Arpeggio Grill

Always have a $ 5 pizza special. Great deal and actually really good pizza.

While the décor and atmosphere is nice, the food is not.
I was pleased to get a gyro for $ 5 even… but the price could not overcome the fact that more than half of the gyro meat was charred and burnt to a crisp. The vinaigrette used for the Greek salad tasted more acidic than sulfuric acid! Ouch. Also, the hummus was dull and the pita bread wasn’t cut up already.
I will never come here for a gyro again. I personally will head next door to Vert’s for a kebap… at least they correctly prepare their meat and it isn’t crunchy… blegh.
Crushed ice is always awesome and the service was good, so at least there’s that.

So far I have gotten the chicken kebab plate and chicken salad here. Both Are absolutely delicious. The chicken on the salad is so incredibly flavorful!
My only complaint is that on the chicken kebab plate, I asked for more salad in place of the pita (since I’m gluten intolerant). The girl at the front said no.

Arpeggio Grill used to be one of the best deals for lunch (or dinner) on the Drag. Their $ 4.99 Gyro sandwich + Soda was legendary in value for the starving UT student. But times have changed (and apparently management) and that deal no longer exists. Sure, there’s still the $ 5.99 gyro sandwich + fries + soda, but the fries are always bland and the gyro has been dramatically reduced in meat content and pita size (totally not worth it anymore).
However, despite the tragic demise of their main attraction, Arpeggio Grill still has one offer that is financially (and edibly) appealing: $ 4.99 for a 1-​topping 10″ personal pizza. We’re talking better than Little Caesar’s quality pizza for about the same price. So if you have a few minutes to wait but not enough time to go to Mellow Mushroom, check out Arpeggio Grill’s pizza with gyro meat toppings (it’s surprisingly delicious).
As far as their actual Mediterranean fair goes, it’s decent quality and their gyro meat is usually pretty tasty. Their plates are a little pricey but you do get a lot of food and quick service.
*Update*
Sadly Arpeggio Grill closed on May 31, 2012, much to the sadness of the entire starving, poor college student population. Their $ 5 gyro + drink special will be sorely missed (as will the $ 6 pizza + drink special). A Fuzzy’s Taco Shop will be opening in its place and hopefully can last longer than its numerous predecessors. RIP cheapest lunch ever…

Simply fantastic! The Arpeggio Grill offers great Mediterranean food at reasonable prices (we college students need to eat, you know!), and is conveniently located next to campus. I have and will continue to enjoy their gyros (potentially the best I’ve ever had), and often find them on the specials board for $ 5 with a drink! This is a must for any fan of Mediterranean or eager culinary novice looking to explore!

Best Gyro in Austin.
The Gyro is it. It’s huge and exactly what I expect — nice crispy edged meat and the right amount of tzatziki and veg.
Best part — $ 5 with a drink.
I can’t vouch for anything else on the menu. Just get the Gyro and you’ll be happy.

In case your new to my reviews, no fluff just 2 bad things, 2 good things & would I recommend it to a friend…
Bad,
1)the plastic wear sucks
2) although empty when we were there, if it was packed it would suck to try to eat, there are too many chairs & tables for such a small place
Good
1) IT’S AUTHENTIC, the people who run it have lived in the Mediterranean (Israel to be exact) and know what Mediterranean food should taste like.
2) read the above. They make their food the traditional Mediterranean way, like gyros are SUPPOSED to be 100% lamb (cheap gyros have beef & lamb, ask next gyro you have if it’s lamb, beef or both) they offer a gyro plate (lots of food) that is all lamb for 7.99!!! Unheard of…
Check it out. This will be the first place I take my friends (esp my Israeli friends!)

Mediterranean is one of my favorite cuisines but the food here is just disappointing. I’ve tried many, many things from here and have never been even close to being blown away. Their meat is generally very dry and the sauces are just off.
I keep coming back here though because it’s really cheap (5 – 6 bucks will get you a meal), really close to campus, and they give you a lot of food.
If you’re looking for good Mediterranean, I suggest you head on over to Pars Deli. That place is legit.

Arpeggio Grill by no means, is the best Mediterranean restaurant I’ve been to but it is not terrible. Today, my group and I ventured out to the drag initially planning on eating at Verts but since they were closed, we thought «hey, why not Arpeggio Grill.» The atmosphere is very chill and the very Aladdin-​like (hip hip hooray for Disney movies) murals on the wall are a nice, but cheesy touch. The cashier was the sweetest thing and helped us with choosing our meals. I ended up getting the beef kabob «sandwich», my boyfriend got the hummus with shawerma plate with chicken, and my friend got the beef kabob plate.
I eat like a little bird so the beef kabob «sandwich» portion was huge. Inside a giant kabob was hummus at the bottom, lettuce and tomatoes, then the beef was right on top. The hummus was tasty, the lettuce and tomatoes weren’t the absolute freshest but they passed my palette test, and the beef was a little on the dry side. Fortunately for me, they were having a $ 5 special for any «sandwich» with a drink so I was pleased with the price as well as the meal. It definitely isn’t gourmet or the best, but it’s tasty and very filling. I wish they had put a little more hummus inside the kabob though, that would have done it for me. I really liked the kabob. It was soft and chewy and crunchy but just on the edges and I liked the «crunch». As for the hummus with shawerma plate with chicken my boyfriend got, it was a giant plate of hummus, chicken on top with a side of pita bread. That was way too much hummus for one person, the plate was drowning in it. As for the chicken, it wasn’t anything to shout about and the pita bread was like any old pita bread. The hummus, again, was tasty but there was just too much. If you’re a die hard hummus fan, definitely try this out but if not, try another plate. And lastly, the beef kabob plate had rice and was not drowning hummus. The beef was the same beef that was in my own little beef kabob sandwich. There was nothing all too different nor special about this plate.
Overall, Apreggio Grill passed the taste test and for the amount of food you get for the price, it isn’t too bad. We all left the restaurant with happy, full bellies. We shall be visiting Apreggio Grill again whenever we have a craving for Mediterranean food since it’s so close to west campus. But are we head over heels in love with the place? Unfortunately, no.

I have come to eat crow. I retract my mean comment about Drunk Sam. Drunk Sam has been expelled (hopefully to medium-​security jail).
Although I do not vouch for large portions of the schizophrenic menu, the gyro salad – with crisp peppers, feta, piles of gyro, and homemade vinaigrette – is a very good and truly filing large salad. A truly filling large salad is as rare as emerald and nutritionally far more valuable.

First, adjust your expectations… I’m not saying this is the best Mediterranean place ever, but within a specific context you’ll understand my rating.
Arpeggio Grill is on the drag and as such should be viewed relative to other drag dining destinations. It ranks near the top for cleanliness, service, and deals, which really does set it apart. The Chicken Shawarma is great for the price and as others have mention, generally comes with a fountain drink (and thank god for that for how else would I get my mega-​dose of cancer-​inducing aspartame). What keeps me coming back is the family-​owned atmosphere and congenial staff. So many places around campus are filled/​run by indifferent vapid young people who are in dire need of an attitude adjustment (if interested call 1−800-INYOASS ext. Foot), that any establishment with a competent and friendly staff automatically sets itself a notch above.

LOVE their pizza! I can’t speak for anything else because the first time I went I got the pizza and haven’t wanted to try anything else.
Every time I have been there, one of their daily specials is a 10″ one topping pizza and a drink for FIVE DOLLARS! This may be an everyday daily special… not sure. Anyways, it really is a fabulous deal especially if you’re looking for a delicious, cheap, and filling lunch around campus.

I ordered falafel, and I got salt. The fries were great, the hummus (despite a mammoth piece of garlic resting inside of the innocent-​looking bean dip) was good, but the falafel? Greasy ball of salt. And yes, I’ve had cheaper falafel that tasted better.
I ended up rolling the falafel in the garlicmus to mask the salt-​lick aura. Almost worked. Really disappointed. Seemed so promising. Gotta take my search for great falafel elsewhere. Really though… SALT.

Well, one thing about this placce I first noticed are those really cool windows. They show menu items on the outside, but once you sit down on the inside you can look out perfectly fine. Kinda neat.
The concept is interesting: fast food meets «style.» Everything is made fresh to order (you can see them fry the fries one batch at a time only when its ordered). It does take awhile though (somewhat negating the fast part).
I got the gyro plate and was amazed at the quantity of food I got. The meat was kinda salty, but hey on a college campus, its quantity over quality right? Lotta salad too with the pita on the side.
My friend got the chicken sandwich, and it kinda raised my eyebrows when the waiter dropped the bun on the table and kinda acted as though nothing happened. The guy at the cashier was obviously ticked off and having a long day.
Could be better, could be worse. Look out for the daily specials.

So underwhelmed by this place. I was really hoping for a great Mediterranean spot RIGHT NEXT to my office (it is literally steps away) but instead I got mediocrity. I ordered the chicken «Shawerma «(their spelling) plate, which sounded great in theory– greek salad, basmati rice, and chicken shawerma meat on top served with pita. But in reality, the rice tasted like play dough and the chicken was not crispy and fresh, and it had a lot of fat on it.
Maybe I will have to try something else. They had a crazy pizza deal (this place is also called the Tomato Shack, weird I know) for a 10» one topping pizza and a drink for $ 4.99. Nice!

A not bad Mediterranean food. It’s half fast food and half sit down.
The people who work that are very nice and go around asking if you need anything during your meal. Generous portions. If you get the plates, you get 3 scoops of rice. The gyro sandwich is huge. Filled with freshly grilled meat, lettuce, and hummus. Everything here is cooked right when you order and you can see it. The vegetables are fresh, I have yet to encounter any browning or wilting vegetables. I’ll pass on the American accommodating dishes like chicken wings and pizza. I mean, you come here for the Mediterranean food right?
They do have daily specials every day ranging from $ 4.99-$ 5.99, which are a steal.
The two counters in the restaurant can be slightly confusing at first.

Yet another Mediterranean food place near campus. Big whoop.
5 stars for generous portions (their gyro sandwich [why is it called a sandwich? It is clearly a pita. Get with the program] is about the size of a Chipotle burrito, give or take a few inches.)
–4 stars for rude cashier who clearly hated his job (I understand working at a food place near campus sucks, but there are other jobs out there if you hate yours so much. Do what you were hired to do, or find another job.)
+2 stars for the way their food tastes: average. I feel that Kismet is way more authentic.

Of course I ate the baklava first. On my drive home I couldn’t hold back. 30% of the way in (yes, exactly 30% of the way in) I ran into some white mushy stuff.
Do you know what baklava is? According to Wikipedia, baklava «is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.» I could have told you that exact description from memory. It does not include filler cheese/​white mush in the center. No. Hell to the no.
I believe, too, that this baklava had maybe the essence of pistachio. The real stuff was not in the pastry. I can tell you this with full confidence because I risked driving safety to peel back the remaining phyllo to check. Nein.
Rewind. Blissfully ignorant of the baklava catastrophe awaiting me, I thought what they hey, let me also order a chicken shawarma to go. Dude at the counter said oh, the chicken shawarma sandwich? And I said uhhhh well on this here description it says it’s wrapped in pita? Like a wrap? And he said yeah, a sandwich.
I’ll interrupt here to inform you that I was a member of the Hellenistic group by association: my roommate and some of my closest friends at school in hellhole, Indiana were Cypriot and Greek. A Greek family operated the local Greek restaurant and by the power vested in me I pronounce that to be the best Greek food I’ve yet to find. This family would never have called the chicken shawarma wrap a sandwich because it’s not an effing sandwich.
So this dish. This chicken with something closer to Caesar salad dressing splatted on it, with some crazy after taste. This is not what I’m talking about as being good.
Shame on you Arpeggio. 2 stars only because I remember being a student and at $ 5 this pita was huge. In my 3-​all-​nighters-​in-​a-​row state, this might’ve been palatable. But times have changed. I threw most if it away. I’m not that desperate.

The main courses are delicious, tender and well seasoned meat with crisp grilled veggies. Also, I’ve never been a big fan of dolmas (grape leaves) as they’ve always been too bitter but that did not stop me from inhaling these – srsly a game-​changer. The hummus and tabouleh and such are fine, not spectacular but good. If all yer looking for are those things and/​or falafel you’d be better off at Tom’s Tabooley.
Overall I think the food here is better than their Airport location and beats the hell out of Kismet or (yech) Milto’s.
One caveat: get it to go. The service was absolutely great but the space they were working in left something to be desired. The restaurant has an awkward ordering set-​up, with a separate counter and cash register for ordering pizza (even though we were able to order pizza from the mediterranean counter). The queueing area was confusing and there were way, way, way too many tables for the small size of the space. It made for a loud, cramped and uncomfortable dining experience.
Great food, cheap price, weak dining room.
Finally, try the greek pizza and order a side of tzatziki to slather on top. It is scientifically impossible for you to be disappointed with this choice.

Another restaurateur is taking a crack at this cursed location (my memory only goes as far back as stix and the recently closed terra burger) which really shouldn’t have any problems attracting customers. But as I have witnessed, and heard, it is seemingly impossible to keep a place open for too long in that location.
As far as I see it Arpeggio Grill on airport already has a pretty solid base, so this location should be able to work off of that, as well as that they easily make better Mediterranean food than the next closest campus haunt, Kismet café.
So what about this location? Its got a cheesy interior with some hand painted walls and pretty standard restaurant fare, but the biggest problem is that they actually have two businesses inside, the other being the tomato shack. The Tomato Shack has a separate counter, but serves the hamburger and pizza portion of the menu that is available at the airport location. I talked to the manager and he said it would make it «easier» for people. I don’t know how it makes it easier to have the pizza menu separated and operating under the worst name and logo (bad picture of a tomato with «Tomato Shack» in a bad font).
They’re not reinventing the wheel with their food, but they serve a very hefty portion for the price, and the food will taste like you expect. The mezza platter has a good smattering of staples (hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouleh, chicken and beef shwarma, falafel, greek salad, and pita) and everything tasted just like I expected it to.
I still like the airport location more currently, but they just opened a few days ago and they were getting their feet under them, so I expect them to move into the four star territory once they get themselves into a good rhythm.