Mesopotamia Delicatessen

I was finally in the neighborhood and was able to stop in.
Nice place, nice owner. He offered me a sample of just about everything while I was trying to make up my mind on what to order for my to-​go box.
I ended up ordering several different kabobs, salads, and other treats. I had to have the falafel, of course! I honestly cannot remember everything we had, but it was pretty much a bit of everything he offers, and we liked it all. DH particularly liked his beet salad. I really liked the white bean salad.
I think my two to-​boxes (and a couple of UK chocolate bars) was close to $ 30. A little bit pricey, perhaps. I would stop in again if in the neighborhood, but I may not necessarily make a special trip.

Best falafel hands down in Richmond. As big of a meat eater as I am, the falafels here are the real winners. They’re flavorful, crispy, and fluffy. The owner was very friendly and allowed my friend and I to sample all of their sides as he described them. You can tell that he puts a lot of pride into everything he cooks up here. I personally had the lamb and beef kebab meal, which were good, but there was just something about those falafels that kept me picking off of my friend’s meal. The portions are also very generous – for about $ 10 you get two pretty large kebabs or I think 5 or 6 big pieces of falafel as well as two sides.
This is the perfect spot for a quick lunch after a long shopping trip at Short Pump. Yes, you have to go a teeny tiny bit out of your way, but you’ll leave full and happy that you didn’t get lunch at some generic spot closer to the mall area.

No need to go on & on, it’s simple. You have to eat here, everything is delicious! I will warn you, the food is addictive. Skip the fast casual chains & get carry out from a local proprietor.

This place was so good that my husband and I seriously ate in silence, just focused on tasting every flavor. After a few bites, we looked at each other and just nodded in agreement — delicious food. The guy who helped is was super nice and helpful. It was a cute store and an all around great experience. I will definitely come back when we pass by the area again. So, conclusion — definitely go here!!!

Delicious hidden gem!!! The beef schwarma was so flavorful and delicious! Go for the Turkish coffee at the end, so worth it!

We stopped by this small restaurant/​store and had a very yummy, fresh dinner! Everything tasted great and it was filling. The owner was so very kind and gave us a sampling of all the sides beforehand to see what we liked. The baklava was so delicious as well! Flaky, and not too sweet. It was a large piece as well! I had to get another one to go! If you are anywhere nearby, I would def stop to try some yummy middle eastern cuisine

Come experience the great food and warm hospitality of this special place. Freshly prepared dishes described by the owner will delight you. A real find for experiencing a different culture.

This is phenomenal food, served by very friendly and helpful staff.
Mesopotamia Delicatessen met our high expectations (based on their Unilocal rating) in every way. Everything we ordered was wonderful, and the owner was really nice and let us try samples before we ordered.
We can’t wait to go back.

This place is amazing! The owner is a superstar. Knowing that it was mine and my kids first time there, he explained all dishes to us, and let us sample some so that we knew what we were getting. I like to expose my kids to various cuisines and this was a hit! The food we ordered was all very delicious. I also had Turkish coffee that the owner makes fresh to order. It was the best coffee by far with so much flavor.
I will be coming back when in the area again for sure. It is also very budget friendly, which is a plus with a big family.
Stop by, you will not regret it!

Excellent food! Don’t be afraid to try this place out. All of the food was new to me, I’m a bit picky, but I was allowed to taste everything and was able to put together an amazingly delicious meal for $ 10. I was stuffed!
Plus this place is small and the service is great. For a one man show when we went, we were well taken care of and had a delightful time. I will be recommending this spot to others.

I hate to be the only person to give mediocre reviews, but this place was fairly underwhelming for me in terms of both value and taste. I had the lamb and beef kabob + 2 extra falafels with a side of musabaha (whole chickpea «hummus») and the Iraqi white bean stew. At $ 12, I feel like it was pricey for what it was because it felt like everyday home cooking. I wish there was more fragrance and spice to the food or lemon to brighten up the dishes. I’m not sure if it’s something similar like Pakistani to Indian food where Pakistani is similar but much milder, and this place is Iraqi as opposed to the Greek flavors I was expecting by the menu items? OR if it’s just because they need to cater to everyone so they tone down the spice (like many of the Indian restaurants in the area), or perhaps both. I wasn’t a fan of the tzatziki or baba ghanouj. No hummus on the day I went either so can’t attest to that.
The good was that the owner was very nice and he let me try a little of every side. The notable menu items were the falafel, Iraqi white bean stew, and beets tahini (if you like beets) — the crunch on the falafel was fabulous and there was a homey depth to the bean stew that was fantastic. Next time I’ll just stick with falafels and double up on the same side.

This is definitely authentic. Especially when the family own this business and the couple are chefs themselves. Its a small restaurant but very cozy. Its good to support local small business like this in Richmond. Because the owners cook the food themselves they make sure the food quality is great. Fresh meats, fresh side dishes and clean place.

Great lunch spot. Do not miss it. A caring hard working owner who cares about every customer and their experience. You must get the falafel! Ask for Eggplant Meffeskh on your sandwich instead of tahini.
I eat here for lunch 3 days a week.
Let’s keep these smaller local business getting crushed by the big box names in Short Pump alive and thriving.

OMG. Read so many nice reviews my wife and I decided to try this place out. My wife and I are vegetarians so we both ordered their falafel meals. First off the owner in extremely pleasant and righteous. He made a small plate with all of his sides, nice touch to try before you buy. We took the food home for dinner and the falafel still had great texture when I heated them up. The sides were to die for especially the lentils side. We live on the south side but shop at Whole Food every weekend. Will be back again.

It only gets five stars because Unilocal does not have 8 stars. The food is amazing. The only thing better than the food is the hospitality. The owner could see we were having trouble deciding and made us a sample plate. (Which made it even harder because everything was so good.)
Try the non-​alcoholic beer. Surprisingly good.

5 star customer service plus gluten free, vegetarian options galore! I had falafel with special sauce, spring cabbage, white beam stew, mild curry and a drink for under $ 10! The owner was amazing. I told him I’m gluten free and transitioning to vegetarian. He brought out a variety of options for me to sample. He also gave a detailed explanation of each dish. They were all delicious and the fresh tzatziiki tasted like summertime it was very light and refreshing. All the food tasted like it was made with love! I now feel like going vegetarian will be easy!

Approximately 5 years ago, America as a whole, and VA in particular, became a better place because a wonderful Iraqi couple graced our land with their presence. Humam, (sorry if misspelled), opened up this fine food establishment 9 months ago, and one could easily drive by and not give another thought to it. Alas, one would be remiss if one did.
Suffice it to say that IF you are in the Short Pump area for ANYTHING, skip the mall food court, or any of the places you been to, and find this very mildly-​off the beaten S.P. path-​place.
It is a bit of a store, with seating for just 6 people on deck chairs and table but you’d be doing yourself a favor even if you take it home with you, (as it’s served in take out portioned boxes even if you’re eating here).
What drives the exceptionally authentic and delicious flavors is the passion of the owner we were glad to meet. So passionate in fact that he wants you to taste a bit of what they’ve made that day. Even after I said my usual, «I throw myself in your hands, give me whatever you’d like me to eat for lunch,» he insisted my daughter and I try 8 different things and decide on our super value priced lunch combos.
The kabobs in every variety were seasoned, and prepared with caring and love, as one does when cooking for people you care about.
The flatbread here will revolutionize your concept of bread. You may just throw a Molotov cocktail at the next Wonder bread truck you see. (Please do not. It’s illegal).
My favorite was his description of what we consider to be hummus. HILARIOUS.
EVERY morsel here is spot on, cooked with love and authenticity. We even opted to try 1 single falafel, to our hearts delight.
Yes, just maybe I’m a bit «rose colored» because my school teacher daughter and I rarely get lunch alone, but it was an amazing experience.
DO NOT LEAVE YET! After you’ve filled your gullet with the gloriousness of this cuisine, ask for the Turkish coffee!!! They will serve it with a Turkish delight candy, (remember the Chronicles Of Narnia?), and ask for it «medium sweet.» You will thank me later. A bite of the Turkish delight. A sip of the cardamom-​laden deep dark coffee, (think more interms of strong tea-​coffee-​ish).
In the end, these people represent to me what a diversity of cultures brings to our country. We couldn’t of been encountered by a more pleasant man that represented an Iraq that you are not currently seeing on CNN or FOX. God bless you for that Humam.
I hope you all will check this place out and give it the patronage it deserves, except, when I’m going that day. Then, stay away and don’t put your hands near my plate or mouth!

This place is a hole in the wall place that everyone needs to visit! It’s a small shop/​grocery store with 7 seats (so not great for a large party). But, the food here is absolutely amazing!
First off, the owner is very kind will help you order (because I had no idea what most of the food was that I was looking at). He explains the different dishes and then gave me a little plate of the side dishes to try so I knew which ones to get!
I decided to get the beef shwarma and the meat was succulent and just packed with flavor! It went well with the curry (not spicy kind) and chickpeas with tzatziki sauce. I also tried their chicken kabobs and it was well seasoned and tender.
They also have a turkish coffee which was very rich in flavor! Usually it’s really strong but I didn’t feel the caffeine affects jolting through my arms, but I think it was because I had the itis from all the food I ate because I ended up taking an hour nap when I got home. ^^;;
All in all, am amazing little shop for amazing food with a great flavor profile that you have to give a try!

The falafel was some of the best I’ve ever had! No wonder everyone orders it. It was perfectly cooked and crisp! I also ordered the chicken shawarma which was good but not as noteworthy as the falafel. The sides were also pretty good. The chickpeas in tzatziki sauce was my favorite.
The place is small and there is not that much seating but it’s a good place to check out if you want to pick up something to go.

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon. I had nothing to eat, and I didn’t want to travel more than five minutes away from my house to find something to eat. Luckily, I went on Unilocal and found Mesopotamia Delicatessen located approximately five minutes away from my house and away from the traffic on the other end.
I didn’t really know what to order, but the owner was really nice and helpful and told me to choose a meal and two sides. Because I was still unsure of what side to get given the vast number of options, he let me try a sample of each of the sides along with a stuffed date. Because everything is made fresh daily, you have some time to choose your sides while your main meal is being made i.e. I had chosen two sides but changed my mind and asked, «Is it too late to change my sides?» and the owner literally said, «You can change your mind all you want until your meal is done.»
I ended up getting the falafel, the only vegetarian meal option (although, there were also stuffed grape leaves available to order), and the beet tahini and beans, but I would have been happy with any of the other sides to be honest.
I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, which also included a small salad, a slice of pita, and other garnishes you can see in the pictures other Unilocalers have posted. I was wary of the falafel because I’m not a big fan of fried foods, but they didn’t taste like they were fried at all. I was also full after the meal, which is always a big plus. Combine that with the excellent customer service, and I will definitely be returning here in the future!