Jerusalem Grill & Deli — Restaurant in Brandon

They are back and even BETTER!! Like most folks reviewing, we knew them when they opened up on Kings Av in Brandon, and we have been Facebook stalking this restaurant for months! I had the lamb chops and my wife had a gyro. The entrees were perfect. My chops were done exactly medium rare and barely seasoned, so I could appreciate the fire grilled taste of the meat. Friggin amazing. My wife had a gyro, but even that was huge and stuffed with meat and veggies.

But the true magic was everything else! We started with lamb stuffed grape leaves. These had an excellent flavor and I could have made a meal just with these! I'm so glad I didn't....The tabbouleh came in a HUGE dish, just like the hummus - and both of these have the unmistakable taste of being freshly made that day. They also have a garlic sauce that my wife puts on EVERYTHING! She swears it's the best she has ever had. Even the rice and the grilled veggies were remarkable because they were perfectly seasoned. The grilled vegetables looked like they might have been overcooked, but when I bit in, I was pleasantly surprised they were not! Again, these were very fresh, still crisp and full of flavor. I have no idea how they do everything so well, but we could not be happier that they are open in this new restaurant. We had takeout, but while we were waiting I watched while plates were filled and set up with artistry and care that should make the owner very proud. We were welcomed like old friends from the minute we walked in the door! Any questions we had were quickly answered by the family who work in every aspect of this business. They immediately made us feel at home. From the beautiful way this place is decorated, to the perfectly seasoned food, I just can't say enough good things about Jerusalem...

It's all true! This is the kind family that would always offer samples of their wonderful food inside the Al Madina grocery store. Everything they cooked was made with love, and then I found out they were no longer there. They now have their own restaurant. I'm so happy for them! What's even better is that it's now in my neighborhood in Valrico (at Plaza Bella on Bloomingdale Avenue). Yay! It can't get better than this.

The food was just as wonderful today. Actually, it was even better. The dining area is much larger with lots of booth seating. The kitchen is spacious and open. The décor is on point with displays of different items for purchase such as Alameed Coffee and local pita bread from Ramallah Market Bakery. It all looks great!

Anyone who lives here locally knows about their amazing chimichurri sauce. You can't go wrong ordering anything with that sauce. The Hummus & Baba Ghannouj are so full of flavor. The taste of the grilled meats (no matter what you get) is delightful. I tried their Lebanese garlic yogurt dip, and I couldn't resist adding it to my Chicken Shawarma. It was all great, and with huge portions of meat.

As I was finishing up my meal, one of the owners came by with a sample of her freshly made cashew baklawa. It was heavenly! I ended up getting 6 more to take home with me (3 cashew and 3 pistachio). My husband already wants more. He especially loved the cashew one, but I love them both. They have a whole case full of desserts. Oh, and they are going to add Kunafa soon. What a treat!

I can't wait to go back with my husband. There's really no excuse not to go since it's so close to home. Check it out if...

Wow wow WOOOWWWW!!!! When I tell you this spot is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS... I mean it ! My brother recommended that we swing by and try out this gorgeous place-that we have of course been meaning to try- and are we glad we did! The space is stunning, clean, and peaceful. Service is AMAZING! You can tell everyone who works here really love people and are so kind! The owners past by and greeted us, checked in on us throughout our meal and had sweet, caring, short conversations. Everything we tried was truthfully so delicious! The meats were perfectly seasoned and cooked- THEY WERE SOO JUICY!!! everything tasted FRESH! The soup was so good, mint lemonade so refreshing, and don't even get me started on the spreads/dips!! The hummus took me back to my trip to Jerusalem where I had the best hummus my full 2 week stay, and haven't found any hummus that compared... until now! We got the hummus with the spice topping and it was SOO delish! The tomato dip was AMAZING too! Pita bread was freshhhh! I can go on and on! To finish, we ordered some pistachio baklava and Arabic coffee... yum yum and YUM! All in all, we both would recommend this place 100% to anyone and everyone, and as a matter of a fact, we called our parents as we were eating to tell them about this place and they were already on there way to eat here after we left If you want to come eat amazing food served by loving and caring people, this is the place for you! We will always miss our Sweeties Delights, but we are sooo glad to have Jerusalem Grill and Deli as a store front...