I have been searching for a decent Mediterranean place since moving to the Twin Cities from Chicago. Â I think I finally found it in what appears to be an old Taco Bell. Â Hummus, falafel and tabouli were all excellent. Â The service was a bit slow but that was ok since the food was so tasty. Â Also, it appears to be a family run business - I think the whole family was working the day I went ther for lunch. Â Definitely worth supporting the local family businesses and you get great food in return! Â Definitely heading back soon to try the shawarma!
Review Source:Gives off the vibe of a small family-owned place. We happened to go there with a two-year old and they were the most accommodating restaurant I have ever visited for children, asking thoughtful questions and bringing out food in child-friendly servings.
The food was all really good - but I'm excited for when they have koshary (come February 2013!!!). Falafel and hummos and all that is Middle Eastern - koshary is solid Egyptian. Yum.
Delicious, freshly made Mediterranean food and the staff seem genuinely happy to have you there. The Mezza plate is very tasty and reasonably priced. I've enjoyed a few of the chicken dishes, and the gyro with spiced chicken as well. It is very casual, so a good spot to stop into for a quick casual bite to eat. Not a great date destination, you order at the counter and get your own silverware, napkins, etc. Really happy to have it in the neighborhood, and will definitely be going back. Seems like a family run business, very friendly and hard-working people.
Review Source:Been here a couple of times and each time have been diappointed and wondered why I've returned! Â I'm a stubborn girl, so I'll probably keep coming back because the people are so nice here and I'm always down to support local businesses. Â Especially those that have taken a Taco Bell and made them beautiful.
Let's start with what I like. Â The falafel is heaven. Â I'm a bit of a falafel snob and theirs plus their hummus is heavenly. Â The outside is crisp and the inside is fluffy and green. Â Almost squishy? But super tasty.
I appreciate the build-your-own concept a LOT. Â Decisions - I like making them. Â You have really endless possibilities with what kind of food you order and what goes on it. Â Mama likes.
Also, I like the pretty blue tile at the ordering window! Â
Now, what disappoints me. The meat (I've had beef schwarma and the gyro) has always been really greasy. Â I thought it was a fluke the first time I ordered from here, but after coming back it's been a constant each time. Â It varies from being greasy flavorful to greasy yuck. Â I even came back here afer being hungover thinking this would be what the doctor ordered. Â It wasn't.
Also, is the pita bread hand made or just ordered from their food distributor? Â I'll go with the later, which is disappointing.
Like I said before I'm stubborn, so I'll be back when I'm craving Greek food that isn't Dino's. Â Save some falafel for me.
This place was simply fantastic.
The food is nicely presented. The kid running the cashier and delivering the food was awesome. Came out and chatted when he had time, tempted me into trying the 'Red sauce' which is outlandishly hot, and just generally made it a fun time.
The quantity of food is a bit on the ridiculous side. We the the med plate for 2 and it was essentially 6 meals.
Great spot
After a few tries here...I have finally found my dish. Â After the first two trips, it would have been hard for me to give this place more than 3 stars. Â But today, I finally found it. Â
The lamb kabob sandwich on pita with hummus, lettuce, tomato, and onion finished with the yogurt and cucumber sauce and their jalapeno hot sauce on the side. Â
The one challenging thing about this place is how many different combinations you can make with all the meats and toppings. Â As you can imagine, some combos work a lot better than others, so you need to be patient to figure out the right combo. Â Good Luck!
The food is amazing here. In the beginning service was slow, but now it's quite quick. I get the same thing every time. Mediterranean plate with naan, Gyro meat, basmati rice, and hummus, tomato, lettuce, and tazayki (cucumber and yogurt). I have no reason to get anything else! They have frequent eaters cards where you get a free meal after purchase of 10. We have filled one already.
Review Source:Aida has great food, large portions and fantastic service. Â
When they first opened we had a few things left out of our togo orders but they always made up for it and have worked the kinks out. Â
We have tried almost everything on the menu and the falafal is moist and delicious and not greasy. Â Gyros and baba Ganoush are also our favorites. Â The Mezza plate makes a great snack.
This place doesn't have the best Middle Eastern food I've ever had, but the value here is very high. The food is very well prepared, good portions for the relatively low cost, and a clean and friendly dining space. And, it brings a new restaurant presence into Richfield / South Minneapolis that I appreciate.
Review Source:The food tasted plenty good and of the four of us who dined together, we all were happy while eating... but I did notice that the lamb kabob in my salad was on the rare side. Â Now normally I like rare meat- so I did not say anything.
The next 10 hours were the sickest I have been in my entire life. Â No joke. Â And it certainly wasn't just a stomach flu.. Â
I would try to persuade anyone to spare themselves. Â But if you must go, please stick with veggies at this place!
The meat was delicious and juicy, and very cheap for the amount we got. I went with a vegetarian friend and her boyfriend, and it all of us got something different, but we all agreed it was scrumptious. The atmosphere was also really pleasant--they've put a lot of attention into the decor. To top it all off, the very kind guy working the dinner shift even gave us dessert on the house! I cannot recommend this place highly enough.
Review Source:Great food at a reasonable price.  I had the beef  shwarma on a pita with onion, lettuce, tomato, feta and hot sauce.  The wife had falafel with lettuce tomato and cucumber yogurt sauce on a pita.  Both came with fries and a soft drink.  We followed up with 2 orders of baklava.  Not a fancy place, but the food was great, and we both ate for around 20 bucks.  Given the amount of food, I felt it was an excellent value.  We will be back!
Review Source:I used to go to Dino's Gyros for lunch when I was in this area... but now it's all Aida! Gyro's are awesome! Right up there with Big Marina for best gyro in the Twin Cities. Delicious food, good value, and good service. One of the owners even let me sample different meats when I wasn't sure what to order.
This is now my go to lunch spot near Southdale.
It might look like Taco Bell on the outside, but it definitely doesn't feel that way on the inside!
On both visits we started with the meze platter, which came with hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel (delicious!) and tabbouleh...and...wait for it...freshly fried pita chips. Â AMAZING! Â One time I ordered a chicken tawook sandwich with hot sauce on it. Â I love hot sauce, but this had so much on it and it was so hot that I cried as I ate it. Â I would still call it delicious though -- maybe I'm a glutton for punishment? Â I've also gotten the chicken tawook salad, which was a little light on the vegetables, but I appreciated the opportunity to customize. Â I haven't had dessert there, but the baklava looked fab.
Service was a little spotty, but super friendly.
So, Aida ain't your average Taaaaco Bell! Â I mean you can give gramma a face lift, but don't mean she's gettin much prettier! Â
Seriously though. Â I guess they did a decent job dressing up the little old hole in the wall Taco Bell building. Â Service was painfully slow the day we were there. Â Seemed they were having computer issues. Â The kid ended up taking our order twice. Â I was starving, but was prepared for the slow service, based on previous reviews....but this was reeeaaalllly slow. Â I figured the food would make up for the wait. Â I was wrong. Â I ordered the kofta kabob (ground lamb) salad. Â I was really disappointed when it came out with croutons on it. Â There was no mention of them anywhere, and I have gluten issues. Â :( Â And they weren't just any croutons... I would swear they were straight out of a box! Â They could have at least been delicious garlic and olive oil laden left over naan baked to crispy perfection, don'tcha think? Â Anyway, after disarming my salad, I dig in only to discover they forgot the dressing....completely. Â So, back to the counter I go, where I get somewhat dirty looks for 'barging' in line to try to get some dressing. Â Once properly dressed, I go to dig in to my salad again, only to discover that the kofta is a bit...um...let's say dry. Â Like two little fingers desperately trying to eek out of the way of their impending doom, they wriggled on the plate beneath my fork. Â With the little lamb fingers finally subdued, I took my first full bite and was disappointed to discover that what they lacked in texture, they did not make up for in taste. Â I mean I LOVE lamb, but these were just...meh!... dry, flavorless...heck, fingers might have been better, now that I think about it!
Anyway, the girl child got a falafel wrap. Â Said the pita was good, but the falafel was a bit bland, too.
Took the man a gyro to go. Â Probably cold by the time he got it. Â Said it was 'good', and that the pita was good. Â So, two votes for the pitas, I guess.
Not sure what else to say. Â Not sure I'd go back. Â Maybe it's just me. Â Maybe I'm just partial to my favorite little Greek hole in the wall, Athens...
We found a great cannoli in the state of Minnesota! At a Mediterranean restaurant! No really, we did. Â We have become fast regulars at Aida. Â Situated in a refurbished Taco Bell, this family-run joint is always friendly and helpful and most importantly - DELICIOUS! Â We almost always opt for some variation of their sandwich - which at $6.95 is an amaze-balls deal for the amount of goodies they stuff in there! They pita bread is delicious, the gyro meat is seasoned beautifully, and you get some of those bits that are crispy and some that aren't. Â Love that. Â I have had the chicken schwarma as well which is spiced without being spicy and it is so tender. Â You get to pick three toppings and a sauce to go with your meat choice, I would definitely recommend the cucumber and yogurt sauce (also known as tzatziki but maybe they didn't want to confuse us?) and also the tabbouleh! Â
Every time we have ever gone in there, they have been out of baklava, which would lead me to believe that they are scrumptious. Â I may even stop by pre-lunch just to score a piece! However, the lack of baklava lead us to our cannoli enlightenment. Â Since they were out of baklava, the kind gentleman behind the counter gave us a cannoli to try. Â It. Was. Amazing. Â The shell was crunchy but not so much so that you had to gnaw through it. Â The filling was obviously strained ricotta, as it should be. Â And there were chocolate chips in the filling! Yes, yes, yes!
Start yourself a punch card, grab some schwarma and a cannoli and you will be in heaven just like me!
Love the Gyro meat here! Â It's got a tiny kick though so fair warning. Â This is not Greek-based food people, so don't expect it to taste like Dino's or Gyropolis. Â It's got a lot of Middle-eastern influences, so shift the taste-buds towards more earthy spices and less vinegar with more hearty textures.
I'm very much in love with the place, but it's really not a place for everyone. Â The place is very mom and pop, so when mom is away, pop doesn't always remember what goes with what. Â I find it enjoyable because it reminds me of home cooking where dishes come out about the same, never exact, and always delicious. Â Everyone there is very friendly and super accommodating too, so if you ever have a problem, they're happy to fix it!
Read so many rav reviews for this place, we just had to try it.
I've had a lot of Gyros, Greek & Med food around the Twin Cities, Chicago, California, etc. And that was the Worst Gyro ever! & I had it at Aida. And my Wife agrees.
$7 for thin bland strips of gyro meat. we tried the naan & pita bread on the other sandwich - a beef schwarma. They put the wrong bread on the wrong sandwich. not a big deal. but yet a mistake. and the place was dead. one other customer.
The Beef Schwarma was much better. it had some good meat flavor, but the meat was chopped so small it was almost ground. would have liked some larger pieces. and for $7 for a sandwich only, it was kinda small.
btw, the "3 sides" they let you choose to put on the sandwiches are pretty sparse. all for an expensive $7 sandwich. and that is just a sandwich for $7. no sides, no soda.
The Drinks (coke pop products or tea) are $1.39 for a smallish cup. no refills.
The $2.99 side of Falafel  was four pieces of good tasting falafel in a bowl on a bed of lettuce.  no sauce. none at all. needed something to dip them in. took them home. we have Hummus there. and it's only $1.69 from Aldi. so I'm not paying $2.99 for a side of Hummus there.
It's Greek to me and Gardens of Salonica are much better places to go for Greek/Med food. Â price is the same or cheaper. Â better atmosphere as well. Â or a Greek place Gyropolis in Bloomington. Their Gyros are 500x better and cheaper. <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgyropolis.com&s=5b684ef9bbac764bb9975e2017e4af394ee3308b357a09cd664894a54782a54e" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://gyropolis.com</a>
You'd be 1000x better off finding the Hola Arepa Food Truck and getting one of their awesome Arepa's. 1000x better for $1 less. Â <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fholaarepa.com%2F&s=bec3a4be7984bab1915d0e692af3cb70947e479476412c30252367bcbc92a3db" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://holaarepa.com/</a>
Just ate an early dinner here, and will be back soon!
My hubby and I shared a "mixed plate" and it was amazing! Great service, quick timing. I think I found my new favorite Middle Eastern spot! Highly recommend, even with a 2 year old in tow, it was fabulous as he was entranced the entire meal by the young beauty clearing tables.
Good food, slow service. Â Nice family run joint bringing up the neighborhood.
I had a salad plate with felafel. Â First off, The felafel here are amazing, there is a great complexity to their flavor, soft and flaky on the inside with a crispy fried outside, you get 4 or 5 big ones per order. Â However... the salad plate is a little misleading, there is a very small amount of actual "salad" just a handful of spinach. Â You do get to add 3 toppings, but the "Turkish olives" are actually just sliced black olives. Â Cucumber sauce is a little runnier than I usually prefer but it does the trick. Â
The fiance had the Gyro Plate, which was really tasty. Â Best gyro meat I've ever had. He added a side of the jalapeno sauce which was crazy hot. Â He was satisified but not 'excited' about the food.
Service was friendly but really, really slow for a short order joint. Â I'm going to let it go because they are new-ish and i'll visit again before I pass judgement. Â The owner was on-site and seemed very hands on!
Lastly, We tried the Honey Almond cake and it was a moist dense cake, nothing very memorable however.
You remember those old cartoons, where the aroma from some food item would manifest itself into a pair of claws, hooking itself into the protagonist's nostrils? That's exactly what happened to me on Friday as I removed the foil from my Ultimate Pita from Aida.
The Ultimate Pita is the sandwich from heaven: a pita stuffed with steak shawarma and gyro meat, hummus, tabouleh, olives, feta cheese, and yogurt-cucumber sauce (tzatziki). All those flavors and textures worked together to transform me into a primitive, moaning version of myself. I'm ashamed to admit that I even slurped the remaining liquid from the foil after the sandwich disappeared.
I love Greek/Mediterranean food, but these flavors are a bit... different from what I'm used to. The flavor of the gyro meat was miles away from all the gyros I've ever had before: complex, subtly spicy, somehow more wholesome. I'm getting my booty back to Aida the first chance I get.
This is the best thing to happen to Richfield since Tii Cup.
Friendly service, awesome food, at a great value. Â You get a lot for your money at this unassuming spot in an old Taco Bell. Â You can watch your food being thoughtfully prepared to order in the clean, updated interior. Â The short wait is well worth the result, I don't mind waiting 5-10 minutes for fresh food. Â I will be a regular here for sure.
Review Source:I have really started to enjoy Mediterranean food. and Aida is at the top of my list. I'm working my way through the menu and love everything that I've had here. Â The portions are very filling. Â Recently they are upgrading the exterior. Â It's amazing what you can do with an old Taco Hell. Â Aida is a welcome addition to the area. Â The staf is great and goes out of their way to help the customers..
Review Source:With several strong reviews, I was expecting much better food than I received. I got my favorite, the chicken shawarma wrap, and I liked that you could pick and choose a variety of sauces and spices. The selection was good - the taste, not so much.
My chicken was dry. Bone dry. And it seemed to be a lot of the end meat as all of it had really tough exteriors in addition to being very dry. The tahini sauce was almost nonexistent. It did seem that they made a homemade wrap, which I would expect nothing less, but that was also dry, or perhaps day old.
I love this food genre and hope that improvements in food quality happen at Aida as I would like to try again, with time.
Who would have thought the building that used to house a Taco Bell (a bad Taco Bell at that) would make me fall in love with Mediterranean food?!?
We hit up Aida on Friday and got to order right away. My man was very confused about the ordering process but luckily the girl behind the counter was awesome and helped him build his custom gyro. I ordered the Meat Plate with Chicken Schwarma, basmati rice, tabbouleh and baba ghanoush. What a huge plate of food, I had a great breakfast the next morning with my leftovers. The chicken was spiced so well and I am dying to go back and get more of it.
Everything at Aida was excellent, what a great addition to the neighborhood.
Tip: Dump some Tahini over your rice, it's a killer combination.
This was a pleasant surprise. The dining area is rather small but is pleasantly decorated. The ordering menu takes a minute to process but the counter girl was helpful and patient. Being a vegetarian, I went for the felafel platter with hummus and fries. My boyfriend ordered the gyro sandwich. He enjoyed the portion size as well as the quality of the meat. My platter was very tasty and if I had been hungrier, I would have devoured every bit of it. The hummus was creamy and delicious. The felafel was flavorful and paired perfectly with the cucumber yogurt sauce.
We will definitely dine here again. I did not feel that this was a 5 star experience only because they seemed to have a hard time keeping up with the messy tables. I believe that once they get into a better groove, they will definitely become a 5 star restaurant.
Very impressive transformation of the old Taco Bell! Â The food is great too. Â I had the beef schwarma, very tasty! Â The food is fresh and made to order. Â Salads were enormous! Â Service was excellent as well and they gave someone in our group free dessert for having to wait longer than the rest of us for their food. Â Then they gave the rest of us dessert so we didn't feel left out. Â Aw, how sweet!
Review Source:I am very impressed. This is a nice bookend on the complete other side of town to Filfilah - different cuisine, but similar idea - Mediterranean faves without preservatives, gunk, excess salt, processing, and all the other evils which usually are served up as Middle Eastern.
It's done just as well. Didn't think anyone else would bother. Go to Filfilah, by all means, but go to Aida as well.
I had the meza plate, the guy upsold us on a chicken platter which we wound up taking home - portions are Huuuuuge, a meza split makes a fine lunch for two people. I was resenting the upsell, then I tasted the chicken.
Completely original, far out of the league of most grilled chicken skewers even at upscale Indian and Mediterranean joints. A little dry, but I don't mind that - the flavor profile is spicy, aromatic, and neither too salty nor too sweet. Â
Impressive falafel. Is that....cardamom?
This is seriously good food and the best repurposing of a taco bell ever.
Both my coworker and I were impressed by what popped up in place of a taco bell. We thought that the food quality was great! Impressed by the manager/owners helpfulness and the kitchens ability to fix a mistake we didn't notice (they forgot the onions and remembered it before we took a bite).
The only suggestion we had was to make it easier to order. All the topping are listed at the bottom of the menu but as my coworker had mentioned not everyone knows what really goes on their food. As for myself I don't want to be a bother and hav the poor employee have to list all 10 items I want on my sandwich. This doesn't detract from my experience as it didn't put me out any.
Just tried Aida for the first time tonight, so there is potential for this place to earn yet another star in the future.
First off just a quick comment on the decor --- loving the blue tiles! Â But now onto the food....
I ordered the Mediterranean platter which costs $8.95. Â You get pita/greek naan, choice of meat, 3 toppings, and a sauce. Â Served with basmati rice or fries.
For my meat I chose the Chicken Schwarma (i'm not really familiar with Mediterranean food, but to me it was pretty standard chicken, just with lots of delicious spices), and my toppings were feta cheese, turkish olives, and tabouleh. Â I'd never had tabouleh before, but I assure you it was DELICIOUS! Â (For those of you who don't know, tabouleh is essentially parsley, tomato, onion, lemon, olive oil, and mint) Â I asked for mine with basmati rice, which was scrumptious. Â I don't think i'll ever try their fries because I love the rice too much.
The only downfall to my dish was the "flaming red" sauce I chose. Â I was told that it was "extremely hot" and to be careful. Â I didn't find it all that hot, and I simply didn't enjoy the flavor. Â That being said, I'm glad they gave it to me on the side so my dish wasn't ruined, and I'll just try a different sauce next time.
Overall I highly recommend this place, and I can't wait to go back and try some of their other offerings. Â (The dessert sounded amazing!)
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