Ranoush, Delmar Loop - Visited September 2017

After seeing the violent destruction of numerous windows along the Delmar Loop we decided we should help by visiting one of the restaurants and dining there. We were first planning on going there for dinner on Monday (Sept 18), but after hearing there was another protest planned there that evening we decided to go elsewhere that evening (the Pasta House a couple miles west on Delmar.) However, this Saturday was my lunch pick so I thought I would select Ranoush since we had not visited there in over three years. Plus they had their curved window broken and we wanted to see how they fixed it and also help them pay for it while eating delicious middle eastern food.

We parked on Westgate and walked down to see their boarded up curved windows. They had some nice black and white artwork on their boards, not as colorful as some of the other murals, but still quite artistic.

When we arrived slightly before noon, there were not any other customers, but more did arrive during ourt visit. We were seated at a table for four close to the projector screen where they were showing some middle eastern music videos. Our server promptly arrived and took our drink orders while we perused their menus. I decided on the beef shawarma and everyone else chose the lunnch chicken shawarma special. I knew mine was more expensive, but I thought Ranoush could use the few extra dollars to help their expenses anyway.

It did not take very long for the food to arrive since we were the first customers. The serving sizes were equally generous for both the $7.95 chicken shawarma lunch special and my $16.50 beef shawarma, so if you are looking for value select a lunch special! Both came with a warm pita on top, a salad with the dressing on the side, rice and a large glob of their garlic sauce. We knew we were supposed to eat the shawarma as a rolled up sandwich with the pita, but with all the meat, vegetables, salad and rice it was easier to eat it with a fork while ripping up bits of the pita on the side. I did make a couple mini-shawarma's with a bite size pita chunk along with some beef, onions, salad and sauce, and those were easier to eat since I just crammed them whole into my mouth.

Beef Shawarma

The beef in my shawarma was cooked quite nicely with a good bit of flavor without being overly spiced. My wife liked her chicken shawarma and commented it was nice to have something flavorful that was not hot and spicy. I tried her chicken too, and it was also quite good, well seasoned without being too heavy. The thinner salad dressing was okay, but we all preferred the thicker garlic sauce for both the meat and the salad. I used both sauces since you can never have too much sauce! The salad and the rice were also nothing special, but they did go quite well with the meat. The pita was also very fresh, light and delicious. It ripped easily enough while still holding together my mouth sized mini-shawarmas. My wife commented the pitas would make good communion bread compared to what we typically receive in church.

Our server was quite attentive and visited us now and then to check up on us. She retrieved the sweetener my wife wanted, and refilled drinks before we even asked. We were glad to see more people coming in for lunch there as we want all the Delmar Loop restaurants to succeed. The sporadic protests make you try to guess where the least likely place is for a protest (today they were at the Galleria again, but not the Loop so we picked wisely!)

I was surprised we had waited over three years to return to Ranoush, and we came only after reminded of them after their windows were broken. They are actually an excellent choice with unique, well crafted and prepared meals which are actually a good value if you select a lunch special. Hopefully we will return again in less than three years.

Food Quality, Service & Value (select a Lunch Special)