Middle Eastern Food, Colorado Springs

by adrienne
Let me first say that I am not down with all the distinctions between all the middle eastern and mediterranean countries as far as their food, and I don’t think that the restauranteurs of Colorado Springs are either. So I’m going to ignore any incorrect restaurant names, inauthentic recipes, or that kind of thing. When I move to New York City, maybe I’ll be more concerned with that stuff but for now, I’m going to tell you about two middle eastern places we’ve recently been to. First was Taste Of  Jerusalem on Bijou in downtown Colorado Springs. I did not have anything to eat here because I had forgotten that I actually LIKE middle eastern food. But when Mike got his stuff, I remembered. So we went again like 3 days later.   

Taste Of Jerusalem, Colorado Springs
Taste Of Jerusalem, Colorado Springs

The first time  Mike had the Taste Of Jerusalem sandwich which was lamb, chicken, and beef in pita with lettuce and sauce. 

Taste Of Jerusalem Sandwich

Taste Of Jerusalem Sandwich

The second time he had the same thing and added some falafel on the side. I don’t really like falafel. I know. A fried thing I don’t like. Go figure.

Taste Of Jerusalem, Colorado Springs

Taste Of Jerusalem, Colorado Springs

I had the chicken sandwich and some french fries. The sandwich was good, it was chicken, lettuce, peppers, and sauce. It wasn’t the thick tzatziki that you get at a lot of places but it was good. The fries, OMG, they were magical. I don’t know what they do to them but they are awesome.

Chicken sandwich and fries at Taste Of Jerusalem

Chicken sandwich and fries at Taste Of Jerusalem

The first time we went it wasn’t crowded and we got our food right away. The second time it was more crowded and it took an age and a half to get our stuff. I think there’s just the one guy running it, so Iguess it’s to be expected. Anyhow, service issues aside, I think we’ll most likely go here again. After we go to the 20 other middle eastern places around here.

Edit 10/9/10: we’ve been back to Taste Of Jerusalem  and it’s been great! Mike usually has the same thing but I decided to get a chicken salad this time. Very tasty chicken and the sauce was delish. This will probably be what I get from now on. And some fries…:)

Chicken salad at Taste Of Jerusalem, Colorado Springs, CO

Chicken salad at Taste Of Jerusalem, Colorado Springs, CO

The other one we went to was Arabica Cafe. It’s been here a couple of years but I always thought it was a coffee place. You know, like arabica coffee. I know it says “Taste Of The Mid-East” on the sign but I thought it was middle eastern coffee which really didn’t sound all that delicious to me. I also thought it was a chain, which it’s not. So, anyhow, I never went to what I thought was a middle eastern chain coffee house. But of course, it isn’t. It’s a middle eastern FOOD place.

Arabica Cafe, Colorado Springs

Arabica Cafe, Colorado Springs

I had the hummus bowl. No, those falafel aren’t mine, Mike ordered them but they somehow wound up on my plate. The hummus was good. A little too salty, maybe, but overall really tasty.

Hummus Bowl, Arabica Cafe, Colorado Springs
Hummus Bowl, Arabica Cafe, Colorado Springs

Mike had a beef shawarma sandwich which he enjoyed. I had a bite of it and I liked it, too. It did have that thicker sauce on it, which was good.

Beef shawarma, Arabica Cafe, Colorado Springs

Beef shawarma, Arabica Cafe, Colorado Springs

I liked this place, too, because you can sit outside. That always gets extra points with me, especially in the summer.

Anyhow, both Arabica Cafe and Taste of Jerusalem are good. You should go.