I am cheating for this first post of Wow! That Tastes Good! Leila’s Mediterranean Grocery and Deli is one of my favorite places for lunch. I typically have their lentil soup, which is wonderful. I used to have the kibbeh, but due to low order volume, it was unfortunately taken off the menu. With demand, it may come back one day. Hopefully, I’m not the only one who wants to order it.
Leila’s Mediterranean Grocery and Café is located at 5045 Virginia Beach Blvd (Unit 108) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It opened in 2009. I first visited in 2011 when some friends invited me to a post-retirement luncheon. I have happily been an ardent customer since. Chris, and all the staff, makes you feel right at home.
I hadn’t had their chicken shawarma sandwich yet, so I tried it for the first time. Now, I have had chicken shawarma elsewhere. Leila’s chicken shawarma is a head above the rest for one particular reason. The pita is toasted. This one difference takes their shawarma from good to amazing. The warm, crispy, toasted pita is delicious, and lends an extra layer of flavor to the shawarma. It also contrasts beautifully with the succulent chicken.
I was far too eager to get into the first bite, and so I don’t have a right out of the kitchen presentation photo, but I don’t think it matters. The golden hued pita, lovely in the photo, has to be seen in person. It’s served with Lebanese olives and either hummus or baba ghanouj. I chose the hummus.
When you come to Leila’s, give yourself time to wander through the grocery. There are pastas and grains that you won’t find anywhere else. They have fresh pita, of course. There is a great range of snacks appealing to a wide variety of tastes and an eye-catching beverage selection. They have a marvelous array of spices, taking up one aisle alone. Did that new recipe you found call for Aleppo Pepper? They have it.
Come visit Leila’s Mediterranean Grocery and Café at 5045 Virginia Beach Blvd. You’ll be saying, “Wow! That Tastes Good!” too.
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