Open Sesame

313 E Locust St, Des Moines
(515) 288-3151

Recent Reviews Order Online Reserve

Customers' Favorites

Shawarma Rice Plate
Open Sesame Salad
Vegetarian Platter
Shawarma Chicken
Gyro Plate Dinner
Vegetarian Plate
Gyro Rice Plate
Spicy Shawarma
Falafel Plate
Baba Ganoush

Menu

Featured items
Gyro Rice Plate
Gyro strips served over basmati rice with sauteed onions, tomatoes, jalapenos with sriracha, and tzatziki. Served with salad and grilled pita.
Gyros
Seasoned gyro strips with cucumber sauce, onion, tomato, and lettuce.
Gyro Salad
Romaine lettuce, tomato, olives, onion, cucumber, feta cheese, dressing with grilled gyro strips, tzatziki, and a side of pita.
Hummus
Garbonzo beans blended with fresh garlic, lemon juice, tahini, drizzled with olive oil, and served with grilled pita.
Vegetarian Sampler Plate
Hummus, baba ganouj, tabouli, stuffed grape leaves, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, pickles, falafel topped with tahini, olive oil, and served with grilled pita.

Entrees
Vegetarian Sampler Plate
Hummus, baba ganouj, tabouli, stuffed grape leaves, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, pickles, falafel topped with tahini, olive oil, and served with grilled pita.
Gyro Rice Plate
Gyro strips served over basmati rice with sauteed onions, tomatoes, jalapenos with sriracha, and tzatziki. Served with salad and grilled pita.
Shawarma Rice Plate
Marinated, grilled chicken with sauteed onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, sriracha, garlic sauce, and served over basmati rice with side salad.
Falafel Plate
Fresh falafel with tomato, pickle, cucumber, lettuce, hummus, tahini on a grilled open face pita, and served with house salad.
Falafel Rice Plate
Falafel, sauteed tomato, onion, jalapeno, hummus over basmati rice with side salad, and grilled pita.
Combo Rice Plate
Gyro strips, marinated chicken over basmati rice with sauteed tomato, jalapeno, siracha, onion, and served with a side salad.
Gyro Plate
Grilled gyro strips atop an open faced pita with onion, lettuce, tomato, tzatziki, and served with salad.
Shawarma Plate
Marinated chicken, tomato, onion, lettuce, topped with garlic sauce on open faced pita, and served with salad.

Dinner Salad
Gyro Salad
Romaine lettuce, tomato, olives, onion, cucumber, feta cheese, dressing with grilled gyro strips, tzatziki, and a side of pita.
Open Sesame Salad
Romaine lettuce, tomato, olives, cucumber, onion, feta cheese with dressing, and a side of pita.
Hummus Salad
Romaine lettuce, hummus, tomato, onion, cucumber, olives, bell pepper, pickle, feta cheese, dressing, and olive oil.
Falafel Salad
Falafel and hummus atop romaine lettuce, tomato, olives, cucumber, onion, feta cheese with dressing, and a side of pita.

Mezza
Hummus
Garbonzo beans blended with fresh garlic, lemon juice, tahini, drizzled with olive oil, and served with grilled pita.
Grape Leaves
Stuffed with rice, mixed herbs, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.
Spicy Hummus
Hummus with cayenne pepper, jalapeno, and sriracha.
Baba Ganouj
Roasted eggplant mixed with garlic, lemon juice, tahini sauce, drizzled with olive oil, and served with grilled pita.
Tzatziki
Tzatziki dip drizzled with olive oil and served with grilled pita.

Pita Wraps
Gyros
Seasoned gyro strips with cucumber sauce, onion, tomato, and lettuce.
Shawarma Chicken
Marinated chicken strips wrapped with onion, tomato, pickle, and garlic spread.
Spicy Gyro
Mediterranean Chicken
Grilled chicken strips, feta cheese, cucumber, tomato, olives, onion, lettuce with dressing, and tatziki sauce.
Spicy Shawarma
Hummus Gyro
Seasoned gyro strips with hummus, onion, tomato, and lettuce.
Baba Ganouji
Lettuce, tomato, baba ganouj, onion, pickle, and olive oil.

Vegetarian Wraps
Falafel Pita
Falafel, tomato, pickle, cucumber, lettuce, hummus, and tahini sauce
Hummus Pita
Feta cheese, hummus, bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, olives, onion, lettuce, and olive oil.
Veggie Pita
Lettuce, onion, tomato, bell pepper, olives, cucumber, feta cheese, olive oil, and house dressing. served with tzatziki sauce.

Sides & Extras
Extra Pita
Side Hummus
Side Tzatziki
Extra Gyro
Hot Sauce
Side Rice
Side Salad
Extra Chicken

Beverages
Sharbat
Lemonade and rose water.
Soda
Jalab
Rose syrup and water served on ice.

Featured items
Gyro Rice Plate
Gyro strips served over basmati rice with sauteed onions, tomatoes, jalapenos with sriracha, and tzatziki. Served with salad and grilled pita.
Gyros
Seasoned gyro strips with cucumber sauce, onion, tomato, and lettuce.
Hummus
Garbonzo beans blended with fresh garlic, lemon juice, tahini, drizzled with olive oil, and served with grilled pita.
Gyro Salad
Romaine lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumbers, feta cheese, dressing with tzatziki sauce, and gyro strips.
Vegetarian Sampler Plate
Hummus, baba ganouj, tabouli, stuffed grape leaves, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, pickles, falafel topped with tahini, olive oil, and served with grilled pita.

Entrees
Vegetarian Sampler Plate
Hummus, baba ganouj, tabouli, stuffed grape leaves, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, pickles, falafel topped with tahini, olive oil, and served with grilled pita.
Gyro Rice Plate
Gyro strips served over basmati rice with sauteed onions, tomatoes, jalapenos with sriracha, and tzatziki. Served with salad and grilled pita.
Shawarma Rice Plate
Marinated, grilled chicken with sauteed onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, sriracha, garlic sauce, and served over basmati rice with side salad.
Falafel Plate
Fresh falafel with tomato, pickle, cucumber, lettuce, hummus, tahini on a grilled open face pita, and served with house salad.
Falafel Rice Plate
Falafel, sauteed tomato, onion, jalapeno, hummus over basmati rice with side salad, and grilled pita.
Combo Rice Plate
Gyro strips, marinated chicken over basmati rice with sauteed tomato, jalapeno, siracha, onion, and served with a side salad.
Gyro Plate
Grilled gyro strips atop an open faced pita with onion, lettuce, tomato, tzatziki, and served with salad.
Shawarma Plate
Marinated chicken, tomato, onion, lettuce, topped with garlic sauce on open faced pita, and served with salad.

Mezza
Hummus
Garbonzo beans blended with fresh garlic, lemon juice, tahini, drizzled with olive oil, and served with grilled pita.
Grape Leaves
Stuffed with rice, mixed herbs, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.
Spicy Hummus
Hummus with cayenne pepper, jalapeno, and sriracha.
Baba Ganouj
Roasted eggplant mixed with garlic, lemon juice, tahini sauce, drizzled with olive oil, and served with grilled pita.
Tzatziki
Tzatziki dip drizzled with olive oil and served with grilled pita.

Vegetarian Wraps
Falafel Pita
Falafel, tomato, pickle, cucumber, lettuce, hummus, and tahini sauce
Hummus Pita
Feta cheese, hummus, bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, olives, onion, lettuce, and olive oil.
Veggie Pita
Lettuce, onion, tomato, bell pepper, olives, cucumber, feta cheese, olive oil, and house dressing. served with tzatziki sauce.

Pita Wraps
Gyros
Seasoned gyro strips with cucumber sauce, onion, tomato, and lettuce.
Shawarma Chicken
Marinated chicken strips wrapped with onion, tomato, pickle, and garlic spread.
Spicy Gyro
Mediterranean Chicken
Grilled chicken strips, feta cheese, cucumber, tomato, olives, onion, lettuce with dressing, and tatziki sauce.
Spicy Shawarma
Hummus Gyro
Seasoned gyro strips with hummus, onion, tomato, and lettuce.
Baba Ganouji
Lettuce, tomato, baba ganouj, onion, pickle, and olive oil.

Salad
Gyro Salad
Romaine lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumbers, feta cheese, dressing with tzatziki sauce, and gyro strips.
Open Sesame Salad
Romaine lettuce, tomato, olives, cucumber, onion, and feta cheese with dressing.
Falafel Salad
Falafel and hummus served on romaine lettuce, tomato, feta cheese, onion, cucumber, and dressing.
Hummus Salad
Romaine lettuce, hummus, tomato, onion, cucumber, olives, bell pepper, pickle, feta cheese, dressing, and olive oil.

Sides
Tzatziki Sauce
Extra Pita
Extra Gyro
Extra Chicken
Hot Sauce
Garlic Sauce
Side Salad

Plates
Gyro Rice Plate
Gyro strips served over basmati rice with sauteed onion, jalapenos, tomato, sriracha with salad, and pita.
Vegetarian Sampler
Hummus, baba ganouj, tabouli, grape leaves, cucumbers, tomato, pickle lettuce, falafel, and pita.
Shawarma Rice Plate
Marinated, grilled chicken over basmati rice with sriracha, salad, and pita.

Beverages
Sharbat
Lemonade and rose water.
Soda
Jalab
Rose syrup and water served on ice.

Photos

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Recent Reviews

The food is fine and fresh, but simply nothing special if you've had Lebanese before. I ordered the vegetarian tasting plate and made sure it was fully vegan. I think it was overpriced (20 USD) and could have been bigger. Maybe you have to pay for the elaborate decorations inside? Anyway, a nice place to have food especially if you've had enough of typical American cuisine.
April 2025
Ordered the falafel plate (without feta) and an extra pita (because I like carbs) via Uber Eats to my hotel room. The grilled pita was soft, warm, and delicious. The falafel was decent, not the best I've ever had. I wish it had a little more hummus on it. The salad it came with was tasty; I liked the dressing. Overall, it hit the spot and I wanted another one as soon as I was done. Updated from previous review on 2024-10-31
October 2024
The service was great and the atmosphere seemed authentic. The place was clean. Each dish is around $20 and for that price it should be a little more impressive than it was. This is basically just a sit down street food spot. I left the restaurant feeling like they did the bare minimum of middle eastern cuisine. Probably won’t go back for those prices.
September 2024

More Reviews

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Open Sesame

313 E Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 288-3151