Phoenicia Bakery and Deli

The most amazing fresh-​out-​of-​the-​oven Arabic bread in Austin.
They also have a great range of olives, fresh hummus and all your middle eastern grocery supplies.

I read the negative reviews and it seems like there are some wired people who come here, this place just does not deserve one or two star reviews
First off the café here is amazing. I’ve had all sorts of wraps from this place, and they are all good. The sauce is just perfect, chicken shawarma is the best I’ve had anywhere in the U.S.
They also have European Kit Kats! If you love Kit Kats, or just chocolates in general, then you must try the European variety, it’s waaaay better than what we have state side, and is the original. Also they have some other good euro chocolates, like Kinder and Milka, which are delicious too!
Fresh bread, large selection of teas and other Middle Eastern goodies. The owner is not very talkative so he may come off as rude to some, but try chatting him up and you will learn that he is a very nice and friendly fellow!

Came here on a whim as it was in my bookmarked places to try and I needed a quick bite in the area.
This place is very New York store/​deli in its setup. They have a grocery anchored by a bakery/​deli on one side and then their little sandwich shop on the other. Nowhere to sit to eat, so it is all carryout.
They have a sort of hodgepodge menu that spans the Mediterranean/​Greek/​MiddleEast spectrum.
I got their Lebanese Falafel wrap and, to be honest, was expecting A LOT more for $ 4.99 for just the wrap (no chips or drink or anything else included). The wrap was also very dry (barely any sauce to speak of) and the falafel were small. So, definitely not impressed w/​this offering of theirs.
Also got a slice of baklava, which was decent, but honestly not the best I’ve had and again was a little dry, so I don’t know if it was because it was towards the end of the day or what the deal was.
Also, I’m guessing the guy who was the owner that rang me up was definitely more interested in talking to the guy in line behind me than acknowledging my existence. Not kidding… he literally did not say a single word to me; just rang up my stuff, stood there looking at my while I got my credit card out, took it, ran it, handed it back to me while the receipts printed then handed me my copy all while talking to the guy behind me.
Sorry to say will not be coming back as their customer service seems to be as dry as their falafel wrap and baklava.

Always super friendly and the best variety of traditional foods I can never find at the big grocery stores. Best, super affordable Mediterranean food in Austin!

Best of the best Mediterranean grocery. The chicken shawerma (gyro) sandwiches are simply delicious. Tons of great sweets like a wide variety of freshly baked baklava. Their pita bread is wonderful!

The deli is great. The food is authentic and tasty. It is a great place to grab something to go on your way to an outdoor event. Given the food to price ratio, I think it deserves 5 stars. If you like ethnic food, give the menu a lookover.
Bonus: Walking around the grocery store and look at items from across the world. I find things I did not know existed.

They have a wide selection of grocery items that are popular in Greece, Turkey, and the broad Middle East.
They have a deli counter, good bread selection, fresh cheese and an olive bar.
They also have a kitchen in the back for fresh tabouli, hummus and kabob dishes.
Alll in all a great spot.

My wife is Greek so we like to hit all the places that make gyros. This is one of our favorites. It is a little mini grocery store but in the back you can order from a menu for to go meals. We just discovered today that they also have a seating area at the opposite end so we decided to stay and eat instead of bringing home like we usually do.
It was nice! We were the only ones there even though it was noon so we had a nice private lunch. Marina had an eggplant sandwich which looked like a meatball sub to this American. Eggplant is not my thing so I went with the gyro as always. When I find something I like I don’t want to risk getting something different and being disappointed. :)
I recommend this place for something not fancy but different for lunch and just want to walk in and grab to go or just sit for a bit for a quick bite.

Just stopped in to kill time and found myself ordering a Lebanese falafel wrap. It was easily the cheapest meal I’ve had in Austin since I got here over a year ago. And man, it was spicy, delicious, and filling. I didn’t expect much of a portion size with the cost being under $ 5, but the wrap was actually pretty big and every bite was full of falafel and veggie goodness. I would totally order it again.
I also ordered a lemon coconut bar from the bakery side. I’m pretty sure it is made of purely sunshine, lemon, coconut and sugar. It is really good, but super sweet; great for sharing.
Only lost a star because… well, it’s not the cleanest of places as far as grocery stores go.
That said, I’ll definitely be back.

I lived by the south location for a few years, and by this one for a few, and have always been a fan of Phoenicia. It’s a great place to get alt cheeses (I love the sheep feta,) and they have a good olive bar and large tea selection. The food-​to-​go is EXCELLENT, I usually get the chicken shawarma or the Lebanese falafel. The latter has some delicious pickled veggies on it. This is a great place to go grocery shopping or grab lunch, and their fresh pita is delicious too. Prices vary, but I always find something amazing that is cheaper than expected. I’m so glad they are here.

This place is great. I’m kind of a creature of habit but I’ve been a local customer for the past 10+ years and I am still obsessed with their chicken shawarma (seriously it’s worth a trip just for this), homemade pita, desserts, and olive bar. I wouldn’t say the managers are super friendly but they get the job done. I’ve also tried some random customer-​recommended items like this thick yogurt thing that people eat with olive oil for breakfast. Probably not going to replace my breakfast tacos but still a fun adventure!

Omg, chicken shawarma wrap is to die for! The best part is the garlic sauce. Hummus is amazing. Pita is fantastic. The people that work there are all very nice. The customers aren’t always very nice, in fact, some are down right rude. I’ve literally had someone push me to get to the counter before me. Obviously, they needed to be there forest, so ok. The olive bar is great too! I love this place & crave it on the regular.

What is homemade by Phoenicia Deli is superb.
Great pita, great yogurt, great baba ganoosh.
What is not homemade is more of a mix.
Olives are absolutely superb — the best in Austin by far.
Nothing comes close.
The labneh (yogurt so thick it is practically a paste) is also a star.
Canned goods and boxed goods often are very old and very stale.
And yes — even cans can get too old.
Brazilian, Latin American, Russian or Indian stuff?
Fuggetabout it. Oldies to the point just short of being moldies.
Feta cheese? The French goat cheese is so good it should be legendary.
The other cheeses — feta or otherwise — meh.
Deli meats — ho hum.
They make fresh hot sandwiches in the back.
These are great … but there is really no where to eat them.
The «lunch area» is claustrophobic and oppressive.
And hot items from Mideastern grills must be eaten the nanosecond they are off the grill.
By the time you wait in line at the cash register, cooling sandwich in hand, to pay for it …
and then go home or to your car or to the park to eat it …
it is dead by the time you are ready for it.
*
On the question — Sarah;s vs Phoenicia.
Sarah’s has a better place to sit and eat — and so is a better place for fresh hot food.
There are none of the extraordinary thrills of the best that Phoenicia offers.
But there are no old stale boxes or cans either.
Less risk — more safety — less payoff.
For canned or bottled anything go Sarah;s.
For food for the gods — pick the best of what Phoenicia has to offer — especially if it is homemade.

Phoenicia’s spicy falafal sandwich is AMAZING!
Their pita bread is the best I’ve ever eaten … so smooth and creamy, it’s like butter.
This is a gem. A true gem.
I love this place. Period.

There’s limited seating here, so I order out. Head to the back of the grocery store to order — I always get the falafel. It’s delicious and cheap, which I appreciate. Pick up some grape leaves, baklava or other tasties in the grocery area before you check out at the cash register near the front.
Friendly staff. More than once they have served me very near to closing! Perhaps they hear the hunger in my voice…

Their deli makes a delicious roasted Eggplant sandwich; the price is fair and the portion is large — I can only eat half of it at a time. The self-​serve deli section also carries a good tuna and bean salad along with hummus and other items. Be sure to take advantage of the dining area to the right of the front door… it took me a few visits before I even noticed that it was there since it’s back behind the bakery section and not well marked. The dining are is nice and quiet, much better than when I sat at the picnic table outside by the parking lot. Parking is sometimes difficult during peak hours.
The only reason I don’t give them a 4 or 5-​star rating is the employees are far too busy talking amongst themselves to focus on their customers… the girls working the deli only stopped talking about some personal relationship long enough to hurry me through my order and then shout out my number when the food was ready. The older man that works in the store (maybe the owner?) is very moody and grumpy — seems like I am really bothering him when I need to check out and pay. If he acted as if he was happy to see me and made me feel welcome, the place would be much nicer to visit and I would do so more often. As for now, I only go there when I feel well enough to put up with Mr. Grumpy.

One of my favorite local grocery store for more than 20 years!
— fresh, hand made mediterranean food /​condiments, pita bread, hummus, falafel, desserts, cheeses, shawarma, manaish, and more!

I am seriously in love with this place. I want to marry it.
It is a store that I will pine away for when I move away from Austin.
The pita is fabulous. The sweets are delectable. The olives are lovely and reasonably priced. There is a nice selection of feta cheeses, also at reasonable prices. The specialty foods are simply delightful. When I wander the aisles, I take a mini vacation to exotic places I may never get to visit. I see people in the aisles from these places and I want to ask them where they are from, what they like to cook, whether they like Austin, what I should buy at this store and what their favorite dish is. (But I never have.)
They make their own kibbe spice mix that makes the best damn turkey meatloaf on the planet, but they are often out of it.
Sandwiches — go for the garlic chicken. SO GOOD! The falafel is also a favorite — they have a Lebanese one (a bit spicy) and a regular one and they are both wonderful. Their muffalata is crazy huge. I brought one home and at $ 4.99, I made a couple of meals out of it.
My favorite thing that they make? No question — the tzaziki sauce. It is crack. Simply crack. Buy pita, olives, feta and the crack tzaziki sauce. Maybe add some sweet cherry tomatoes, sliced, in some olive oil. Make a little crack sandwich. Add some baklava. Make a picnic for someone you love and they are guaranteed to love you back.

I love grocery shopping
I love multicultural stores
I love me some freshly made hummus
I love fresh 99cent pita bread
I love cheap, delicious falafel wraps for $ 3.99
I love their flat bread for on da cheap
I love finding all my favorite Persian goods here
I love Russian potato salad
Just one more reason to love Burnet Road… Phoenicia!

So I tried this place because I have a love for gyros and I hear they have delish fresh pitas. I arrived at the somewhat nondescript market hungry and ready for some kind of Mediterranean specialty. Do not pass go, do not collect $ 200, straight to the back of the room where the menu lay in wait. I ordered a gyro after some debate on the schawarma, got me some olives (great olive bar!), hummus, olive oil and some mmm mmm fresh pitas.
The hummus has a different flavor I can’t quite place but that is really compelling — and the gyro was ok. Not amazing, but ok. All the stars are for the huge variety of olive oil, the impressive olive selection, the really really nice girl that brought my food to me in the store and for those pitas that I plan on digging into STAT.