Al’s Quick Stop

Found this place a while back and it never disappoints! The garlic paste is the best… It’s the perfect go to.

Just had UberEats deliver Gyro plate and a Falafel sandwich. By far the best Falafel I have ever eaten, not sure what was all in that but it was sooo… Good!!! Same with the Gyro. Definitely eating here again.

I came in at 2pm on a Saturday and it was empty. I see the food just sitting there getting cold and not fresh cooked, and I think, there’s no way this is going to be good. But I was dead wrong! I tried the gyro sandwich and the gyro plate. The gyro meat is probably the best I’ve had in Houston. Seasoned perfectly, very tender, juicy, and flavorful meat. I watched them slice huge amounts of gyro off the vertical spit and put it on the grill with the onions and tomatoes. I like that they grill the onions so the raw taste of the onion does not overpower the meat.
For the sandwich, they fill in the meat/​onion/​tomatoes into a pita and wrap it in foil and give you tzatziki sauce on the side. Wish they gave more sauce. It’s a small sandwich but has a ton of meat. It’s cheap at $ 6
For the plate, they scoop up cucumber salad (very sour but still pretty good), hummus (has pickles on top — that’s new to me. The hummus was pretty plain), rice (very fragrant rice!), and a lot of the meat/​onion/​tomato grilled mix on top. A pita and tzatziki sauce on the side. Great value, and a lot of food for $ 8.

Awesome little spot to duck into and get some high quality food. From kabobs to burgers, this place finds me drooling over the selections. Not to mention, the place doubles as a store with a plethora of beverages and snacks. A must go to for someone looking to break away and experience something up and coming.

After studying at Campesino’s in Montrose, stopped at Al’s to pick up dinner. My fellow elite friend took me here, because she loves the good food and quick service. She placed her order online through Unilocal so that it was ready for pick up which I thought was cool! My eyes have been opened.
Sunday dinner time was pretty hectic– my friend said this was the busiest she’s seen it. She got the gyro and lentil soup and I ordered the kabob platter because I was craving rice. Both took 10−15min wait as there was a line of people who had also just ordered. It was okay though because the convenience store has aisles of random, eclectic things you can browse as well as few tables to sit at while you wait for your food.
My kabob platter was great– good bang for the buck. It comes with so much food, you can easily split it into 2 meals. I liked the chicken better than the beef kabob. The rice was great and the grilled veggies was my favorite. It also comes with hummus too which I enjoyed! The sauce I got was not as good– it was a weird mix of ranch and something else. It didnt’ quite fit with my meal so I discarded it. I tried a bit of my friend’s gyro and it is super juicy and flavorful– I will get that next time I come here. The lentil soup was hearty and good as well and comes in a huge cup.
Parking isn’t too bad, you can park on the street or there is a lot near Al’s. I’ll be back!

OH AL. You continue to deliver delicious food at reasonable prices during obscenely long hours. I wanted to write a review update because, well, I ate A LOT of things here over the years and want to chronicle them for posterity’s sake.
0. Not a food item, but a technological boon. You can now order ahead through the Unilocal app/​website! This is definitely advisable during the dinner rush, which I finally experienced for the first time around 7−8pm on a weekend. I’ve always been on weekday lunches and the wait for my food was usually no more than 15 min, but this particular Sunday night, all of Montrose showed up for some street gyros and I waited about 40 min for my food. I had placed my order via the Unilocal app at 7:40pm, got there at 7:45pm and didn’t receive my food until about 8:10pm due to a crazy number of people ordering in person and online at the same time. The app was great in that it did tell me my estimated pick up time would be around 8:05pm but I showed up early anyway hoping it was just a suggestion. So, lesson learned, place an order ahead and really, don’t show up until the time it says it’ll be ready. The guys behind the counter were working like crazy but were still really polite and friendly :)
1. The gyro continues to be my favorite food item. I feel like the meat is getting juicier and that the portion size is going up. I usually eat half and wrap up the other half for later. And always, get more sauce! I have taken many friends here, and every single time I order the gyro, my friends order something else, and my friends have serious food envy. That’s how I know it’s the best thing on the menu… constant food envy.
2. The lentil soup. THE LENTIL SOUP. Who would have thought pureed beans could taste so freaking good? I am not a huge soup person really (it’s so much less portable than solid food… and once I spilled a container of it inside my purse, so I have a grudge against soup), but every single time I come to Al’s I always get a large lentil soup. The flavor is incredible — hearty, slightly tart, fragranced with cumin and other delicious spices… ahhh, soup.
3. The hummus. I love this hummus! It’s lemony and comes with little pickled things.
4. The plates. I typically order a la cart and mix and match things to make 2 meals out of a few orders, but I recently sampled a «plate» option and was very pleasantly surprised to find it came with lots of variety! Hummus with pita, tabouli, grilled veggies, and rice! Great option if you want to try a little bit of everything and still enough for a small meal later.

I love this little gyros shop tucked in the back of a convenience store. If you want a delicious gyros or schwarma at a great price you’ll never be disappointed with Al’s Quick Stop.
They have a long menu but I’ve never had anything but gyros and schwarma… and french fries.
There’s a few tables to eat on location and for those of you who use Über Eats they are often near the top of the list when you fire up the app.
I like to grab a sandwich then walk over to Rudyards next door for a craft beer.

Lately I’ve been on a quest for the BEST gyro meat in Houston. And let me tell you, Al’s may have the best I’ve tried so far.
The rice, while a bit oily, is also incredibly tasty. The cucumber salad has the perfect peppy zing to cut through the richness of the meat.
The hummus is really good, the marinated feta is excellent, and I am incredibly happy.
Double plus bonus, you can get delivery through Postmates from Al’s! BOOM SON.

This place is comparable to Fadi’s and Aladdin’s in taste, not serving size.
I’ve definitely experienced better Mediterranean food and was disappointed in my order last night. The prices are pretty high for the amount they serve to you. My bf and I decided to give this place a try based on the wonderful reviews. We ordered the kafta kabob (ground beef) for $ 10.99. It came with diced salad, seasoned rice, hummus and pita bread. I also ordered hummus dip with JUST ONE pita bread, they should at least give two pita breads.
The hummus came with pickled peppers? (not sure exactly) but it was a nice addition. However, I could barely taste the chickpeas and felt like they overdid it with the tahini sauce? or whatever sauce was mixed in there. Imagine over-​adding mayo to anything. The diced salad was delicious. The rice was fine and the meat flavor was fine. For $ 10.99 the meat serving was small and a little bit overcooked. Compare it to two small hot dog sizes and biting into a well-​done burger. (I uploaded pictures) I’ve order kafta kabobs before at other Mediterranean restaurants and definitely feel I got jipped in the meat serving portion.
The hummus is overpriced and I’ve had better tasting hummus at other restaurants for less the price. The pita bread was served cold and the texture was stale, not the type of pita bread I’m used too.
It was a nice place to try. I did like that we were eating in a convenience store. Hole in the wall type of places are enjoyable and I had great service. They also serve american and tex-​mex food here.
They also offer a discount if you order through grubhub, which I saw a lot of customers do and they also had orders placed through Ubereats.

Easily my favorite spot for Mediterranean food in Houston. The food, environment, and staff do not disappoint. If you haven’t tried it, I highly suggest you do!

Al’s is my favorite Mediterranean food restaurant in Houston. The kabob combo is my go to dish, but the gyro with extra onions is a close second. The hummus and tabouli are both great as well. The owner is awesome, and food well priced!

So I was delivering food and popped into this gem and the outside, I’m not even gunna lie it looks highly questionable. However once I went inside was a whole different story. The inside is super clean and smells AMAZING !!! The order I was picking up was intoxicating! When I dropped off order to customer I inquired about this joint and he raved about them! He said Unilocal them and you will see. So I did and here I am eagerly awaiting my food. Along with 3 other couples.
The portions of the plates were huge ! Even by being to-​go orders. The food presentation was beautiful and the food was amazing! we are definitely going back again

I never thought there’d be a legit Mediterranean grill in the back of a place like this, but thankfully we have the internet. Came in to try their chicken shawarma sandwich and falafel, which I heard were some of the best in Houston. Decent shawarma, but ehh wasn’t that big a fan of the falafel unfortunately.
The falafel (5 for $ 4.50) was way over fried with too crunchy and rock-​hard of a crust. The chickpeas inside were ground with parsley/​herbs with a nice coarse texture, but weren’t that flavorful. Also kinda dry. Not bad but just disappointing for the expectations, as I’ve had much better falafel from so many other places. The tahini this comes with wasn’t that great either and more on the bitter side.
The kibbeh (2 for $ 3.99) I can’t recommend much either. It was the opposite of the falafel — underfried and undercooked. The bulgur shell was thin and barely crisp on the outside, and the ground lamb inside was pink, mushy, and seemed kind of raw. Didn’t have much taste.
I really liked the chicken shawarma sandwich ($ 5.99) though. This might be the one of the only places where the chicken actually has a noticeably smoky flavor and smell. Not sure if they cook it on a spit or not but they must have grilled it on high heat or with charcoal at some point. The sandwich is double wrapped with thin pitas which I haven’t seen before, but it works. The pita was super soft, chewy, and makes up for the flimsy-​ness with an effortless bite. The only issue with the wrap was the garlic «paste» sauce. No way can you call this weak stuff garlic sauce! All mayo.

Best and most authentic Mediterranean food in Houston ! I’ve tried quite a lot of their options by now and I have never been disappointed, they are all so delicious. The wait is not too long and the staff super friendly.
They are also on über eats, grub hub and other delivery apps so if it’s out of your way you can just order it for delivery. It doesn’t get any better than that !
Actually it does…
Half of the place is the restaurant and the other half is a small convenience store, pretty cool concept that allows you to kill two birds in one stone if you needed to run to the store for a quick errand !

Sounds like a place to get your oil changed, right? Then you drive by and realize it’s a convenience store. In a really awkward area, with an awkward parking situation. In the middle of Montrose. And the famously popular Niko Niko’s is right around the corner, so why not just go there? Why would anyone give this place a moment’s thought??? Because… It’s a hidden gem! I almost don’t want to write this review so I can keep it that way… but alas, I must do my duty and Unilocal this place away.
BEST shawarma I’ve ever had in Houston. BEST gyro. BEST… a lot of things! The fries are so light and crisp, perfectly fried. And not one fry is a sad straggler! The fattoush is super fresh. The Greek salad is loaded with olives (I love olives, so… yeah.). The hummus is great! And it’s really hard to satisfy me – one who has been spoiled by what good hummus really is! Now forget what it looks like from the outside and come in here, cuz as the saying goes, «It’s what’s on the inside that counts» Right?

The service alone makes this place worth 5 stars. As we were sitting and enjoying our meal, we were brought a cup of their lentil soup to sample. So yummy! We ordered the falafel appetizer and gyro platter. The gyro meat is worth 5 stars! They gave us thick cuts of gyro meat alongside their delicious tzaziki sauce. Seriously, this is probably my new favorite gyro and falafel spot! Great service, food, and price! Run, don’t walk, to Al Quick Stop!

This was my first time eating food from Al’s. I ordered the chicken kabob dinner. The kabobs were tender and had an excellent grilled flavor. A huge pita was included with the dinner. It was pretty good but I wish the pita was a little thicker. I honestly could’ve eaten like 2 or servings of the kabobs. The dinner also comes with hummus. Al’s is definitely a place I could eat at regularly.

Don’t be scared to tell your friends or significant other that your taking them to the quick stop for Mediterranean food!
Food: I ordered the falafel hero (very tasty, I’m super partial to vinegary veggies and this one had some delicious ones!). It was a great price btw at $ 5.99!
But the real treat was what my bf ordered… The sampler with tons of hummus, grilled veggies (the onion was so good!), a fresh cucumber/​tomato salad, grilled chicken breasts, pita bread, more pickled veggies, and a spiced lamb cigar meat thing (gross description but so tasty and we actually debated over what spiced we believed when into the meat roll– I said allspice and he definitely thought cinnamon). Not only he and I eat off the sampler, but he had enough food for lunch the next day.
Atmosphere: Corner convenience store meets a random dusty, booze seller and oh-​my-​goodness! They had so many foreign packaged junk foods I’d never heard of or seen! It was like hostess gone international. Pineapple rolling things, tropical honey buns. It was super neat to browse through while waiting for your to-​go order. Eating at their tables would have been a bit too much for me I think…
Oh and the man at the checkout/​cash register was super nice and helpful!
Overall: So worth it!

A real hole in the wall restaurant located in a convenient show. The owner is very nice and offered a couple of samples.
First, make sure you ask for the hot sauce and garlic sauce. The hot sauce is actually spicy and when you mix it with the garlic sauce, it tastes amazing!
Gyro plate: you get hummus, cucumber/​tomato salad and gyro on a bed of rice. This was absolutely delicious! The gyro was nice and crispy from cooking it on the grill. (⁵⁄₅)
Gyro sandwich: pretty much the plate with just pita bread and fries. (⁵⁄₅)
Combo plate: same thing as the gyro plate but with chicken and beef instead. Both were pretty dry… But the sauces help and make it good. (³⁄₅)
Chicken fried chicken: I’m a cfc lover so I like trying them when I get a chance… I won’t be getting it from here again lol. Not crispy because the gravy soaked it for too long. Ask for the gravy on the side if you want to try it. It may be better… Over boiled mixed veggies (green beans, carrots, etc). Mashed potatoes were decent. Nothing special. They gave a third of a grilled onion… Why not just cut it up… Not edible. Grilled tomato half and bell pepper too. Not as bad as the onion. (³⁄₅)
Would I come back? Already have! Will probably just stick to the gyro though

If you’re looking for fast food, pass on the Mickey D’s and come to Al’s. The food here is prepared to order but is super fast. Everything comes out fresh and hot, and the serving size is huge!
We picked up a gyro platter ($ 9) before a long drive, and it smelled so good, I couldn’t resist eating it immediately after getting back into the car. They packed it up very nicely so it’s easily transportable and not too messy. The gyro platter came with abundant gyro meat crisped up on the grill with some tomatoes and onions, served over a bed of rice. There’s also hummus and cucumber/​tomato salad on the side, along with a grilled (storebought) pita bread, tzatziki sauce, and a cup of lentil soup! So much food.
Everything was really flavorful. The gyro meat was delicious but rather oily and heavy. It was cut into big chunks instead of thin slivers, which the bf loved. The cucumber tomato salad was very tart but still good, and the hummus was great. For some reason, I really liked the grilled tomatoes that came with the gyro meat: P.
Al’s is definitely a great value for the food. It’s a bit out of the way and it’s a true hole-​in-​the-​wall, but worth trying for sure, especially if you’re hungry!