order the Sabich, which cost $8. I ordered it with the pita bread but I do wish I had ordered the laffa being that they give three options of how the dish can be served: Pita, laffa, and as a bowl. Unfortunately I was very indecisive and could not figure out what I wanted to eat and felt as if I was holding the line up so I decided to go with what I knew.

Great tasting food. Definitely...

I have been to Krog Street Market many times and always went to the other vendors because I didn't want to miss out on all of their goodies. Turns out I was missing all along!

I finally tried Yalla when, restricted by the whole30 diet, I had to find an option that would be compliant with the rules. I got the chicken shawarma bowl without the hummus, and it was some of the best street food / fast food I've ever had. The meet was incredibly tender, the fried eggplants reminded me of my favorite fried green tomatoes, and the baba ghanouj was perfect. The staff, too, was friendly, and I appreciated the girl running the cash register and how helpful she was with all of my ingredient questions.

The food here was absolutely delicious, and I can't wait to go back! Don't miss out like I did! Yalla is my top place for dinner in KSM, now that I've...