Shemali’s

This is a local favorite for all in the Foxhall Place staff/AU/Wesley Heights and Cathedral Ave NW area! It became one of my new favorites after moving to remote working! Its the perfect Lebanese flavors of foods but with so much more available in a small space. The food, the flavors and the staff - everything is top notch. The menu is broad and everything I've tried has been delicious. You can get hot foods, deli foods, frozen foods, fridge foods and a wide range of European desserts and cookies. If you're from across the pond, they are bound to have some of your favorites from Ireland, UK, France, and Europe! Some of my highest recommendations are based on items I have got regularly and are consistently delicious and high quality. Portions are very generous and you will NOT be hungry the rest of the day. I never even need a dinner after eating lunch here, its that good. Fantastic value for money for the portions and all delivered with a smile. For those visiting or attending Foxhall Medical Center, this is your go to for stable, good quality food that appeals to all flavors and taste buds. I highly recommend the following tried and tested. The falafel wrap (OMG get it "as recommended" its delicious, comes with the freshest of produce and the tahini sauce is divine. All served so neatly in a tight wrap but so full and generous in portion. You can even order a solid portion of fries to make a big meal out of it but on its own, you're still going to be full! The add-on prices are so competitive compared to other places! Also highly recommend the Vegetarian platter which includes 2 falafels, spinach pie, 2 veggie grape leaves, hummus and taboule salad with tahini sauce, pickled turnips and pita bread on the side - scrumptious!!! I did try the Hummus platter, Hummus wrap, burger, Gryo wrap and Kafta wrap on different occasions and every time they have been simply delicious and so tasteful and filling. Seriously I have not had one thing here I didn't like. You can order individual items from the deli on a cute little tray and you can order fries, burgers, meals (added lately and look and smell divine so on my list to try). You can top up your items and/or meal with sides of fries, pita, meat, rice or even dessert rice with cinnamon (my personal favorite!!) The staff are incredibly cheerful, happy and professional and so helpful giving advice to people who are new and/or not sure what they want. They help you find things in the store and are very accommodating to questions. I've watched them help elderly people and take their food to the tables to help them settle into their meals. They also have soft drinks, water and other varieties of drinks familiar to Lebanese and Europeans alike. Such a global deli!!! I love supporting local and small businesses. If you are in our area look them up, they are worth it and great value for money! Note - Street parking, parking at Foxhall Square Medical Center or next door at Chef Geoff's (paid parking) and there are tables outside Shemali's if you wish to eat on site. This location on New Mexico Ave is Wheelchair and walker friendly! There is also a Starbucks up around the corner of the mall, an on location Walgreens (great staff here too!) and Wagshal's is next door if you need other items

If you like Middle Eastern food, head to Shemali's. There are two locations, but this one is along New Mexico Avenue NW. It's inside Foxhall Square, a small shopping complex. Walk to the back and find a market with a food counter in the back where you can order hot food. There's a grab-and-go area with dips, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and other items. I stopped in for veggie stuffed grape leaves and meat (beef) pies. Both were very tasty and were fresh. Service is kind!

New to the area and wanted to try restaurants close by AU dorms. Found this place and saw they have kabobs, which is one of my favorite foods. Went there after work and ordered the beef kabob platter. I advise you to call ahead because I waited 30 minutes to get my food. I was told 15, but it ended up being 30. Now, being from NJ, I'm used to kabobs being on a stick. So when I got to my room and opened the container, I was confused about what I had received. It was just a few pieces of meat in the middle of French fries. There was 8 pieces of thick cubes of beef. So I figured that's the equivalent of 2 kabobs. I got the garlic whip and tzatzaki sauce. The food was delicious. The meat was cooked more than the medium rare I asked for but it wasn't dry or tough. It was perfect. The garlic whip was amazing. I've never heard of it before but man was it good. The tzatzaki was a little runny so I didn't really use it. Fries were good as well. Overall for the long wait it was worth it. Definitely will get this again.

What an incredible hidden gem, seriously! It is located in a two story nondescript building called Foxhall. When we went, On a Saturday, there was free parking in a deck. I actually thought Google had made a mistake! Our family of 5 had very different orders. One got a selection of the delicious Lebanese rolls, the other some prepared salads. Two got gyros wraps. I had the chicken shawarma platter, and paid 2 dollars more to get baba gannouj and hummus sides rather than the sides on the menu. Verdict: everyone thought their meal was delicious! The platter portion was quite large. I bet two people with smaller appetites could share. There were a few tables outside for seating, maybe for 10 or so people.

Mr Chemali used to be the chef at the Lebanese embassy. Their catering is world-class, and their food is delicious. It is higher quality than what people expect, which means people can be surprised by the flavor. For instance, their falafel is bright green inside, due to all the fresh herbs. Shemalis may be the best deal in DC. We used them to cater our wedding. I especially recommend their garlic whip and lentil soup.