On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon-Thu. 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Loading...
Best Mediterranean food in Ann Arbor, hands down. The lentil soup and falafel are to die for.
The ambiance is lacking, at best. Sure, it's has "character", but so does the alley next to the Michigan Theater. Outdoor seating is nice in the summer, if you can grab it, but the space inside is really cramped and it's always freezing. The bathroom is best described as the closest thing to an indoor port-a-potty (on a good day).
Despite the atmosphere, I still considered giving this place a five star rating because the food really is that good.
Decent Meditterean food, but defiantely overrated.
They have cheap prices and a very simple menu. The food is fresh, but I've had better pita sandwiches other places (i.e. more flavor, spice, garlic etc.). I also wish they had more options as I tend to like lamb when eating this type of food.
But a great quick bite to eat for work lunch or in between classes.
J-Garden is a wonderful bit of Ann Arbordom that I hope never goes out of business. I used to frequent J-Garden at least once a week when I attended Community Highschool (back in the day). Frequently I'd have my old pet rat Freckles in my pocket (he was very civilized, never left the pocket so don't freak-out) and the old owner always gave me a wee bit of lettuce, carrot, or pita for him if I stopped by to pick up a sandwich.
Now that I've woolgathered a bit...on to the review!
Great Chicken Shwarma sandwich...you can get it with hummus, baba, garlic sauce, salad or tabouli on the inside. Very addictive.
Falafels are the best in town - not greasy/heavy and will not sit in your tummy like a brick. The staff are friendly and the entire menu is inexpensive and the wait-time is usually minimal.
Excellent, cheap, veggie friendly food!!!
One of my favorite middle eastern places in ann arbor. Ther eis no ambiance but its a great place to just pick up lunch and its very small. People really go here just for a good quick meal and the prices are great. The schwarma is amazing and so are the tabbouleh. Compared to the other places on campus I would think that J garden has a lot fresher food and there is always a line when I go.
I haven't been to Ann Arbor in 3 years...and I still cannot find a place that makes schwarma like Jerusalem Garden. The Hummus is fresh, the meat is well cooked and delicious.
I recommend for a nice lunch or dinner.
Before the remodel, I would have given it a four simply for it's Chicken Schwarma. Now that there's more seating and a NEW bathroom (I wouldn't even enter the old bathroom) JG definitely deserves a five. The only downside is that they don't deliver. Or maybe that's an upside; I'd spend a small fortune on multiple deliveries per week.
The best thing about this teeny little joint is the outdoor seating. People watching is a great activity for lunching. We got to see a previously seen homeless and shoeless man find some shoes. What an uplifting and heartwarming story.
I went for the shish kebab sandwich, b/c really all I ever want to eat these days is kebab. 24/7. I added the tabbouleh and rice, expecting them to come as sides. I was pleasantly surprised to find them tucked into my pita with the hummus and beef. Other friends enjoyed the kefteh sandwiches and chicken schwarma plate. I could easily spend an afternoon here getting hopped up on Turkish coffee.
Oh J Garden, how I love you so. When I was a mere teenager, coming into Ann Arbor for kicks, you were the first place to introduce me to falafel. At the time, I have to admit, I knew very little about middle eastern food. But over the years, I've gotten nicely acquainted with much of your menu.
I still love the falafel, but also think the tabouli is so fresh and tasty that I could eat it every day. I've yet to try the chicken schwarma, but all my friends rave about it. The hummous is smooth and creamy, and the veggie grape leaves always hit the spot.
As some have mentioned, this place is small and gets accordingly crowded, so be prepared. But... particularly if you can score a seat outside or just pop up to the counter, (or, do take-out and eat in a nearby park) it's one of the best reliable, affordable lunches in town!
oh fine... even though JG already has a ton of reviews, I figured I should put in my review as well, considering this is one of the few places in ann arbor I actually go to pretty regularly. So here goes...
JG isn't particularly authentic, but everything is very tasty. Just recently I learned that there is more than one kind of falafel in the world, but JG's are the first to get me hooked. They are quite large, crispy on the outside, and flavorful and a little spicy on the inside. I usually get the falafel plate, which comes with a starter and rice, along with 3 falafel(s). It's a lot of food! Chicken shwarma is also very good, or maybe it's just the garlic-yogurt sauce that comes with it... in any case - yum!
Damn you Jerusalem Garden, I've been ruined for life by you. I have traveled this world far and wide, and its rare that I encounter middle eastern food that even approaches your yumtasticness.
This place is a little cinder block building. Over the years they have added a back room with tables, and they have outdoor seating during the summer. We sat outside today and ate, very pleasant.
Best falafel EVAR. So good. Excellent humus. I had the chicken shwarma plate today.......tasty. If you are in Ann Arbor, and like middle eastern, don't miss Jerusalem Garden. Its not much to look at, but the food is top shelf.
Jerusalem Garden is easily my favorite food venue in AA. Their price, quality, quantity, and service is unmatched. JG is my first destination when showing a friend around Ann Arbor and NO ONE has ever had any complaints. Most of the sandwiches are an excellent bargain of under $6 (including tax) and are more than enough for a meal. Often I save half of my sandwich for later, though this can typically be attributed to my ordering a starter. I have tried most of the menu items, my favorites including the fattoush salad (with fried pita), kafta kabob sandwich (add the rice and tabouli), and the chicken shawarma plate. The falafel is also good, but I prefer other places for this item as I don't care for how long it is fried at JG (too long IMO).
I have never waited for more than 10 minutes for food when ordering take-out and the wait is rarely more than 15 minutes for a table. Parking is always available in the lot just South, and I have never paid more than a dollar for parking.
Love, Love, Love JG.
When I was in college this was the best place to go on a budget. Starving student prices with top shelf quality. I'm now on the west coast and still haven't found any falafal or chicken shawarma to compete. When I go back to Ann Arbor this is on my must stop list, right next to Zingermans.
Was just back in July and pleasantly surprised to see they have expanded from the grab and go counter I remembered. Now they have small but cozy indoor seating area, and nice exterior patio area with umbrellas to fend away the sun on those hot Michigan summers.
The Falalfal is hands down amazing. Nice and crispy outside but still soft and tender inside. Yum. No over dried cold falafal here.
The Chicken Shawarma is all white meat chicken, fresh lettuce, tomato, & onion with tahini. I always spruce it up by adding hummus too.
This is probably in my top three faves in Ann Arbor. Everything there is delicious and reasonably priced, but the stuffed grape leaves and humus are off the hook. Also the cucumber sauce in the shawarma.
I agree with everything Mariah had to say below. Love the owners and they always have an awesome staff not to mention the food! By far one of my favorite places ever!
Oh and if you need some craft service digs for your film, having a party, or going to a pot luck take out is great. It is light, easy to eat food everyone enjoys.
This place is amazing. The inside is small but not dark or unappealing. The back gets a lot of good natural light and only has a few tables so its not very loud. They have a good assortment of Teas (I think its Tazo).
I ordered a appetizer of Tabouli, it was incredible fresh and delicious. It was a bit messy however with juices finding their way all over the table. Anything ordered here will be absolutely amazing.
Best Lentil Soup EVER!! Sprinkled with lemon and hot sauce, I crave that stuff by the gallon. And its super cheap - only $3. How can you not love it. Plus, the portion is huge. Sometimes the soup plus a small side salad is enough to fill me up for a light meal.
The chicken shawarma platter is ridiculous. As in good. The portion is huge, the chicken is charred and has that delicious grilled flavor. It's seasoned very well and is anything but bland. The garlic dipping sauce is the perfect complement for it. The meal comes with your choice of appetizers. I absolutely recommend the fattoush with fried pita chips. Emphasis on fried. Just do it.
The Turkish Coffee will take you to the next level if you're looking for delicious caffeine.
Try the Namoura for a small, sweet dessert. Cream of wheat, coconut milk, buttermilk and a honey syrup on top. Have I convinced you yet??
The outdoor seating area is amazing. It's like a garden. Although it can sometimes be a garden full of hipsters... Oh well.
I loveeee this place. I love hole in a wall type places, and this is definitely a literal one (its tiny!).
Fattoush is A+. Get it with fried pita on the side if you're getting to go; the pita chips get soggy. Chicken Shwarma here is good, but the actual chicken itself lacks flavor; you get the yumminess from the pickles and the yogurt garlic sauce (which I LOVE) that they pair it with. I'd go for the Kafta Kabob sandwich, Grapeleaves or Kibbeh sandwich instead. Falafel is also A+.
I also love the prices; decently cheap for the amount of sandwich you get.
I'll miss this place when I leave the Ace Deuce!
Jerusalem Garden popped my Middle-Eastern food cherry a loooonng time ago, maybe 1994? I took it for granted back then because it was right next to where I'd take guitar lessons (Herb David Guitar Studio), Little did I know I was eating at seriously one of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in the area. Since then I've turned 27 and have eaten at quite a few other Middle Easter places in and around Detroit / Ann Arbor and every single time I find myself wishing I was back at Jerusalem Garden. The prices are very reasonable, the environment is chill, the waitresses are always nice. Check it out! Only negative is I wish they still offered the "Jerusalem Pizza"!! Anyone else remember this delicious concoction?? I miss it!!!!
This place is cheap, but it's also good. Authentic, who knows, but I'll say I'm half middle eastern and get "authentic" food on a regular basis. To me this is the place to go in A2 for middle eastern food, especially if you like to keep some $$$. The falafel is, as mentioned below, incredible. I usually don't even like falafel.
Quick & inexpensive Middle Eastern food. I needed a quick something yesterday after walking all around downtown Ann Arbor and the Chicken Shawarma sandwich was a great choice. Definitely will be back there when I visit A2 again.
I liked this place. I had the falafel plate, which turned out to be a good choice, as it was one of the tastiest falafels I've tried in my life. I was satisfied with the baba, which I had as a starter, but I was mildly disappointed in he hummus and rice "pilaf" (which was actually more like yellow rice and less like pilaf). I thought the service was great....the waitress was very helpful in helping me choose something in my moment of indecisiveness. The prices were very reasonable, especially given the generous portions.
I love this little Palestinian food shack. First, the staff is great---I'm known around there as "Chicken Shwarma Dharma." The chicken shwarma sandwich is killer--I have never had as good as this. You have to like garlic though as it has a garlic yogurt sauce on it. I'm not a big falafel person, but they make theirs fresh and it's quite good. Another favorite is the vegetarian grape leaves! So good.
I prefer getting take out there as it is quite cramped. At lunch, be prepared to wait in line.
If tasty, cheap middle eastern food served with hippy happiness is your thing, you're going to love this.
This is a very chilledl-out hole in the wall place that has much better food than you'd expect from looking at it.
Is it Cedarland from Dearborn? No.
Is it lebanese food like haji used to make? No.
"Authentic" is a word that pretentious folks like to throw around to remind you that they've been there and you haven't. The only way you get "authentic" middle eastern food (ingredients, etc) is to goto the middle east? Got it?
So, while it may not be authentic, it's tasty. It's fast. And you can watch them make it if you sit at the counter. I'll take that anyday...
I feel the strong need to add a star because of my recent discovery: chicken fatoosh. My colleagues and I order from JS about once a week and I am always looking forward to those days! Order their fatoosh dish with rice and their schwarma sauce, and have enough leftovers for dinner or lunch the next day!
Great little lunch spot. Get there early (before noon for sure) in order to get a table--they only… Read more »
The best falafel in Ann Arbor. The lentil soup and the hummus are pretty good too!
Four stars because the indoor seating is the pits. Dimly lit, claustrophobia-inducing, uncomfortable. Five stars if they remodel!
Jerusalem Garden has some of the tastiest falafel I've ever tried! These falafels have to be the best things about living in Ann Arbor. Honestly, it doesn't even matter if they have anything else on the menu. Why bother trying a dish that isn't quite as fabulous as their falafels?
This is a tiny little restaurant, so go for a late lunch, when there's a better chance of a seat being open. Or, get take-out... although those falafels won't be quite as crisp and perfect after they're wrapped in styrofoam and driven home.
You aren't going to find a better falafel in N. America unless you have a Lebanese Grandmother.
End of story.
I found this establisment thru Yelp while in Ann Arbor on business. I should preface the review with a note that I travel regularly with my work and avoid chain dining always whenever the decision making is in my court. Jerusalem Garden goes in the bookmark as a great discovery! Why? Authenticity in the menu and food preparation, multiple seating options (counter, outdoor patio, standard in-door/wait staff, take-out), friendly staff, more than acceptable order to served time and lastly, a cool laid back college crowd atmosphere. What did I eat from the menu? Jerusalem burger (ground beef seasoned with onions, parsley, and spices baked in grape leaves, wrapped in hummus and a large pita bread) + a wonderfully prepared fattoush salad + water. Bill? Slightly under $10 without tip and worth every penny. DO GO if you are in A2 and craving a taste of Mediterranean cuisine.............and no need to dress up.
Although service can be a little wishy washy the food here is amazing. It's fast, delicious, and can be taken on the go.
Best hummus in town!
Jerusalem Garden reminds me of a little garden nook. I bellied up to the counter and fancied me some fattouch (2 thumbs up here) before heading to the elbow room for some tunes.
The staff here is extremely friendly and if you've been in there more than twice, they most likely already know your name. The falafel sandwich with rice is a noted fave of my comrades-- As stated earlier, I really like the fattouch with some hummus..
I do wish, however, that they had a liquor license there-- but I guess I view it more of a quick bite stop rather than a long drawn-out conversation meal-- but an ice cold beer would still taste not sooo bad.
I can't wait to go back to Ann Arbor to go back to this place!
Best middle eastern food in Ann Arbor hands down! I think I could wake up and just eat their falafels all day long.
The carry out service is really fast too. After you place your order they make it fresh on the spot and you're out of there in less than 5 minutes!
Love this place, but there's hardly any seating. That said, the falafel wrapped with fattoush and fried pita chips will CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE. Plus it's Palestinean-American-owned (a plus for me politically) and the current owner took it over from his papa who worked hard to set up the business over the course of 20 years. How do I know all this? Because I was google stalking the place and the current owner as he is fine as hell. Yummy food and a yummy owner? score!
Best. Falafel. Ever.
You could order other items from Jerusalem Garden's menu. I had some of them, and they usually are good. But why? The falafels are just so absolutely fantastic. (For a reference point: they are better than, for example, Mamoun's in New York.) Get falafels with hummus and hot sauce, and you have a fantastic meal for ~$5.
Jerusalem Garden has the most delicious falafel in Ann Arbor! It's a moderate trek from campus, but inexpensive, quick, and freshly made. It's a good place to go when you need to satisfy both vegetarians and us meat-eaters. The baklava is also pretty great. Just too bad they no longer have that mid-east mango nectar.
I've been going here since I was 15 and would hang out downtown because I thought it was terribly edgy and cool. Many years later, after I developed a healthy since that I was anything but cool, I still return to Jerusalem Garden.
I LOVE the food here--and every time I eat at other Middle Eastern restaurants, I find myself comparing them to Jerusalem Garden. Their lentil soup is incredibly good and, seriously, who does not love their grape leaves? And definitely try their falafal with hummus and tomato--it's amazing.
I've brought many friends here, several of whom have compared it to how good food was when they were in the Middle East... so despite my lack of direct knowledge, I trust from their insight that it's pretty authentic, especially for the American Midwest.
Can't decide where to eat a quick lunch? Go ahead, decide on J Garden. Call it in first and pick it up. They have a fabulous vegetarian grape leaf sandwich. The chicken schwarma can be dry, but still good. Make sure to snag a baklava on your way out. For a good cheap eat, a falafel plate comes with some veggies, hommous, and three falafels. The falafels are definitely deep fried goodness.
Their patio seating is awesome and among the bushes you can catch a glimpse of a wire sculpture of a local artist.
Great falafel!!
Everything is good and cheap.
The only bad thing was their Turkish coffee.
This is one of those great hole in the wall type places that help make the Ann Arbor food scene better.
I always go vegetarian at J Garden and usually get some combination of falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, mujadara, stuffed grape leafs, and lentil soup. The food is pretty consistent and you know what you're going to get if you've had it before.
The menu and the food here is pretty simple, but it's so good I've never gotten tired of going back. As an added bonus, you can get a full meal for about $5.
Sitting at the bar is pure entertainment, and if you're lucky enough to get the far left seat, you can even help out with the deep fryer.
Forgettable.
Outdoor seating is nice. Inside looks like a hole. Food is ok, but not really authentic Middle Eastern.
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: Vegetarian
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: Middle Eastern
Ypsilanti, MI
Category: Middle Eastern
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: Pizza
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: Japanese
These are the places I normally visit in the old…
There is a fat man trapped inside me, these are…
When I don't have time (or any desire) to cook,…
A list of my favorite quick bites to eat for…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Ann Arbor restaurants tend to be full of hype and…
Ann Arbor is full of mediocre, over priced joints.…
