El Basha Mediterranean Grill — Restaurant in Omaha

I went to El Basha for the first time at about 5:20 on a Tuesday. When I got there, it was about half full and there was one person in line ahead of me. I ordered a falafel sandwich and an order of stuffed grape leaves to go. I was told it would take 20 minutes, they did not give me a number because I was take out, so I took about a 10 minute walk. When I came back, it was much busier, and I took a seat and waited. And waited. and waited. The line got longer, and eventually I evacuated my seat to accommodate all the people coming in who were dining in. I saw several people get their food who I know ordered behind me. The place got busier and busier, a line almost out the door, and it's not a large place, so it's very crowded. After about 40 minutes of waiting, I ask one of the workers about my order. They asked my name, I told them and what I ordered. They went in back, and then came back out and asked to see my receipt. I didn't have it, I don't think the casher ever gave me a copy for myself, but I said I paid with a credit card, and could show them the text alert, I wasn't trying to scam them or w/e. So like 3 workers and the casher huddled.. and I walked up and said " Did you not put my order in" and the casher assured me they had, but I think that was a lie because of how many people who ordered after me had already received their food. I did not have a big or complex order, so I wasn't waiting for it to cook or w/e. After another 20 minutes, I finally got my meal. No apologies for taking so long, no make goods, the server just handed me my food and even didn't make eye contact. I was pretty irritated at this point, and I honestly wanted to hate the food so I could blast them in this review. I was too hungry and too low of blood sugar to drive home, so I ate the food there in my car in the parking lot. And yet, to my chagrin, it was the single best falafel and stuffed grape leaves I've ever had ( and I love both these dishes, so I am not unacquainted with them .) When I was sitting inside, shaking with hunger, I vowed to myself to never go there again, and yet after the meal, I will absolutely go there again, because the food is simply too good. Which is why, even with such terrible service, I still gave it 5 stars. That should tell you how amazing their food is. However, here is my advice to anyone going there :

1. The place is much to small for how busy they are . If they were that slammed on an early tuesday night, they have to be busy every night. The place needs more staff, and much more room. This is not a place I would go for a sit down dinner, even though the food is excellent, because it's simply too cramped and busy. I would probably give a sit down lunch a try, but not dinner.

2. If you get take out, order on the phone ahead of time, do not show up and order. Though I talked to the guy next to me waiting ( who got his food before me, after ordering long after me) and said he tried to call in and order, but no one picked up the phone, so who knows? The place, as I said, is really understaffed for how...

I have ordered the chicken Shawarma over rice from this place so so so many times. I will say it is delicious, and it is pretty consistent. However, today February 26, 2024, I had a very unfortunate experience. It is very disheartening to be treated in such a poor manner as I feel I have been a consistent and loyal customer who tips very well. I called and placed my to go order over the phone at 6:03 PM. They told me 20 minutes until the food was ready. I arrived promptly at 6:17. I ended up waiting in line until 6:43PM!!!!! (UNREAL!!!!!) until I was at the front register to pay for my food. Meanwhile, the whole time upon arrival, l had paid attention to what bags of food were sitting out front on the counter in the open. Mine was there from when I walked in until I got up to the counter. I proceeded to explain to the young man at the register how I would did not want to pay for cold food. He proceeded to tell me that I can take it and warm it up at home. He told me "it's not my problem. Do you want your food or not?" "there's plenty of people who take this food and they enjoy it, what's your problem?" Well, I personally know plenty of people who do not want cold food after they pay good money. If I'm paying money for food, I don't wanna go home and have to do extra things to it. Eventually, after banter back-and-forth, I just wanted to know what he wanted to do about it, if they could simply even heat it up. He finally said, "OK let me go talk to the manager", and as he turned and walked back all I saw was a snarky smirk on his face. I knew then that I probably will never come here again. And it's a shame, because I will not recommend this place to anybody else. He came back and proceeded to tell me there's nothing we can do about it, do you want your food. I asked if I could speak to the manager... he said "no, he's busy, I just talked to him."… I said, no I don't want the food, I didn't pay for the food and I ended up leaving. I am extremely disappointed, it is not my fault that they left my food out and didn't keep it warm. I don't want that food. I want warm food. I was on time. I arrived early. It's not my fault they can't keep up with the demand, at least have something to keep the food warm for the people who are ordering. Very very unpleasant experience, the food, not the worst part. I would say the worst part is the way I was treated. The disrespect was just hard to tolerate. I had to leave.. would NOT recommend this place, at least until they get some new staff...

TLDR: Good flavors. But messy wraps, dry chicken as well as falafel, and a flawed ordering/seating will keep me from coming back.

"It's not terrible" was repeated several times throughout the meal. From the ordering setup to the food itself, there's plenty of room for improvement.

On walking in, the place was as busy as the current 4.5 star average suggests. Every table full, and a line to the register was formed wedging between the tables nearly all the way to the door. The menu pages on the screen above the register kept changing, so it was difficult to read item descriptions in time. Wound up looking online to get a better look. Placed the order, and wasn't told where to wait or how long the wait would be. Normally these things are self-evident or provided.

The drink machine placed in a tight corner meant a second line formed quickly. The saving grace about these lines is they resolved fairly quickly.

The food came out within 10-15 minutes. It seemed to stay warm during the 5-minute drive home.

Chicken wrap: flavors were good. Enjoyed the veggies and sauce. The chicken was suspiciously dry. Even the sauce and tomatoes couldn't rehydrate it enough to make it enjoyable. Otherwise, the wrap proved to be messy as interestingly both ends were open despite the fillings not keeping it from closing.

Falafel wrap: A little too mealy and minty for me. Veggies were good though. Just as shoddy assembly as the chicken wrap. Portion sizes of the wraps were odd. It was enough food for the price, but the fillings didn't fill the wraps, so the wraps were loose. An odd choice if done intentionally.

Fries: Dry. Not greasy though, so that's a plus. Not crisp, but firm exterior with a slightly astringent interior.

Baklava: Mid. Never had bad baklava, and this one certainly wasn't bad. It was dry and more buttery than sweet, but it was still OK.

Overall: Glad I tried it, but I can't personally find justification in a return visit given the anxiety-inducing ordering setup, the across the board dry food, and the haphazard assembly...