Yamas Mediterranean Street Food — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

(4.75 stars) Courtesy of the Michael family (Mama Zoe Michael's, Waldo's Wings, CinCin Buger Bar), the Chipotlefication of Mediterranean has arrived in Winston-Salem. It is, thankfully, far more than just a gimmick, offering quality ingredients and bold flavors to complement the expected versatility.

Yamas' approach is simple: start with a prefab favorite (such as a gyro or a falafel salad) or build a pita wrap, salad, grain bowl, or half salad/half grain bowl to your liking. Should you go the latter route, plenty of possibilities await. You can add up to three spreads (including a white chocolate babaganoush), a protein (there are both meat and vegetarian options), toppings (everything from feta to fries to marinated vegetables), and a sauce. Mild or spicy, vegan or meaty, it's all fair game, and it's all (unless you upgrade your protein to lamb for $3 more) only $8.99.

For my first time out, I went the half salad/half grain bowl route, starting with arugula and freekeh wheat and topped with hummus, babaganoush, tzaiki, gyro meat, tomato cucumber salad, feta, and toum garlic cream (!). The garlic cream was rather strong and something I might think twice about repeating, but everything else was delicious. The white chocolate babaganoush added a touch of sweetness while the fresh vegetables balanced the saltier spreads and protein. The portion was plentiful as well, and it was prepared promptly by patient counter staff who made ordering easy.

Though Yamas can get a bit loud when busy, it is absolutely worth braving a line (it will move quickly) and hunting for a table (or a spot at a long communal table). Tasty and flexible, the restaurant presents a winning concept that will...

Today I went into Yamas on my lunch break. New place and wanted to try it out. Place was packed- it was lunch time. I ordered the gyro wrap. There was fries sitting there but I ordered fresh fries. Fries are shoestring fries sprinkled with herbs such as rosemary. My fries were fresh and crunchy. My gyro was great I could tell it was fresh food. There is a assortment of drinks as well. Not just beer but they also specialize in lemonade, rose lemonade, mint green tea, etc.

The interior is modern and sophisticated. The place is clean. Throughout my lunch we had two employees approach our table and asked how the food was, if we needed anything, or a refill of our beverage. They were very attentive as anyone would be in a new business(especially)

since this was my first time here my first impression was that the food was great. But overall nothing special. Nothing different. Except the prices..a bit too steep for my liking I’ll be coming to Yamas once in a while for now on for the sake of my wallet. The food is great and fresh but besides the steep prices it’s nothing different compared to Mooneys( price differences , same Mediterranean food) I’ll be returning once in a while but I will pass on a word that the food is great. Those were just...

The Chipotle of Mediterranean food with too many delicious food selections to resist adding to your order.

Food: Delicious options that balance traditional Mediterranean flavors with a modern twist. Service: Welcoming team, prompt service, gave great recommendations. Atmosphere: Beautiful design, casual seating with lots of greenery, having small food items for sale is a nice touch. Overall: Happy to have these food options available downtown, I fully expect them to remain busy and become a permanent resident.

I love Winston-Salem, but we are saturated with burger bars and severely lacking ethnic food options. There really isn't enough of a selection of any type of food downtown, especially when it comes to grabbing something quickly. Yamas does a really great job avoiding the standard menu you'd get from a traditional Greek spot by modernizing flavors like in the Freekehlicious Kofta Bowl that has "white chocolate baba ganoush", adding subtle sweetness to the savory tomato beef meatballs. I couldn't help but also grab a spanakopita and baklava, both of which had deliciously flaky crusts and equally tasty filling.

Overall, everything I ate was excellent quality and reasonably priced. Now can we get a place like this downtown that...