The good: Chicken shish and brussel sprouts were delicious! The servers were also nice and service was quick. The so-so: The halloumi was ok. The cheese was a bit rubbery and a bit bland. There was a couple of small dollops of apricot which actually would have made the cheese better if there was more of it. The pita bread had a nice char flavor to it, but was very dry. The not so-good: The falafel was very dry and there needed to be a lot more of the sauce. The salad that came with it did not have enough dressing. Lunch wasn't terrible, but for the money, I was definitely expecting a lot better.
D. P.
I can't understand all the good reviews here. Went for lunch on a Saturday with my mom. Started off with the eggplant appetizer, which really didn't have much flavor. On a positive note, it was served with some nice hot pita bread. I had the chicken shish kebab and she had the lamb kebab. The chicken was 4 small pieces of chicken thighs. Kebabs should be nice chunks of chicken breast, but instead they chose to use the cheaper thighs. Her lamb was a small serving of over seasoned/salty dried out ground lamb. Both came with rice, but nothing else, so definitely not worth the $20 price today for a lunch entree. We had eaten there before the pandemic and at the time the food was good, but I hear ownership has changed. Would not recommend going.
Gabriella Vinciguerra
Will always be my favorite restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelly Phillips
Had a truly delightful meal here! Everything was so fresh and flavorful. The hummus was spectacular. The Brussel sprouts were SO crispy, some of the best I've ever had. I really enjoyed the chicken shish I got for my entrée. My mom got the falafel and said it was delicious.Highly recommend making a reservation. This place gets busy, quickly. Several folks had to be turned away because they didn't have one. And this was on a Thursday night.
We arrived with a reservation and were seated inside, but then we asked about being seated outside (as it was a nice day), and we were seated outside (with a 45 min table time warning, but we ended up staying for over 2 hours). There appeared to be only 1 waiter and 1 server so the service was a bit slow. The server was friendly but the waiter could have been a little kinder. We had the $45 “Taste of Kanella” order for 2 which was surprisingly a lot of food. We also brought our own bottle of red wine (BYOB with no corkage fee). My favorite dishes were the crispy Brussels sprouts and the hummus. The Baklava was soggy, but I liked the Kunefe was enjoyable (very sweet). I got the chicken shish and my partner had the lamb shish which were both enjoyable. Our table was right next to the road and was loud and a bit dirty but wasn’t a huge deal (that’s just what Philly is like). Service was pretty slow but tolerable. Overall a great value for $45pp and would recommend checking it out.
Celebrated a milestone birthday this past weekend at Kanella and I couldn’t have had a better experience. The food was incredible, the staff was so polite and helpful from planning, helping with the seating arrangements, and great dinner service. Large parties partake in the taste of Kanella tasting menu which made for a seamless dining experience. They take larger parties, and are BYO which is wonderful for a restaurant in the city. Definitely will be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lynn Wetherbee
The service is so friendly and the food is delicious. It has a nice atmosphere with reasonable prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew McLellan
Stopped in here for lunch and the food blew us away. The basil ezme especially blew us away, but the chicken shish was some of the best I’ve had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hummus, Chicken Shish
Josh Smertz
Excellent food! I placed a large group order for a birthday party and received numerous compliments on the food quality. Highly recommend
An enjoyable experience with good food, but for some reason I didn't feel like it was super Greek. Reminded me more of general Mediterranean cuisine than feeling specifically Greek. But still, good experience. Service was quick. Ambiance was nice. The lamb was great and is highly recommended. And I loved that knefeh too. Salad was solid. Halloumi cheese was good too. Do attend
Service deserves 10 stars honestly. The staff here are incredible every time we visit and they always go above and beyond. The food is genuinely fantastic and worth seeking out in Philly’s crowded food scene.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Shish, Adana Kebab, Muhammara, Falafel
Kathrin S.
I'm a big Kanella fan. It's one of my favorite byobs for dates or small groups (less than five). Their tasting menu is also banging, for only $45 and three courses including multiple appetizers. All dishes come out quick and our so fresh. We particularly love the salmon and chicken kebabs, so light but filling and tender. We also like the muhammara and the Brussels sprouts. Dishes come out super quickly, and the staff is all super personable!
Daniel Duer
Great food, great take out service. Would recommend
The good: Chicken shish and brussel sprouts were delicious! The servers were also nice and service was quick. The so-so: The halloumi was ok. The cheese was a bit rubbery and a bit bland. There was a couple of small dollops of apricot which actually would have made the cheese better if there was more of it. The pita bread had a nice char flavor to it, but was very dry. The not so-good: The falafel was very dry and there needed to be a lot more of the sauce. The salad that came with it did not have enough dressing. Lunch wasn't terrible, but for the money, I was definitely expecting a lot better.
I can't understand all the good reviews here. Went for lunch on a Saturday with my mom. Started off with the eggplant appetizer, which really didn't have much flavor. On a positive note, it was served with some nice hot pita bread. I had the chicken shish kebab and she had the lamb kebab. The chicken was 4 small pieces of chicken thighs. Kebabs should be nice chunks of chicken breast, but instead they chose to use the cheaper thighs. Her lamb was a small serving of over seasoned/salty dried out ground lamb. Both came with rice, but nothing else, so definitely not worth the $20 price today for a lunch entree. We had eaten there before the pandemic and at the time the food was good, but I hear ownership has changed. Would not recommend going.
Will always be my favorite restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a truly delightful meal here! Everything was so fresh and flavorful. The hummus was spectacular. The Brussel sprouts were SO crispy, some of the best I've ever had. I really enjoyed the chicken shish I got for my entrée. My mom got the falafel and said it was delicious.Highly recommend making a reservation. This place gets busy, quickly. Several folks had to be turned away because they didn't have one. And this was on a Thursday night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Hummus, Chicken Shish
We arrived with a reservation and were seated inside, but then we asked about being seated outside (as it was a nice day), and we were seated outside (with a 45 min table time warning, but we ended up staying for over 2 hours). There appeared to be only 1 waiter and 1 server so the service was a bit slow. The server was friendly but the waiter could have been a little kinder. We had the $45 “Taste of Kanella” order for 2 which was surprisingly a lot of food. We also brought our own bottle of red wine (BYOB with no corkage fee). My favorite dishes were the crispy Brussels sprouts and the hummus. The Baklava was soggy, but I liked the Kunefe was enjoyable (very sweet). I got the chicken shish and my partner had the lamb shish which were both enjoyable. Our table was right next to the road and was loud and a bit dirty but wasn’t a huge deal (that’s just what Philly is like). Service was pretty slow but tolerable. Overall a great value for $45pp and would recommend checking it out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Grilled Lamb Leg Kebab, Pita, Muhammara, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Hummus, Chicken Shish
Celebrated a milestone birthday this past weekend at Kanella and I couldn’t have had a better experience. The food was incredible, the staff was so polite and helpful from planning, helping with the seating arrangements, and great dinner service. Large parties partake in the taste of Kanella tasting menu which made for a seamless dining experience. They take larger parties, and are BYO which is wonderful for a restaurant in the city. Definitely will be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service is so friendly and the food is delicious. It has a nice atmosphere with reasonable prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stopped in here for lunch and the food blew us away. The basil ezme especially blew us away, but the chicken shish was some of the best I’ve had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hummus, Chicken Shish
Excellent food! I placed a large group order for a birthday party and received numerous compliments on the food quality. Highly recommend
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hummus was fire
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hummus
Restaurantji Recommends
An enjoyable experience with good food, but for some reason I didn't feel like it was super Greek. Reminded me more of general Mediterranean cuisine than feeling specifically Greek. But still, good experience. Service was quick. Ambiance was nice. The lamb was great and is highly recommended. And I loved that knefeh too. Salad was solid. Halloumi cheese was good too. Do attend
Better than ever... Ribeye kabob was
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Hummus
Service deserves 10 stars honestly. The staff here are incredible every time we visit and they always go above and beyond. The food is genuinely fantastic and worth seeking out in Philly’s crowded food scene.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Shish, Adana Kebab, Muhammara, Falafel
I'm a big Kanella fan. It's one of my favorite byobs for dates or small groups (less than five). Their tasting menu is also banging, for only $45 and three courses including multiple appetizers. All dishes come out quick and our so fresh. We particularly love the salmon and chicken kebabs, so light but filling and tender. We also like the muhammara and the Brussels sprouts. Dishes come out super quickly, and the staff is all super personable!
Great food, great take out service. Would recommend