Alwadi — Restaurant in Houston

Went there after looking at Google Maps to find a new lunch place to eat. Saw the high ratings and menu and decided top try. The place was small, clean and had a dine-in option (increasingly valuable during the covid19-dont-want-to-eat-in-my-car/office period). The staff were friendly and the food was reasonable after being recommended the gyro (but not great compared to other gyros in Houston), But be warned, the reasonable pricing given in the Google menu are no longer valid! They have increased prices across the board! You can spend close to 13 bucks for a small sandwich, fries and drink! Outrageous! In my view, all factors considered, they have outpriced themselves although I am not sure why. Walk 50 feet in either direction from the shop and you have delicious alternatives for far less money and better "bang for your buck". This is a shame since I wanted to have a regular lunch place to eat. So unless you really, really, REALLY want a kebab or gyro and not willing to travel far from the area, then...

Alwadi itself from the outside is welcoming, except the lock doors and do not keep anythingin your car signs. The staff was friendly when entering. The inside appears to resemble the days post covid where things are in disarray. The seating is prime example, but it gets the job done. Food was semi-good, as expected. I could not deviate from the menu no matter how hard I tried. The Tony Gyro is just that and the chicken shawarma is that too. Asking for a chicken gyro is a shawarma with ranch on the side..... not on the menu and saying that is what you want will only lead to disappointment when you get your food. Go enjoy the menu, just be prepared not to deviate because they just will not get it. The others I was with will not return though we are often very close and could frequent. I probably will not...

I had just gyro sandwich (no combo or sides) so my rating is just for the sandwich, service and atmosphere. Service was fast but half the tables had the chairs overturned on top of them in the middle of lunch service; to me this is very lazy and detracts from the atmosphere a bit.

The gyro was not large and the meat was not grilled to give a crispy texture though it was moist and not dry. The pita had been grilled and was so hit that it stuck to the butcher paper inside the foil causing me to have to rip the sandwich apart. The garlic sauce, thuum (which came on the side) was very good but the taziky in the gyro could use more cucumber (it had very little).

I would come back if I was staying at a hotel in the neighborhood but would not make a special trip here based on my...