Peno Mediterranean Grill — Restaurant in Wilmington

Ok...Peno is the real deal all around! Recently grabbed lunch here since I had a hankering for an authentic, Greek Gyro. Since options in Wilmington appear to be very limited with Mediterranean / Middle-Eastern eateries, Peno has a nice reputation for delivering wonderful food and fast, pleasant service...consistently. I completed on an online order for pickup, using mobile pay, ready in 15 mins and bypassed a wait in a very busy S. College location.

FOOD: The Greek Gyro. My dear Lord this thing is monstrous, packed, stuffed and every other type of condensing word you can use. The combination of beef & lamb meat, marinated and cooked wonderfully, melts in your mouth. Combine this robust flavor with fresh feta cheese, black olives, house-made tzatziki sauce, red onion and the oh-so fresh pita bread...and then deliver that same pita bread with the freshest hummus I've ever had...and you're in bliss. Refreshing bites combined with light cooking oils will take your palate into Mediterranean utopia. SCORE: 5 STARS!!

SERVICE: Here's the interesting thing about this brief visit. Not only was my food hot, prepared & ready inside a packed bag at the cashier's station, but it was also done with a pleasant tone of voice and smile by the young lady. To your right at this same station, there is a framed, marketing poster hanging on the wall, showing a photo of the founder and owner of Peno, Jamal Haddad with his quote and vision statement. Then as I look to my left on the grill...is Jamal, himself, hustling and setting the example of hard work and being part of the team he helped build and create, himself. He was smiling and full of energy in the thick of lunch hour without missing a beat of taking care of the customers. This is admirable and highly respected. I was thanked for stopping in, asked to enjoy my lunch and off I went. Fast service, hot food and efficient service. SCORE: 5 STARS!!

OVERALL SCORE: Somehow, some way, Jamal has pieced together quite the small franchise and is excelling well at it. I have only tried this location and not the other few stores around Wilmington, but if I were to take an educated guess, one would think that Jamal's leadership team is well-trained and I would trust the same quality of food and service if I dined at another location. Well done and well...

I would recommend this place to anyone that loves Mediterranean food as my family & I do (since my mother & her family are born & raised in Egypt)! My grandmother is now 86 years young & she can't stand in the kitchen anymore for hours cooking our favorite dishes, so needless to say how excited I was when my son took me here for the 1st time a couple of weeks ago! They are very authentic! The hummus was the best I've ever had (sorry grandmama I love yours too) & I've ate plenty of hummus in my lifetime! You can also order anything without meat for the vegetarians! The only thing I didn't like was their stuffed grape leaves:( (I can show them how to make the best stuffed grape leaves they'll ever eat!) That was a bummer because this dish is one of my family's favorites & we only get them once a year at Christmas dinner since they are very time consuming to make. (We have to roll 10-12 big jars just to satisfy my family's love for them on Christmas Day:) The staff was also very welcoming & very sweet! The bathrooms were extremely clean & they also offered hand sanitizer & masks when u 1st enter the...

Food was ok. Customer service was the worst yet. During our meal, a young party of three sat behind us. One member of that party was very loud and using foul language. Obviously, this person had no respect for themselves, their friends, customers or mgmt. Mgmt did nothing. I politely asked them to please watch their language. They went off, raising their arm, calling me a *, twice, talking free speech and so much more that does'nt even deserve time here. I will NEVER return to this restaurant, not because of this foolish, arrogant and disrespectful customer, but because mgmt allowed it, said nothing, just stared. I did not respond to this person because I am not going to dignify someone like that. I chose not to. I called later and spoke to the mgr who listened politely, no apology, no nothing. Have a nice night. Wow! You can't control who visits your establishment, but you can certainly do everything,in your power to provide your customers with a calm, peaceful, enjoyable dining experience by offering the offending party a ticket OUT of your...