Good service, fairly priced, conveniently located in downtown. So often reviewers think the opposite of "blow you away taste with mouthwatering food" is that the restaurant was the pits. That's not true. Sometimes, restaurants are okay, neither stupendous nor horrible, but simply meet basic food needs and tastes. That's where I would put Al-Amir. It's located downtown on Vine Street, a block from Fountain Square, and right next to the Westin Hotel. It does a brisk lunch business and is obviously popular. The gyros and the falafel are solid, but not strikingly dissimilar from other similar Middle Eastern/Greek restaurants. The service was friendly and prompt. The food is reasonably priced and fills the need for convenient ethnic comfort food downtown.
Best gyro in cincinnati. Have not had a better gyro in cincy and i have had quite a few. These things are not only good but twice as big as anywhere else too. Top it off with some deep fried mushrooms and it will be these best thing you've had that day guaranteed!
Great Little Place. I can't say much about the menu here because I've never felt the need to stray beyond the gyro and fries. The gyro is delicious and they don't skimp on the tzatziki sauce. The meat is well seasoned and the whole gyro comes in a generous portion. That portioning extends to the excellent fries, which are just a dollar to add on with the sandwich. For about six bucks you're looking at a lot of food and every bite will be delicious. Plus it's never been extremely busy when I go, even when the Bengals have a home game and every downtown restaurant is packed.
I'm not sure if I should recommend this place to my friends or try to keep it all to myself.
I was pleasantly surprised. This is the best lamb I have ever eaten. And I will be going back. Several times.
This is clearly the best choice for authentic middle eastern and greek food downtown. Clean atmosphere, food cooked to order and absolutely delicious!! I highly recommend stopping by.
The best gyro in Cinci.. I work downtown and eat there mutliple times a week. Typically there is only one man working there so service can be a bit slow, but it is so so worth it. He makes genuinely the best gyro in Cincinnati.
Realtor. Food is always Good! I love there Fish over a bed of rice!
My wife love there Gyros. The food is cooked fresh to order. I strongly recommend this nice middle eastern dishes to all those who are downtown and are looking for a nice wholesome dish!
Cheap, fresh, and delicious. Their falafel sandwich is great! The falafel was freshly made and fried to order, the pita was chewy and soft, the hummus was typical, and hot sauce really gave it a kick. For $4.99 (sandwich only), I am stuffed and satisfied!
Authentic - I Love it.. This is my favorite place to eat lunch downtown. The food is very authentic and everything is freshly made. I love the Kafta Wrap - it's one of the best I've ever had.
Best Falafel in Town!. Well I cannot speak of the other food because I ALWAYS get the Falafel which is (in my opinion) the BEST IN TOWN!
Good Prices, prompt courteous service, great downtown location, and a spacious dining area on top of amazing falafel made by people who obviously love making delicious healthy food!
I was downtown and headed to the Food Trucks when I say their sign and decided to go here inside. Great idea on my part because the food was delicious, I don’t like raw tomatoes but the way they had it on my Gyro I ate them. The seasoned fries was great, and my Gyro was loaded with meat. I spent just over $17 including tip for a drink, sandwich and fries. I definitely will be going back and exploring other restaurants around the area. Even thou I thought I was hungry I only managed to eat less than half my sandwich even with me eating the meat only off of it my sandwich still has a lot of meat left.
I ordered gyro plate for $12.99 and it was really good. The salad that came with it was crisp and fresh and the gyro meat was moist, very flavorful and delicious. I wish it had come with some pita bread but it didn’t, so I ordered some for $1 (you get one piece). They have pistachio or walnut baklava and the pistachio was very good. The guy behind the counter (I think it was the owner) is SUPER nice and happily helped me decide what to order. I highly recommend this cute little restaurant.
Excellent experience.
I travel frequently and globally and have experienced this style cuisine in many countries and this place stacks right up there with the best.
We both got the gyro plates, one with rice and one with fries (the latter was at my request). We also ordered grape leaves, falafels, and hummus. The one with fries was served with the gyro meat and sauce on top of the fries, and I have to say, if you haven’t tried it this way before, I’d suggest it in lieu of doing it inside pita bread. There’s a place in Australia that serves it this way and I have become a fan of it…I’m glad I found somewhere locally that does the same. Think of it as a Mediterranean version of “chili cheese fries”! The humus had, if I remember correctly, a combination olive oil and lemon juice with spices on top.
The individual serving us was friendly and accommodating, answered questions about the menu and even came out and socialized for a bit with us.
Give this place a try!
Walked by and it smelled so good we did a 180 and went back in. Sorry about the lousy photo but we devoured our samosa and falafel.
Samosas are very unique and some of the best I’ve had anywhere- India, Egypt , Europe, NAFTA.
Falafael were also excellent with a nice bright finish.
Seems he’s a new owner and the place was revamped.
Menu is clearly marked for vegan and vegetarian also.
Truly a must go!
The owner is so kind and quick with service! My go-to spot for halal food in OTR, everything is fresh and delicious. There have been a couple of occasions where I walked up and there was no one in the building (despite being "open" according to the hours on the window) but I can tell it's not something that happens frequently 😊
This is 5 STARS! My friends and I love the food at Al-Amir Cafe. We had the best, creamiest hummus I have ever tasted with warm grilled pita bread and falafels. The owners Moe and Rami gave us a taste of the gyro meat and now we all want to return because it was so tender and tasty! The servings are huge, the food is fresh and cooked right before your eyes. Street parking is right our front or the Kroger garage is just steps away. You definitely need to try Al-Amir Cafe!
I absolutely love this cafe! Gyro’s are so good. Fresh (still warm) hummus; and the falafel bites... why are you still reading this! It’s so good, and the two gentlemen are the best! Go! Yummy doesn’t describe how happy your mouth will be!
Excellent service, super affordable, huge portions and amazing quality. You can tell everything is home made, I recommend the hummus,grape leaves, gyro, and lentil soup.
The gyro was amazing and you have to get the fries! Not to mention the owner is incredibly kind. Definitely worth a visit!
This place is a hole in the walk but I like those. Usually when I describe food as "tasty" it is a way of saying I do not like it, but in this case it was really good. Some of the best falafel I ever had, Greek fries are a bit heavy on the grease but to be expected with Greek dressing and feta cheese. Give it a try.
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