Shahrazad Market

So glad I went to this market it has an excellent array of Middle Eastern and South Asian products. Definitely recommend.

I went to Shahrazad Market for the first time recently and I had a wonderful experience. The owner, Rashid, was very friendly, helpful, and kind as he gave me some very nice recommendations for some groceries that I do not buy frequently.

The shop itself is very charming and has a wide selection of Middle Eastern food items and products. I purchased some locally baked pitas here that where positively outstanding!

I'll end the review with one last bit of praise for Rashid. He was very welcoming and gave me assistance quickly in a way that was very helpful for someone who was wanting to learn more about Middle Eastern culture, I highly recommend Shahrazad Market

Sometimes I wish I could give something 4.5 stars, but seriously, the food and service deserves 10 stars, and I'm torn, between four and 5 stars. The server, who might have been the cook bent over backwards for me. This is for the cafe, which is delicious.

As for the market, I glanced in and around. Impressive selection that will beckon my call when I have more time. Lot's of Middle Eastern specialty food in this small, but well packed grocery store. Even Middle Eastern soda in cans, which I find fascinating. I find all sodas from foreign countries fascinating. The employees of both the store and the cafe are charming, friendly, and I love exploring different cultures. Strolling up and down the aisles gave me a sense of being somewhere else for a second.

I chose Shahrazad Cafe cause I have read Rob M.'s review, and I love baba ganoush and falafel. The cafe is small, and then I read a Yelp' review, and fond out it used to be a Quizno's. Don't expect a beautifully decorated cafe. There is one part of the wall that has an aged area, where there used to be an arched painting or wall decoration,and the wall paper is coming off on the corner.

Take out, for me, in this area is never an option as this is way too far from home. I chose to eat in the cafe, despite the wall in need of good repair, maybe it is being painted? I can ignor the wall, cause wait until you hear about the food, and how good it is. I asked if I was to sit anywhere,and the man at the counter was very polite. He was very quick to take my order (easy for me, baba ganoush,and falafel appetizer). I ordered water, and he bought out a bottled water, and didn't charge me for it. The bottle of water was a blessing, cause I was on my way to Zumba class, and I had forgotten my bottled water.

The falafel was delicious. It had the correct spice, and was completely Middle Eastern, not Americanized Middle Eastern.. There are 8 on the plate. It had a type of sauce but I don't prefer falafel with any sauce. The falafel was about the size of golf balls. It's difficult for me to describe how good they actually were. You'll have to try them yourself, for $3.99.

The baba ganoush was equally as good, with fresh pita bread for dipping. The server offered me more pita bread if I needed it.

He was attentive, but not overly. I thought service was good. I had enough falafel to take home for a yummy snack tomorrow. Hopefully, next time I'll be able to visit the market a bit longer.

Topeka doesn't have a Mediterranean restaurant to call its own so almost every time we venture to KC, we try another one there. (If we went to a different one each week in KC, we'd still not have tried them all by the time a year is up.) However, we may never need to try a new one after this.

It was early for dinner, on a Wednesday, almost 5pm. We were in the area, trying to figure out where to go and what we wanted. I searched all of the close restaurants on yelp and settled on Shahrazad. It was about 4 miles away from where we were, and easy enough to find, tucked into a stip mall.

When we got there, we were only the second group in the place. The (assumed) owner was really busy chatting with the other table and seemed to not want to be distracted. My hubby took off for the restroom and I started looking over the menu after asking for some water. The menu was just like on the Yelp link here and I'd already gravitated toward the Gyros. I again asked for water. The husband came back and I suggested we get the sampler platter for 2 and each get a sandwich. Our water finally came, we placed our order and waited.

Another lady walked in, and was getting a to-go order but was waited on before us. I can't remember if she actually got her food before us or not, because pretty quickly the sampler platter arrived and we became consumed in trying all the goodies. It was ALL delicious. An it probably would have been enough for us without sandwiches to boot. But, like I said - none in Topeka = treat in KC.

By the time our sandwiches came, the owner/server was giving us proper attention. Really, there's nothing to complain about. I was really thirsty and wanted water immediately. It took longer than it should have for my parched self. I can forgive it. He really was quite friendly and did a good job.

The sandwiches were stellar too. We got one Gyro and one Kifta and tried to split them - I couldn't eat a whole one so hubby ended up eating like 3/4 of both. They were absolutely delish.

I can't wait to go back and try the lunch buffet. :) I am hoping the rest of our family will be open to trying it our on one of our yearly treks to KC for shopping.

So the environment in the dining area was clean and cafe style decor. Lots of middle eastern decor and a market right next door. The bathroom was gross, looks like a bachelor's bathroom in need of a deep clean, and I'll leave it at that. I've seen worse, but it wasn't very good, but not enough to sway my decision to go back - which we will, as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Four instead of five stars for the service and the bathroom.

Best grocery store . Owner very helpful
He alway help me to take my items to my car
Very sweet of him
Store very clean everything u need u can find them there

Had an order or hummus with gyro meat added, pita, and a Greek salad with chicken. All very good.

They had a buffet at lunch time too, but I am happy I chose to order off the menu. My order was obviously more fresh, and not dry at all. I was there toward the end of the lunch hour, so some of the stuff in the buffet was looking a little dry.

Will definitely be back again when I'm in town, and need a gyro or hummus!

$7.99 all u can stuff yourself with Kifta & Chicken Kabobs? Now that's what I'm talking about!!!! It's very rare to see a Mediterranean restaurant offer such a wide variety of food.

The staff is very courteous and kind. I also appreciated the clean eating areas as well. The market next door also offers a wide variety of Middle-Eastern products including tahini, baklava, and other common items.

3.5 stars...I wish Yelp had something between 3 and 4 on here!

I definitely had to try this place, as I am a fan of Middle Eastern food. Once the cafe opened, I was all over it...take out, as per my usual. So here are my thoughts:

The service itself is not that great. The people are somewhat friendly, but not overly so. However, they are speedy so I will give them props for that. With takeout, speed beats friendliness.

I had the ground meat "kifta kabob", which I have always enjoyed at other establishments. It came with rice and your choice of salad or soup, and I chose salad. Got my food to go (smelled delicious), drove home as quickly as possible (as per the delicious smell), and ripped the carry out box open. It had a ton of meat, even more rice, and a really small but fresh looking salad. The salad not only looked fresh but tasted very, very fresh. The kifta was tasty and plentiful...really a huge amount of kifta for the price. Rice was awesome and could feed a small army.

The price seemed fair - $9.99 for three good sized pieces of meat, tons of rice and the small salad (along with a bottle of water while I waited). The atmosphere is nothing. It's an old Quizno's that has had zero remodeling done. Get takeout...the atmosphere is terrible.

So, I would definitely come back for the food, but only if it were takeout. Again, I can't see me every putting myself through the punishment of eating here. However, for Middle Eastern food in JoCo, I still see it being a second best to Holy Land Cafe on 87th.

This review is specifically for the restaurant side. (Ran out of time to browse the store, next time though!!)

First off I love a clear sign that indicates pricing. It was right on the door. Price for buffet. Price for buffet plus soda. Price for buffet plus baklava. Walk in, seat yourself and get started.

Lunch buffet was priced very reasonably for the variety and quality of food offered. Our host, a nice young man, was very attentive and kept coming over to check on us and refill drinks. LOVED the tea infused with sage, not a combination I've tried before, but I'm hooked!

Husband loved the rice and meats (superior seasoning and very juicy!) ... and I was all over the pita bread, hummus and tabouleh. Fresh. Tasty. Well priced. Come for the lunch buffet, something for everyone there!

This is a review for the market side:
I had a specific Persian food item I was trying to find locally so I wouldn't have to order it online. I FB Messaged the market and they responded pretty quickly that they had the item. When I arrived at the store, no one greeted me. I wandered around for quite a while trying to find it. I couldn't find anyone to help me. There were several other items I considered trying, but they didn't have prices. I had to wait several minutes for someone to come to the register. Also, *you have to spend at least $10 to use a credit or debit card.* The prices seemed a little high on the grocery dry goods.

Go to this market if you need a specific middle eastern item you can't find at your grocery store. But don't expect anyone to help you find it and don't expect a bargain.