Petra Grill — Restaurant in Fort Collins

I used to be a frequent customer at Petra grill. I've lived in the Middle East for 19 years, so I know what good Arab food is supposed to taste like. And Petra grill is good, for Fort Collins standards (which may not be that high). In any case, the reason I've decided to review them is because over the last few times I've visited, the food has taken an incredibly long time to come out. The server is not very attentive to the needs of the customer. The last time I went to Petra, will remain the last time. And sadly, I refused to eat their food. I was there with my young family for an hour, and people who came a long time after us got their food before we saw ours. I say 'saw ours' because I told them to keep the food and demanded a refund (which they thankfully gave me). We even knew what we wanted to order, didn't look at the menu and ordered as soon as the server came to our table. This kind of service is unacceptable. They are taking advantage of the fact that they are the only decent middle eastern restaurant in town. Just for the record, what we ordered should normally only take 10 mins (the reason we went there in the first place as dining with little kids can sometimes be a challenge). We ordered a chicken shawarma, a beef shawarma, an order of hummus, and an order of french fries. 45 mins into our time there I asked for the french fries and the server said, " it's in the oil"....really??? French fries in the oil takes 2 minutes to get ready - unless you had to chase down the Idaho Potatoes semi truck and buy your potatoes and bring it back to the kitchen, get your julienne cutter out and then heat the oil before you cook them for 2 mins (I'm pretty sure they just use a frozen bag of fries). As we were walking out, the server brought our food out, but an hour in and after multiple conversations with the server, and after watching others get their far more complex orders, I frankly didn't have an appetite anymore. For anyone curious about how long a shawarma wrap should take to make, just go to YouTube and search for Shawarma street food ... It takes 2-3 mins tops. So, I'm sorry to say, but this is...

We had high hopes for this place, as it seemed popular. Upon arrival, we noted that the staff were not present to greet guests, and the restaurant was empty save for one guest waiting for an order to take out. A staff member did eventually appear and advised us that we could sit wherever we would like.

Shortly after sitting, we were presented with menus and not asked anything by the staff. Another couple eventually arrived and seated themselves nearby. It was at this point that water was brought to both tables, with the other table asking for hummus.

I noted that a server wearing a white shirt then walked right past our table to the other and asked them if they were ready to order. This individual walked right past our table (again) without a word. Another server wearing a black shirt came out with straws and utensils for both tables but said nothing to us.

This same server brought out the other table's hummus and was about to walk past our table again when my wife finally got his attention by asking him if we could put in our order. He took our order and walked away, at which point I stepped away. While I was gone, the two aforementioned servers were having a conversation in another language and kept looking pointedly at my wife and laughing. This gave a really bad vibe, which resulted in our deciding to go elsewhere for our dinner.

It's too bad, we really wanted to like this place but the service was just not...

UPDATE - DEC 2025 - We have been several times over the last 3 years and it has never disappointed. This is owned and managed by a family from Jordan and they have always been friendly to us. The food has always been great and it is worth going to the west side of Ft. Collins just to eat here. I wish my older bones could do the more traditional seating on the raised floor area like they do in the Middle East, but maybe one day. The quality of the lamb is fantastic and it has always been served piping hot. This last time we tried some appetizers and they were super tasty.

My wife and I just celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary. The trip to Petra Grill was a planned event. For a couple of appetizers, some mint lemonade, and two lamb dinners (one shawarma and a lamb shank) and a tip, the total came to right under $100. Definitely an expensive meal, but for special occasions, this one is worth the price. We have lived overseas and gone to other Mediterranean & Middle Eastern style restaurants, but this is probably the best. The ambience was great, not busy, and the service was also fantastic.

Our waiter was a son of the owner who is from Jordan and very friendly. If you want a classy, quality meal, go for a visit. The portions were large, the mint lemonade was freshly made, and did I mention the mint...