Naf Naf Grill

Naf Naf Grill is a new lunch option for downtown Minneapolis workers that recently opened in the US Bank Plaza building on the first level. It is skyway connected for the downtown worker that doesn’t like to go outdoors.

The menu touts authentic Middle Eastern food including pitas, falafel and shawarma, all freshly prepared. The ordering process is reminiscent of Chipotle in that you select and build the custom item of your choice, starting with your choice of pita, basmati rice, romaine lettuce or hummus, then select chicken or beef shawarma meat or falafel and add your choice of salads, garnishes and sauces. Sides include Naf fries, lentil soup and basmati rice.

I went with a pita and added chicken shawarma and topped it with chopped salad, some purple cabbage salad and garlic sauce. The chicken was tender and flavorful and the garlic sauce was strong and had lots of garlic flavor. The toppings were added generously and the pita was filled to capacity. The pitas are freshly made in-house and mine was very light, fresh and chewy. I added a side of the Naf fries and they a bit of a potato chip and French fry hybrid as some pieces are cut thicker and some are cut thinner so you get some that are crispy and some more tender.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with Naf Naf grill. It offers unique fare not available elsewhere downtown. I think I’d like to go back and try the salads and maybe some of the other sauce options. The customization of your order does offer a lot of options.


Naf Naf Grill
U.S. Bank Plaza
200 S. 6th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: 612-236-4620
Hours: Mon-Fri 10:30AM - 6PM | Sat-Sun Closed
http://nafnafgrill.com/

Streetz American Grill

John and I stopped by Streetz American Grill in Hopkins recently. Since we go to the gym across the street, we’ve been watching them remodel the building from an empty dilapidated commercial building into a decent looking strip mall for quite some time now.

One thing we quickly realized upon arrival is that the parking lot is not quite large enough for all of the businesses in this strip mall. And there is nowhere to turn around if you can’t find a spot at the end. So that is not great.

The restaurant is counter service, where you order at the register, are issued a number and your food is brought out when it is ready. I believe they offer beer and wine in bottles. There was no line to order and the wait for our food was pretty short.

I had the chili cheese dog . It was ok. The hot dog had a nice snap to it. I was not crazy about the liquid cheese. The chili had decent flavor.

We shared a basket of fries. They were quite good. I needed to add some salt to them as they arrived unseasoned and were pretty bland.

John had the gyro. It was huge. However, there was barley any yogurt sauce on it or in it. He went up and asked for more and they gave him some in a small container. Not a lot inside of it for onions or tomatoes either. Just tons of meat.

I’m not sure we will be rushing back to Streetz. The food was ok, but nothing that great. I guess if I lived or worked very close by it might seem like a nice addition to the area. Or maybe we just did not find the gems on the menu quite yet.


Streetz American Grill
415 17th Ave N
Hopkins, MN 55343
952-217-4406

1200 W 98th St
Bloomington, MN 55431
(952) 888-1411
http://streetzgrill.com/

Trieste Cafe

There are plenty of places that serve average to poor tasting gyros in the skyways of Minneapolis. So after a long and lengthy search, I think I may have found the best gyro place downtown at Trieste Cafe in the Lumber Exchange building.

The meat seems to be about the same quality as everywhere else, but the warm, fluffy pita bread stands out, and so do the freshly chopped vegetables and generous amounts of a light and creamy yogurt sauce. The yogurt sauce stands out to me because it tends to be very soupy and sparse at other gyro places around town. The guy actually chops the vegetables while you watch. That should not be as impressive as it is, but how often do you see that anymore?  By the way, the portion was massive and the entire basket was full of just one giant gyro.

The lemonade is very good as well, seems to be freshly made. The place is about the size of a postage stamp, and there are some tables to eat in if you wish, but I recommend arriving early or late in order to avoid the line. I think it was about $8 for the gyro, chips and a drink.

The Lumber Exchange building is skyway connected, but it is a bit off the main habitrail, so I recommend consulting a map before setting out. Just when you think you know your way around the skyways, you find another corner with a hidden gem. That's just one more reason I love working downtown.

Trieste Cafe
10 S 5th St
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 333-4658

Greek Grill & Cafe

I've been vistiing the Greek Grill once a week or once every other week for awhile now. I'd been going with co-workers to another place for gyros, but figured there had to better options. It is connected to the skyway so it is a great option, espcially in the winter time.

Of course the one time I take other people along with me, the gyros were just so-so. The pita on this visit was a little hard, like it had been sitting too long. I think sometimes they make them up ahead of time for the lunch rush. All the other times I have visited the gyros are actually really good. I like the french fries a lot as well, since they seem to be fresh cut fries and very crispy.

Tracy had the Greek salad and said it was really good. I got a side salad with my gyro on a later visit (forgot to take a picture though) and liked the salad a lot also. The dressing has good flavor and tehre was a nice amount of other vegeatbles in the salad.

I'm not sure that this is the best gyro in the skyway, but it is pretty good. I think additonal research will be required!


Greek Grill & Cafe
40 S. 7th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
P: 612.305.9163
http://www.greekgrillandcafe.com/