Jerusalem Garden Cafe in Asheville, NC

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Telephone:	+1 828-254-0255
Website:	www.jerusalemgardencafe.com
Address:	78 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC, 28801
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	530 ftAsheville Transit Center 1.6 miMacon Ave at Sunset Trail 1.7 miPedestrian Bridge
Categories:	Middle Eastern Mediterranean Tapas/Small Plates

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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations	Yes
Delivery	No
Take-out	Yes
Accepts Credit Cards	Yes
Good For	Dinner
Parking	Street
Bike Parking	Yes
Wheelchair Accessible	Yes
Good for Kids	Yes
Good for Groups	Yes

Attire	Casual
Ambience	Casual
Noise Level	Average
Alcohol	Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating	Yes
Wi-Fi	Free
Has TV	No
Waiter Service	Yes
Caters	No

Today

Today	11:00 am – 10:00 pm Open now
Local time (Asheville)	12:35 PM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday	11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday	10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday	10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Family owned and operated for over 20 years, Jerusalem Garden offers authentic Middle Eastern & Mediterranean cuisine. We serve lunch and dinner daily– with tapas plates, sandwiches/wraps, entrees, and desserts. Enjoy unique and delicious brunch on Saturday and Sunday, or live music and bellydancing on Friday and Saturday nights!

We hand-brew specialty Turkish Coffee and Moroccan Mint Tea, and have a nice selection of local and imported craft beers– bottles and on draught. Our wine list is extensive and includes wines from major Mediterranean wine producers as well as Lebanon, Turkey, and Israel.

While regular tables are always an option, we also have an exotic «tent» room, with traditional floor seating at low tables.

We pride ourselves on quality food and service, and look forward to serving you soon!

History

Established in 1992.

Over twenty years ago, The Badr family started Jerusalem Garden as a small café and gift shop– selling Persian rugs out of what is now the back dining room! But it didn’t take long for Asheville to fall in love with Frank’s cooking, and the food became the focal point of the business.

Around 2002, the restaurant became full service. Down came the rugs, and up went the colorful tent room, where diners can enjoy the full experience of traditional floor seating. Live music and bellydancing on Friday and Saturday night add to the effect.

We now offer a one-of-a-kind brunch, and an all-day small plate menu as well.

Owner Frank Badr and his wife Sonja can still be found tweaking recipes and hand-making our made-from-scratch signature dishes every morning.

Meet the Business Owner

Farouk B.

Business Owner

Farouk (Frank) Badr opened Jerusalem Garden as a café and gift shop back in the early 1990s. It was a small, order-at-the-counter shop that sold oriental rugs out of the back… Asheville fell in love with Farouk’s falafel sandwiches and unbelievably smooth hummus, and Farouk’s cooking became the main focus of the shop.

A little later down the road, the café became a full service restaurant, with lunch, dinner, and brunch. In the back dining room known as «the Tent,» customers can opt for traditional floor seating. On the weekends, we host live music and bellydancing, and it’s a true transportation of the senses.

Even after all these years, Farouk can still be found in the kitchen every morning– tweaking recipes, handrolling grapeleaves, preparing made-from-scratch baba ghanoush, etc… He loves Asheville, and takes great pleasure in providing a unique dining experience for you all!

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20 reviews of Jerusalem Garden Cafe

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Lisa H.

Place rating: 4
Columbus, OH

Great flavors, like the baharat biscuits and gravy and the kefta wrap. Attentive and helpful staff, comfortable and colorful surroundings. And no wait for a table at 12:30 on a Saturday when the place across the street was a ½ hr wait.
The Turkish coffee was not great, but overall this was a two-thumbs-up find.

Anne Louise B.

Place rating: 5
Asheville, NC

Woohoo, I think Jerusalem Garden is truly as good as it gets. I send visitors here, I take my parents here, I take myself here. I would buy their Baba Ganoush by the gallon if I could.
Of course they have wonderful stand alone meals… like falafel pita, lamb burger, Moussaka, etc. but my favorite thing is to order a lot of small things for the table to share. Hummus and baba ganoush of course, both served with a flourish on a plate with olive oil. Grape leaves, middle eastern cheese plate, the list goes on.
To top it off, the wine list is reasonable and plentiful and the service is always attentive and never rushed.

Michael B.

Place rating: 5
Franklin, NC

My go too restaurant whenerver I’m in Asheville! Seriously! This place is the best for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine and ambiance. The moment you walk in the door it feels as though you’ve entered a local café in some far off, exotic location. Every time we’ve been here we’ve been greeted by the friendly staff as if we were invited into their home for dinner.
But what about the food?! Always fresh. Always excellent. I tell myself I’ll try something different every time I visit, but I just can’t help myself and end up ordering the Pistachio Encrusted Lamb Chops every time. They’re that good. My wife’s favorite dish is Eggplant Moussaka. Take your time when visiting. Savor every bite of your meal and every sip of you wine or beer. And if you’re lucky, you’ll get the chance to be entertained by one of the amazing belly dancers. Always a treat when they’re around.
I can’t recommend this place enough!

Lauren R.

Place rating: 5
Durham, NC

What a great spot in downtown Asheville. Our über driver recommended this place saying it was one of the hidden local gems and may be a little less crowded on a Saturday night. He sure was right! Glad we took his recommendation. The wait was only about 30 minutes for a Saturday night for 7. Ask to sit in the way back if you can. We were seated at a long table that had cushions on the floor instead of chairs. I haven’t eaten dinner like this before and it was a refreshing atmosphere and something different than your typical dining out experience. It was fun to sit on the floor and really made the Mediterranean food seem even more authentic! They have some live music and a belly dancer who walks around. The belly dancer was able to balance a sword on her head. We were all impressed.
We started out with wines which were decently priced and the wine glass was filled high. The Pinot Grigio was refreshing and tasty that some of us ordered two!
We started off with the hummus plate. Can really tell the hummus is homemade with all the oils that were present. This was a light appetizer and a good start to dinner.
For my main dish I chose the Kafta Meshwi Kabobs. The lamb and beef were delicious and the spices were on point. The rice was really tasty as well and a side of veggies was a good addition to the meal. They do not skimp on the pita here. Every dish came with so much pita. If you got the hummus or any type of dip for an appetizer, I’d recommend saving some to eat along with the pita given with your main dish.
It was my birthday and the restaurant was so generous to give me a baklava on the house. This was so nice of them! The piece of baklava was enough for our whole table of 7 to taste with more bites left over. It was huge! And so delicious. I definitely wouldn’t leave here without ordering this for dessert.
If in downtown Asheville and looking for a fun, authentic meal, walk in to this restaurant and you will be glad you tried it out!

Rhiannon P.

Place rating: 2
Wright City, MO

Totally disappointed. Usually Unilocal is right on and maybe we just ordered the wrong dish, but this was sub par to say the least. We had the Greek salad and Taboulah Salad… which were both okay. It’s been done before, but it is a little difficult to bomb a salad.
We ordered the beef kabobs with saffron rice and grilled vegetables. I should have suspected something when the waitress didn’t ask us how we’d like them cooked. Apparently they serve them the same way to all… which is overdone and charred… and not the good BBQ kind of char.
The saffron rice tasted just like the Uncle Ben’s microwave packets… processed and funky. Definitely not fresh rice. And the saffron was barely noticeable.
The veggies were less grilled and more sauteed — to the point they were overcooked with a slimy consistency.
I left an entire kabob untouched on my plate… and I was starving when we got there. I decided to hoof it over to a food truck on my way back to the hotel.
We were seated quickly (we had reservations) and the salads were solid… while the waitress was oddly lackadaisical, she did keep our water glasses full… so I gave two stars instead of one. Save yourself the heartache and eat somewhere else.

Lindsey A.

Place rating: 4
Jacksonville, FL

We’re visitors here in Asheville and I had been here about four years ago. I remembered the amazing food and decided we had to come back. You sit on pillows at shorter tables or on the floor in the back room. My 6’2″ husband was a bit cramped but the ambience is worth it.
The waitress recommended the appetizer special– dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon. It was absolutely spectacular! I got the vegetarian platter (hummus, falafel, grape leaves, baba ghanoush, tahini salad, pitas) and my husband got the kebob special (one chicken, one beef, one kafta, plus hummus and tahini salad). They were both absolutely amazing– the baba ghanoush was the best I’ve ever had. The beef kebob was really tender, and the kafta was so well spiced. The grape leaves weren’t my favorite, although they were still good. Both plates came with plenty of pita wedges– there was a huge amount of food on each plate.
They also had a good local beer selection and the service was quick. Granted, we were there at 5:30 on a Friday, but even by the time we left at 7 it wasn’t too crowded. The overall price surprised us though– for two people and one beer each, we paid $ 62. The food is good and the portions are huge, but you will pay for it! (Four stars only because of the price.)

Dawn M.

Place rating: 5
Shelbyville, KY

We love to eat at JGC! The food is always up to par, worth every penny and we love the band and dancing on the weekend. The waitstaff is friendly and attentive. There isn’t anything on the menu that I wouldn’t recommend.

Amanda C.

Place rating: 5
Hendersonville, NC

Burger was freakishly good. Everything we had was great. Can’t wait to go back. Belly dancers add ambiance.

Bill F.

Place rating: 5
Greenbrier, AR

We stopped in on a trip to Asheville. Didn’t know what to expect, but I fell in Love with hummus in Israel and was hoping not to be disappointed. And I wasn’t. Not at all! Amazing hummus and baba ganoush! Very comfortable environment. Our second trip back We sat in the back room on floor cushions. A definite stop next time We come back!

Kris M.

Place rating: 5
Bourne, MA

Come for the batata Harrah fried potatoes! Stay for everything else. The potatoes accompany the sandwiches; they are crispy and drizzled with a cilantro, lemon, garlic sauce that will make you want to lick the plate. Had the chicken shawarma gyro, fatoosh salad, falafel, and babaganoosh. All for $ 25. Great find. Only negative is that sone of the décor is a little run down, but you won’t care once your fid arrives.

Nicholas T.

Place rating: 4
Cumming, GA

A good bet. We happened on it, and since Mediterranean is our favorite cuisine we gave it a shot. As good as Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (aka Bay Root). We had a generous seeing of lamb shank (2) and a swarm wrap made wig leg of lamb. The Babaganous was the best. We ate outside, at one of the three tables. Our waitress was off cue. She was behnd serving from the bar and behind serving from the kitchen. Then she took forever, well I ad to ask for my bill.

Vidinator A.

Place rating: 4
Memphis, TN

Loved the Chicken Gyro. Service was really good. Their Tea is delicious! I love the seating arrangements inside. Great prices, I do wish there was a little more spice in my food. But was yummy!

Leigh W.

Place rating: 5
Jacksonville, IL

This place was a first try & if I lived here I would eat here all the time. The food is amazing & so fresh, very clean restaurant & our waitress had long brown hair braided and she SOLD this restaurant & it’s good to us. She was knowledgable & able to explain a few things we didn’t know about, made suggestions and really made the experience great. Her story was this was the first restaurant she ate at when she moved to Ashville then she preceded to work here. We tried the below & all was good. I especially liked the grape leaves, hummus & Kafta Meshwi, which is basically a ground lamb molded into a Kabob & grilled. Filling but you don’t feel stuffed. Didn’t care for the tahini salad that came with the kabob but I’m not use to tahini. We also spilt a piece of the warm cheese dessert with a dough & pistachio made in house. Oh & they offer mimosas & we’re on vacation so each had a mango mimosa. Yummo. Highly recommend trying this unique restaurant, everything from the décor to the menu is special.
Fresh stuffed grape leaves
Hummus with pita
Lamb Shawarma Gyro
Kafta Meshwi ground lamb kabob

Tanya S.

Place rating: 4
Layton, UT

We had moussaka and lamb chops. Both were flavorful and delicious. The décor is an experience. You might sit in a chair, on a cushion or on the floor. When we were there on a Saturday night, at 7pm the belly dancer started her show. Very entertaining and a dining experience we won’t soon forget.

Aisha H.

Place rating: 3
Chattanooga, TN

Cute ambiance and pretty good service. Tried a variety of items. Enjoyed the grape leaves, falafel, and tabouleh. The falafel was super crispy and tasty. Did not care for the hummus or the lamb. The couscous with the lamb was good, but neither the lamb itself nor the hummus had much flavor. Also was not impressed with the shawarma — have definitely had better.

Alia M.

Place rating: 5
Roswell, GA

Visiting from Atlanta with my parents and we were looking for some good Mediterranean food. We came in on a Friday afternoon around lunch time after a long drive. We found this on Unilocal and decided to give it a try. upon arriving I noticed the décor and atmosphere was really cultural and fun. We ordered some falafel (AMAZING), hummus, and fatayer (spinach pie) for appetizers. The food came out fairly quickly and and was delicious. For our main courses, we ordered the chicken kebab and beef kebab. The chicken was SO good. Some of the best chicken kebabs I’ve had in a long time. We had the honor of meeting the owner who was very kind and generous.
Overall the food, staff and atmosphere were wonderful. Our waiter was pleasant and attentive.
We will be back tomorrow for some sweets/desert and Turkish coffee!
I would DEFINITELY recommend to anyone!

Paisley B.

Place rating: 2
Knoxville, TN

Meh. I think the underlying theme is tragic lack of flavor and egregious portions.
We ordered hummus and pita bread to start. It took forever. Finally, when it arrived the serving size was disappointing. Basically they give you a ‘plate’ and on top of it they dollop a spread of a 1 cup size amount of hummus. I appreciate the darling doily detailwork of the fluted dollop, but let’s be honest. They are serving a dollop but just calling it a plate. And charging you $ 7. Worse, the hummus doesn’t taste great. It has a very odd ‘whipped’ consistency. Hummus should be a flavorful and creamy not some light and fluffy meringue that basically tastes like nothing in the air.
My Moroccan couscous was off to a good start. This was the only dish that had some flavor. The tomato-based sauce and vegetables was the best part. But the couscous serving was too much. Either that or they need to serve more sauce. I ended up finishing up my protein and veggies with half a plate of dried out couscous thirsting for some sauce. And my guy (who lived in the middle east for 2+ years and completely loves anything lamb) really did not care for his lamb dish. It tasted plain and like nothing really. It had little to no flavor at all. Which is criminal because this food should be very flavor-forward.
In the end, we thought about what was actually any good here: 1) the mint tea and Lebanese wine 2) sauce in the Moroccan couscous and 3) the falafel garnish served with the hummus.

Joanne L.

Place rating: 4
Raleigh, NC

The Jerusalem burger with lamb and tzatziki sauce. I also added feta to it. It was so good. Flavorful and juicy. I was going to save half for lunch since I had a snack a bit before dinner, but I couldn’t resist the burger and kept on taking my «last bite» until there wasn’t enough to save for next meal so I finished it. The bun they used is pretty standard. Wish they had toasted it a bit more or use a different bun since it got pretty soggy.
Bf got the kabob special which included a skewer of chicken, beef, and lamb. I really enjoy the veggies on the kabob skewers, but didn’t care much for the meat. They were a bit on the less flavor side and not very juicy either.
We were a bit surprised when we got the bill and saw that the kabob special was $ 26 (or was it $ 24) compare to $ 14 and $ 17 for the chicken and beef kabob on the dinner menu.
Also ask for the chili peppers. So good on the burger and with the kabob!

Canny F.

Place rating: 3
Knoxville, TN

Continuing my food adventure, I ordered the falafel and tried using a fork to eat it. To elaborate on the try, the falafel had such a thick crispy layer that the fork wasn’t able to stab through it. I ended up using the fork as a spoon. The falafel was warm, super crispy and absolutely needed the sauce that was accompanied. As for the taste, I just felt like I was eating something crunchy.
They have cool seats in the back; I took a picture.

Lan N.

Place rating: 4
Knoxville, TN

I came here for the good food and the amazing ambiance. My partner had walked up the the hostess stand to make a reservation. It was very unclear if the time we requested was available. The hostess seem very unclear if there was even a table available. Can’t blame her because this place is probably family owned and they run it how they see fit. Most people like the regular tables but those who are daring will have the low-sitting-on-cushions table. We opt for that option.
Upon sitting down in this room (which looked like a tent with colored fabric drapped) the lighting was quite dim so be prepared to pull out your flashlight if your vision is poor. The menu is quite simple and they do have specials. We ordered the tabouleh, small hummus, and grape leaves as an appetizer. Very reasonable prices and portion. The special of the day was this braised double lamb shank with a side of rice and veggies. Delicious! The meat fell off the bone and everyone was seasoned to perfection.
The only downside of this was: our appetizers came out and we had a few bites. The server asked if we ready to put in our entrée and we followed through with the lamb shank special. A minute later, I kid you not, the entrée arrived. Man oh man, were we surprised to see it. Time management was miscommunicated between FOH and BOH. Possibly a rookie mistake so all is forgiven.

Jerusalem Garden Cafe

Asheville, United States