Review Naji's Pita Gourmet - Homewood

This is definitely on my list of favorite local spots in the Birmingham area. A fantastic Mediterranean restaurant that also has a small market inside. They also make their own pitas in house. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Great staff, no one in the place but my lunch companion and me. Made it very enjoyable! It can get LOUD in there when it's busy!

Really enjoyed my zaatar pie (really more of a sandwich) with sour cream, tomato, onion, green bell pepper, and olives on the side. The produce was crisp, the pita was fresh, and the zaatar tied it all together with a satisfying earthiness. The Lebanese coffee was nice, too - a little different taste than brewed coffee - but I added a whole bunch of sugar to it.

Good, but definitely not the best gyro I've had. They do make their own pita, though, which was very soft and flavorful.

I had a great lunch! The chicken shawarma wrap was so unexpected. The toasted pita and pickled turnip in the wrap made something good into something I will return to eat again. Thanks for being such a great Birmingham restaurant!

Great middle eastern food. Fresh salads. Also has a grocery store and pita bakery.

Where else can you get a great Lebanese/Greek meal, pick up packs of freshly baked pita, and fill your bags in the Middle East shop of spices, olives, and a lot of things I can't pronounce? This has been a hidden treasure for so many years and is still a treat I look forward to when down Valley Ave. way. Naji's is simple perfection down to the last bite.

Pretty good. I went here based on all the positive reviews. I’m from the Metro Detroit area originally and we have almost as many Middle Eastern restaurants as some places have McDonalds so I’m extra picky. They claim there’s sauce on their shawarmas but there didn’t seem to have any. The dolma was ok but lacked the flavor I was expecting. The crushed lentil however, was excellent!

Weird pita pizza's are now the daily specials. Also, they now charge for the full cost of a change to one's side if you don't want pita chips. I enjoyed their food for years, but not so much now.

Amazing food! Terrible website...I will go back! Don’t miss out based on web presence!

Amazing food! Been dining here for over 20 years now & will continue to enjoy it for many more.

Amazing food and very friendly staff!

Just ate there for the first time! Delicious! Will definitely be back!

Fast, friendly service. Great food!

Gyro's!. Best gyro's that i have even after living in Dubai for 4 years.

Fantastic food, great price. I have gotten several menu items and they have all been really good. They also have daily specials that are not on the website that include a drink and tax for $7.00. I've tried the specials for Monday-Friday, and I've also gotten the chicken pita crisp (per all the rave reviews here, and it was probably my favorite item too) and the gyro (pretty good). I definitely recommend this place. I wasn't sure going into it so if anyone is wondering, this restaurant is not the kind with a server.<br/><br/>Since there is no list of their daily lunch specials on their website or on here, I will list the specials they have right now (these are $7 and include a side, drink and tax):<br/>Monday - Brochette (it's like a toasted bun with steak, tomatoes, and onions on top with a side of buffalo ranch)<br/>Tuesday - Greek pizza (my favorite, does not come with a side but is a good sized crust - basically a pita, with lots on it)<br/>Wednesday - Sujuk (a lebanese sausage wrap, very good)<br/>Thursday - Pita Reuben (like a reuben sandwich but in a pita)<br/>Friday - Philly pita <br/>Saturday - Grilled chicken (I haven't gotten this)

Excellent food; very reasonable price. Three of us went to Naji's today (01 August 2014) for lunch. The staff is very friendly and courteous. The prices are very reasonable and the portions are large. We all got sandwiches (2 gyros & 1 chicken salad). None us was able to finish everything on our plate. The pita was fresh and toasted, the gyro meat was seasoned well and tender, juicy, not hard and dry, the tzatziki and hummus were very good, and the fried pita chips were super. We all were very pleased and plan to return and try other items on the menu. The shawarma and dolmas will be the next for me.

I type this with shawarma fingers, as I couldn't wait to finish to throw some kudos out for this place! So incredibly good and fresh! Tastes so authentic! Definitely a do-again!

Great grocery great food. I love this grocery, their pita is the best, I buy 3 and 4 and we eat them up in a week, and the selection of groceries is great. Great place for lunch, I go to the west valley ave. location.

Great place - and some stupid people posting stupid comments. Let me start by saying I know food. I've been in the food business, had restaurants, catering companies, etc. all my life. I have been frequenting Naji's for over 20 years and I have NEVER come away unhappy. First off, there is a lot more to food and a restaurant than its ambiance. There is a lot more to a restaurant than it having a flashy and modern interior/exterior. <br/><br/>What matters is THE FOOD and THE PEOPLE running the establishment. <br/><br/>Naji, his sister "Sam" and all of the workers and staff at Naji's are great folks. They are generous, friendly, welcoming and they know what they're doing. <br/><br/>The food is great, fresh, real, and healthy. There is not one bad item on the menu. And yes, I HAVE had everything Naji has to offer. Including desserts. <br/><br/>The pita bread - you couldn't get better pita without getting on an airplane and traveling to the Middle East and hiking it into a local village and getting your khubz arabi fresh from a tannur oven! <br/><br/>So for those complaining that the place is run-down or looks like a truck-stop diner, or are mad that Naji wouldn't give you 40 bucks off your order of 60 bucks because you had a Groupon or a Social Living certificate, or say the pita is not good or authentic, you're a bunch of whiny losers. Go back to McDonalds and KFC and eat their "fine cuisine"! <br/><br/>What makes Naji's what it is, is exactly that it IS what it IS! <br/><br/>And hey, the man is in business to MAKE MONEY - not give his product away! His prices are already far below what most places charge for food that isn't even half as good! So don't go in expecting to hand him some cheapskate coupon and have him be glad to give you his food for no charge. He's got a family to support and feed too, ya know. <br/><br/>If this place were so horrible (as some have said it is) then how has he managed to sustain the business, (retail store, restaurant and bakery) for over 20 years, AND open a second restaurant location off Hwy 280 recently? How and why is it that people buy his retail food products and pita bread from all around the country, and WORLD, and have it delivered to their homes and restaurants? <br/><br/>All I can say is that If you want some really good, authentic "Middle Eastern" fast-food, head to Naji's. And if you want some really AWESOME and FRESH khubz arabi, (pita bread, to us natives) pay for and then pick up a bag as you walk out the door. It's stacked on plastic delivery pallets on the left as you walk out. Sometimes it's even still warm, if you're lucky! <br/><br/>So go to Naji's and have a good meal Enjoy the people and the food, and don't be so pretentious (or pretend to be) that you let a little clutter and some mismatched counters and appliances ruin your experience. <br/><br/>My favorites - Chicken Pita Crisp (extra garlic mayo on the side) and ask them to saute the vegetables through, if you don't like them crisp. Add a bowl of lentil soup and a piece of baklava and you can't go wrong! <br/><br/>Tell them "Birdman" sent you..... they'll know who you're talking about!

Love It. Have been a couple of times. One of the best Pita style places. The lentil soup was to die for. YUMMY pita too.

Good Food, Bad Ambiance. Went here for lunch as we had a groupon, this place is more of a order to go place. We had lentil soup, chicken shawarma, and a gyro all came with a side of pita chips. The food was great authentic middle eastern food. The service and ambience and sub par, the restaurant part of this place looks like a truck stop diner. The location is a bit out of the way and does not seem to be in the greatest part of town. The staff were friendly and the chef talked to us and other customers through the window as well as brought us our food. I will say that the shawarma and gyro were great and you could tell the ingredients were fresh, 5 stars. She lentil soup not as great but very hearty and filling. I would give this place a 4 1/2 out of 5 for food and price but the environment could use a little sprucing up. It is nice to try a restaurant out with groupon and some are worth coming back at full price and some are barely worth it with the groupon. This is a restaurant I would come back to however and happily pay full price.

Unhappy. I went to try their food for the 1st time. i had a 40.00 living social coupon. i had ordered some 63.00 dollard in food and they were going to give me 20.00 off for the living social coupon. so they got to keep their food and they lost a potential customer for good--

First Visit. Went here for the first time and from the moment I walked in was impressed. Very clean environment and several patrons eating but not a long line. Once the lady at the counter found out it was my first time there she made suggestions and walked me through the menu. She even provided me with a sampler platter at no additional cost. Prices were very reasonable for the amount and quality of food. Server was great and I even got to talk a while with the manager. Will recommend and will be back. ***** Stars

The Pita chips are perfectly fresh, light and crispy, with just the right saltiness...not hard and painful to chew like in a lot of places. The Chicken Pita Crisp was so flavorful and you could tell the ingredients were fresh by how crisp and colorful they were, and my whole meal was only $6!! The employees were very welcoming, since I told them it was my first visit, and they were happy to accomodate a special order due to my food allergies. The location itself is by no means fancy, but if you are looking for authentic Lebanese, friendly service and tasty food, go here!

Great middle east food. Naji's is a great little cafe attached to a middle eastern grocery store. I decided to try something new so I went for the Makanek which is a pita wrap with authentic Lebanese sausage, onion, tomato, hummus and toasted pita chips. It was a great combination of flavors and the Lebanese peppers were a great addition. Service was very friendly and prompt. The building was a little worn, but it was fairly clean. I liked it.

It's a dive

I loooooove Naji's. The Chicken Pita Crisp is amazing.

DELISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The food is delicious, the service is great, i personally recomend the chicken pita crisp it was awesome <br/>p.s. the blonde waitress at the hoover location is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quality and value. Most of my office had been and raved. I finally made it there last week and have been back three times. The food has the traditional flavors with a new world flair. The quanity you recieve also makes it an exceptional value. One of my new favorite places.

SO ORIGINAL!. When my wife and I first tried Naji's, we were a bit skeptical because of some negative reviews on this website. But, we had a Groupon for it, sever co-workers had recommended it, so we gave it a shot. And may I say, IT WAS DELICIOUS! It is extremely authentic, from the hummus to the tabbouli. I had the Lunch from Lebannon, which was somewhat of a sample platter, and very, very good. My wife had the Pita Crisp, a recommendation from the server, and it was quite tasty. It was definitely different, but incredible. We will be returning!

My New Addiction. This place is truly one of a kind! The atmosphere is so family oriented and the food is always fantastic. It takes pita to a whole new level because it is always so fresh and warm...MMMM. The Chicken Pita Crisp is what I get almost every time I go to Naji's. Each bite has its' own burst of flavor and I simply can't get enough!! My mom gets the Mograbia soup, (which has amazing flavor and texture) and my sister gets the wings (yes, they have everything!).<br/>PeaceLoveNaji's

Love Naji's. My family has been to Naji's in Hoover a half dozen times since it has opened. We love it. It has a family and community feel. Everyone who works there is friendly, and works hard to make you feel like you are part of the Naji's family. The food is superb, and our experience has been altogether delightful. I highly recommend Naji's.

Just not that good.. I gave Naji's several chances because a trusted co-worker recommended them from their previous location, but I just do not see it. The pita is not what I am looking for in a "fresh" baked pita. It is very thin and closer to a hollow tortilla than a warm moist pita. This causes their pita chips to be thin and almost burned tasting after being fried. The tabouli is rolled into tiny balls (like hushpuppies) and fried and they to taste burned. The veggies in most of the pita wraps are totally raw and that causes the flavors to be to pungent to work together. They should be sauted at least a little. I realize that this is a personal preference but it will keep me from wanting to go back. I will say that the hummus is very good, some of the best in town, but then you have to use the burned pita chips so it ruins the flavor. All in all I have several other middle eastern restaurants in town that I would prefer, but don't take my word, give it a shot yourself.

AMAZING!. When I went to Naji's I was looking for lunch, what I found was quality food, and a great enviroment, the Chicken Shawarma had a good compliment of turnip pickles that really made the sandwitch POP! They had cute little table tints that were NFL football team helments that my son loved, and the chicken and friens definately had him satisfied. My husband enjoyed the Chicken Pita Crisp and just loved it, I'm so glad we tried this restaurant, and we will be returning very soon!

We try hard to take care of all of our guests. Usually when I'm there we have a great time and all our guests are happy. Sometimes when I'm not there, the great kids we have working lose focus and don't give the kind of service we like to give. I would love for you to contact me and give me your feedback so I can deal with problems specifically. I promise to work as hard as I can to make this place better everyday than the day before. My email is naji@pita.net. Thank you, Naji

This place is incredible.. So I finally tried this place and cannot tell you how much I love it. Seriously, it's insanely good. I introduced it to my office workers, and now they are addicted too. I know this sounds like I am making it up, but it's not unusual for me to see a friend or coworker go to this place two days in a row.<br/><br/>Try the Chicken Pita Crisp. Whatever they put in that thing is so savory... it's fantastic. Also, their Babaghanoush is incredible...<br/><br/>Forget what the other posters said... this place is the real deal.

Poor Service. I visited the new Hoover location on July 30th due to a Groupon deal. The restaurant appeared to be only staffed by teenagers who were not that helpful. The kid who took our order brought out our food (after a lengthy wait) and then remarked "you guys need silverware". After waiting for her to bring it I finally just went up and asked for it myself. I felt like the food was way over-priced, there were dirty tables everywhere and I generally felt like it was poorly run. I will not go back

Poor service and yucky foo. I ate at the new Hoover location with my two children and was seriously disappointed. The restaurant was staffed by 3 teenagers that were more interested in talking to each other than waiting on customers. I had a Groupon and I had to explain to the cashier how to enter the information in the computer. <br/><br/>We ordered the feta dip appetizer, a child's pizza with fries, and one of the chicken pita roll ups. The feta dip was red and had so many other flavors you couldn't even taste the feta. The homemade pita chips were so greasy they dripped when you picked them up. <br/><br/>The kid's pizza was burned. The non-burned part had a good flavor but it was hard to find a part that wasn't burned. The waitress said she was bringing our fries and never did ... even after a second reminder.<br/><br/>My chicken pita was good but the flavors were too intense. The menu said it had pickles in it, but it was pickled turnips instead of regular pickles. Gross!<br/><br/>The sweet tea was also so old that it was spoiled. It tasted rotten.<br/><br/>We will not be going back.

Go for the baklava!. If you like baklava, but think it's too sweet/sticky, try Naji's. It is indeed sweet, but not too sweet and sticky like some others. Thankfully, I can pass by here on my way home from work and pick up some whenever I have a craving, like I did last week-LOL!