Nate’s Deli & Restaurant

I’ve been going to Nate’s since my childhood, and for good reason– the food and service are excellent! I love the cozy diner feel, and the nostalgic pictures of Lebanon adorning their walls. I always get the shish tawook sandwich– perfectly marinated, tender cubes of chicken, with garlic sauce, wrapped in warm pita bread– yum! And their hummus, in my opinion/​experience, is the best I’ve had anywhere in the world (including Lebanon)! They also now serve french fries! Make sure you have cash, because they don’t take credit card.

So, I’ve been meaning to check out Nate’s for years, always hearing how it had some of the best med food in the city. I finally got the chance to check it out this past Saturday, after the Christmas Story Run 10K. My friend from out of town and I were understandably ravenous after the race, and since we were in the area I figured this was the time to finally go to Nate’s!
Meh.
We both ordered the fatoush, which was fine. Fairly standard as fatoush goes, nothing special but fine. I ordered the Kafta dinner and she ordered the Shish Tawook dinner.
Both came with rice pilaf, which was also fine. Hard to mess up rice pilaf, so nothing special there. The pita was serviceable and served warm, which was nice.
But the meat! This is where restaurants rise or fall, based on the quality of the meat! My friend’s shish tawook was sawdust dry. So dry in fact, that I suggested that she might want to send it back. Surely chicken THIS dry at a place of such reputation had to be a terrible mistake. Alas, she politely declined, as Canadians are wont to do. My kafta was extremely dense, chewy, and blandly seasoned. Not bad enough to send back, but I suspect this is just how they make it here.
Every other Mediterranean/​Lebanese/​Turkish/​Middle Eastern etc. place that I’ve been to in Cleveland has far better meat than what they serve here at Nate’s Deli. Even Sitoo’s serves up better food and kaftas that are savory and nearly as light and fluffy as pillows.
They do have good Turkish coffee and serve a very generous amount, which I appreciated.

There were hairs in my food. I pulled the first one out but then there was another. The server said I would not have to pay for my sandwich. When I got up to pay for the rest of the meal, the two people up front (a man and a woman) told me the total. I did not get the opportunity to review the check at the table. The total included my sandwich. I told them that the server said it would be free and the woman said that the one with the hair was free but the replacement sandwich needed to be paid for. She straight up said «You ate the second one, didn’t you?» I appealed to the man and he replied that if I had refused the replacement sandwich I would not have had to pay for it but that since I went ahead and got a new one (because I needed to eat lunch) that I had to pay. I have worked in restaurants, eaten at thousands of restaurants and have never heard of a policy like this. I was floored. Paid for it and left.

I have never been to Nate’s, and after reading their blurb about having the best hummus in Cleveland, I don’t think I will ever go there. I took offense at the owner’s comment, something about how people who put garlic in their hummus are just trying to cover up the fact that they don’t know how to make it. Excuse me, I happen to LIKE garlic in my hummus, and I have been making it that way for years. There are all kinds of brands on the market who put garlic in their hummus, and people are buying it like crazy. Guess we are all a bunch of dummies who don’t know what hummus is supposed to taste like. What an arrogant remark to make!!!

Amazing Food. Excellent Service — Consistent, Consistent, Consistent! Best go to place for comfort food.

I recently heard that Nate’s has the best hummus in Cleveland. I love Mediterranean food so it was already on my list of places to try, finally got a chance to have lunch here today with my parents and my fiancé. We all ordered something different and shared sides of hummus, babaganooj, and tabouli. The best hummus in Cleveland? I haven’t had many others, but this was so far not even near the top of my favorites. Not bad, though. I was just surprised.
I ordered the shawarma sandwich wrap. The meat was very tasty but lacking something as a sandwich. It didn’t come with any tomato, lettuce, garlic sauce. Nothing. Just meat and bread. My mother ordered the chicken shish Tawook. Same thing. Just chicken and bread. Dad had the dinner kefta plate. His was probably the most food, but at $ 14 it was a bit much for lunch. We also tried the shawarma over hummus plate. That was a big surprise when it came out because the little plate it was on was so small! The size of a side salad plate. And that was $ 12. I had noticed the photo on Unilocal someone posted of the same dish in a take out box and it looked like they were given a lot more food. I would’ve liked some garlic sauce but that didn’t come with any of our meals. Other than 1 coffee, none of us ordered a drink and the bill came to $ 57. It was just not as good as I was expecting.
On the plus side though we were greeted when we walked in, and our waitress was friendly. Parking could be a disaster but we lucked out and found a spot.

Totally awesome, every time in every way. I would eat here every day if I could!!!
Note: take cash, no cards accepted!

Such friendly, fast service. Falafel sandwich was great — and so cheap! And the hummus bowl was HUGE. Great simple lunch spot for the whole family.

Nate’s is a wonderful local lunch place. The place is always busy for dine-​in and very popular with take away as well.
They do participate in delivermefood.com’s service (a third party restaurant delivery service), but there are order minimums that depending where you want it delivered may be hard to meet when just getting lunch for one. I couldn’t meet the $ 30 minimum for my neighborhood so I called in an order. I was impressed that I was given just a 10 – 15 minute wait time when I called at noon.
I ordered the Shawarma Plate on Hummus. It was served (see photo) in a rectangle to go container. It was completely filled with hummus and then layered with thin and small chopped pieces of well done beef. It was wonderfully flavoured with onion and parsley. I was given three full sized soft circle pitas with it — way more than I needed, but one is great to have so you can mop up all the left over hummous with it. Even with taking hummous with each forkful of meat there was so much left at the end to dip the pita in.
Wonderful filling lunch! If you’ve not tried Nate’s definitely make a visit soon. They only take cash, but there are two banks on the same block as them. Friendly and fast service and my order was ready in the time frame given and despite being super busy was handed to me with a smile.

Just went for the first time for lunch the other day. If you like middle eastern food then this place is a must to check out! Service was top notch and food was the best middle eastern food I’ve have in Cleveland. We were greeted right away and my co-​worker and I ordered the grape leaves, hummus and falafel plate. No joke, the food was out within 5 minutes after ordering! The portions are large and prices are cheap!
Just make sure to bring cash or a check. Also, if you go in the back door you have to walk through the kitchen — but don’t worry all the staff is friendly and they greet you while you walk through.

Great little place with delicious homemade hummus, great sandwiches and a great twist on chicken noodle soup. Cash only.

A few months ago, I was on a mission to find the best gyro in Cleveland and with a recommendation in hand, I went to Nate’s.
I was greeted immediately upon entering by the owner and also a waitress who were both very friendly. It is a clean space, enough seating to bring a few people with you too. I ordered the gyro to go and a slice of carrot cake to go. The wait wasn’t very long, no more than 10 minutes I was in and out. I could not wait to get home!
The gyro: I’ve had many, many gyros and so when it came to this one, it was average to me, maybe slightly above. It was hot and fresh, sauces were amazing and everything came together nicely, BUT something about the meat itself left something to be desired in my opinion.
Carrot cake: how can you go wrong with carrot cake? It was homemade and deliciously overwhelming, I ate it in 3 servings… YES, it’s that big.
Super friendly, clean, good food, good prices! Id come back and maybe try something else next time :)

Hands down the best middle eastern food in Cleveland! Service is fast, food is fresh & servers are friendly! Hummus was good– served with warm pita. Grape leaves were tasty & fattoush was amazing– best I’ve ever had! Excited to go back and try other items!

I love Nate’s! I have been here a couple of times, but am finally writing my review. The food here has been consistently good. Its conveniently located near the west side market (same parking), and features an array of Middle Eastern food at a great price. I got the falafel plate today and it was cheap, filling, and delicious. Plus, our meal came with free pita, and after ordering an extra side of hummus, we left lunch feeling very satisfied.

Nate’s Deli is everything. I am an extremely tough judge of Mediterranean food and it met all of my expectations. I ordered the fattoush, grape leaves, and swarma pita. My mom and I split all 3 and it was the perfect amount for lunch. The yogurt sauce was out of this world! I could eat it by itself. The fattoush was the best I have EVER had and the raw kibbi is AMAZING.
The service was impeccable, out waitress was on everything like flies on shit. I do wish they were open later on week days, though. I would love to be able to come home from work and look forward to eating at Nate’s for dinner. One can dream…

This place is great. epitome of a well run family business. I usually pop in for some lunch take out during the work week. Even if the place is busy, food comes out fast, warm, and cheap.
The shwarma roll is my absolute favorite, and the burgers are also good.

OK. I’ll admit it. Although a born-​and-​bred Clevelander (with multiple years away in other major metros), I only went to Nate’s within the last year. Yes… year.
It always looked like a trashy dump and dirty as a deed done dirt cheap.
A new work colleague suggested it last year for lunch and my eyebrows shot up with a «No way» message like two Wooly Bears tusslin’ on a tree branch in October.
OK, so I went. And, damn, it was GOOD.
I love the waitresses… I love the old school Cleveland crowd. And, yeah, the food is great.
My faves? The shwarma/​hummus plate. Share a fattoush. And, if Im starving? Add two falafel.
Waddle out the door shortly thereafter.
After paying cash. ‘Natch.
No credit cards accepted.

Cant believe I have never been here until now, its the «place to be» of Ohio City. Everyone was very nice. Hummus and Tabouli were very fresh and good both around 5 $. I grew up having lots of Arab friends, I myself am ½ Arab and all of their Moms would have Tabouli and Hummus on deck. Point being, I know freshness when I taste it and this is some good stuff! They gave us a whole bag of Pita and they said just take it for the road, which isn’t a huge deal, but they could have been cheap and snatched it back up. Baked Kibbee with rice was about 8 $, good portion, even better taste.
Almost forgot, CASH ONLY!!! I still owe my friend 12 $ =-0

If you’re from Cleveland and haven’t been to Nate’s shame on you. If you’re visiting from out of town make it a point to stop in, either before or after your visit to the West Side Market.
In the 23 years that I have been going to Nate’s I have yet to sample anything other than their fantastic Lebanese food from their menu. Instead of a deli sandwich, make sure you try the superb baba ganooj and the beguilingly creamy hummus ($ 4.25/$ 6.95). The pureed eggplant is slightly smoky with the perfect balance of tahini and lemon. The hummus is addicting and you will want to eat it with everything; don’t blame me if you find yourself dipping everything and anything in it, just like they do in Sandler’s «You Don’t Mess with the Zohan», trust me it’s that good. Each of these delicacies is drizzled with olive oil, served with warm pita, and piquant, garishly colored pickled turnips.
Next, try the Shish Tawook Sandwich ($ 5.50) — a rolled up piece of pita bread (like a cigar) contains tender cubes of chicken breast and a zippy garlic mayo. If you’re looking for something more substantial, the beef Shawarma Platter with hummus ($ 12.75) will definitely satisfy.
The fattoosh ($ 5.50) is equally satisfying in the «I-​need-​something-​green» kind of way; mercifully the toasted pita chips remain crisp and you get plenty of tomatoes, green peppers and onions mixed with the lettuce, oil and vinegar. The tabbulee ($ 3.75/$ 6.50) at Nate’s has the requisite zing from the fresh lemon juice based dressing without making your lips pucker like in some versions that I’ve had in those new age hippy-​dippy joints. This is the real thing.
For me, dropping into Nate’s is like visiting my own family where the surroundings are well-​known, the greetings sincere and relaxed, and the aromas familiar. The food is authentic, unpretentious, and remarkable for its consistency. There are some things that shouldn’t change; I’m thankful Nate’s hasn’t.

Shove a beef shawarma roll in your face and tell me it’s not delicious.
Go ahead — I’ll wait.
Seriously, it’s one of my favorite lunch items on their menu. Perfectly spiced beef rolled up with delicious tahini sauce in a warm, slightly crispy pita. You don’t need anything else on it or in it. Just enjoy it as it is and thank me later.
Also, they have a signature Nate’s sandwich, but I can’t remember the name. It’s loaded with delicious deli meats, cheese, tomato, lettuce, mayo and more. I don’t know if they sprinkle magic on it, or what, but it’s darn good. Try it with a heartier bread, though. It’s better than with the pita.
The hummus is still the best I’ve had in CLE – ridiculously creamy with a hint of tartness, almost. It’s just perfection. And the fatoosh… I mean, is there better fatoosh around Cleveland? Because if there is, I haven’t tried it.
Still cash only!