Valley Of Jordan

Stopped by after dropping off some UPS packages next door. I came here to grab something quick to eat, I didn’t feel like walking further. Cuts. Service sucked, was asked if I could read… yes, he looked me in my eyes and asked if I could read. I knew then I would not be ordering anything, but I asked about items on the menu to which he seemed agitated I let the customer behind me go, and I left to never return… which sadly I think is exactly what he wants.

Valley of Jordan is not a safe or welcoming establishment. The owner’s husband has been arrested on battery charges for attacking a young child who tried to purchase some candy with his pennies. I have learned that the owner has a history of discriminating against black patrons, both children and the elderly, and will no longer be patronizing this establishment!

On October 23, 2015, a young man was attacked by the owner of Valley of Jordan, while attempting to patronize his establishment. Jordan, the assailant, has a history or rude, hostile behavior toward young black children that routinely visit his store, situated behind an elementary school. The appalling ordeal began with Jordan’s angry reaction to the young man purchasing a 10¢ piece of candy with ten pennies. He waited for him to leave the counter to hurl the change at the boy’s head. He then proceeded to chase behind him kicking, kneeing, and pushing him in the back. After forcing him outside to the pavement, Jordan SPITS DIRECTLY INTO HIS FACE. This man should not be allowed to operate a business. The boy’s family is asking for the store to be boycotted for this #hatecrime. #boycottvalleyofjordan

Best food in the neighborhoo. I love everything on the menu. Gong down one item at a time.

Picked up dinner here tonight. Ordered a lamb shawarma and falafel sandwich. When we got home, we found out the falafel sandwich had ABSOLUTELY NO falafel inside, but just a bunch of lettuce and sauce. Suffice it to say, we are unlikely ever to come back.

An absolutely great store they do amazing sandwiches and lunch meat to go. Great owner he is very friendly. And the cashier miss Mary is very nice as well.

Good selection of halal meats and very reasonably priced. Fresh. But customer service? Ms Mary? Ugh. Worst attitude and rudest human being on the face of the planet, and she’s as old as my grandma so she should know better but frankly she enjoys being nasty mean and rude and shame on the owners for allowing her to continue that for so many years.

I initially had a negative experience with the cashier other reviewers mentioned, which I presume is the old woman who co-​owns the place. She was quite grumpy at first, which scared me off of this place for a few months. But she definitely warms up to you. After I lived in the area for two years she would chat me up and ask me what I was cooking with what I was buying, etc. Also, by that time they’d let me haggle for bulk purchases, helped spot me bags and quarters when I was desperate, etc.
This is a pretty good place to buy certain items. If you catch them while they have fresh meat coming in (which is every couple of days) it’s probably the cheapest in the area. Treasure Island can be a little cheaper sometimes I guess, but that’s a fair distance to walk from 53^rd and Ellis and it’s not that much cheaper.
They have pretty good prices on basics like oil, flour, sugar, cleaners, and so on. They don’t have much produce, though they have some basics like potatoes and onions. I’ve never ordered a sandwich from the deli so I can’t comment on that. They also sell some prepared food under the counter. The spinach pie is okay – I prefer Hyde Park Produce’s, but sometimes you don’t have the motivation to walk that far. The hummus is great, although they don’t always have pita bread that isn’t frozen. Do try their imported candy bars!
Overall, it’s a quirky small shop and as long as you can accept its quirks it can work out pretty well for you.

As previous reviews have noted, I don’t think that Valley of Jordan gets nearly the attention it should. It’s a great local store, and carries a number of products that are difficult if not impossible to find in Hyde Park. I used to live about a block away, so I’d always head over for late-​night or last-​minute groceries. They’re open until 9pm (or they were last I checked), which makes them the only evening option for groceries in the neighborhood, unless you count CVS. I don’t recommend them for fresh produce, as they usually only have a few wilted specimens, although they have ginger, garlic, and onions which I’m sure are fine. They have the usual mini-​mart selection of a few cheeses (including some interesting canned fresh cheeses with labels I can’t read but buy nevertheless), eggs, milk, and creamer, as well as a dizzying array of sodas, Arizona teas, and fruit juices, many of which are rarer brands not sold elsewhere. Some paper goods and cleaners, and an aisle full of typical dry and canned goods. Since it’s a smaller store the prices are a little higher than at bigger grocery chains but not significantly so. The highlight is, of course, the more hard-​to-​find middle eastern products they sell. Dried fruits and nuts, spices, curry paste and sauce, preserves, flavored molasses, various sweets, etc. For a while they had big jars of coconut oil at a great price, which made me especially happy. I have actually never even tried any of the deli side, but the prices on deli look decent and they do offer sandwiches and the like. Customer service is varying, but about typical for a small hole-​in-​the-​wall grocery. I’ve found the owner and his employees to be on the whole very accommodating (he once ordered an item he no longer carried for me because I mentioned to him that I missed it). I can see where other reviewers may have felt put off by the attitude of some people, and I have certainly felt that way sometimes, but I have had no truly bad experiences.

It’s kind of janky, isolated, and different, but I definitely appreciate this place. Try the chicken shawarma which is decent. Make sure they don’t overcharge you. The man/​owner won’t – he’s great. But that grumpy old woman who works there will ALWAYS overcharge you and unfortunately you can’t even understand her when she speaks if you want to contest it. I generally try to avoid her at all costs. Even still, if you’re craving a different sandwich, try it out. Support independent immigrant businesses.

I came here to try their food, based on reviews on Unilocal.The review is focusing specifically on the food I ordered, the grocery aspect is not what i’m reviewing. I found the cashier to be rude, she was not helpful in nature and was very abrupt with her responses. Additionally, the pricing on the wall is completely inaccurate, and it was off by 2 dollars or more for every item I ordered.
I ordered a lamb shawarma sandwich, and a falafel sandwich. Both the items were mediocre at best. The shawarma was not really a shawarma sandwich, it was more like a roasted lamb leg pulled meat type of sandwich, which was extremely soggy and had not much of a flavor to it. There was fat in the lamb as well, it truly was soggy and not worth the money. Falafel sandwich was the same, it was very dry and the falafel was grilled or something, but it tasted bad.
Sorry, but not a big fan of the food. Grocery selection seemed good.

I’ve been living in hyde park most of my life and down the street from this place since for the last 15 years. This has been the only business I see that will last. They have a large selection of spices and just random things you would think you would see in a small store but usually when i need something they have it. The owner is awesome. Keep being awesome.

Best falafel in the neighborhood. It’s freshly fried to order and served with good hummus in a pita.

I was in the neighborhood sometime ago and dropped by this store, thinking it was just a convenience mart. I was pleasantly surprised to see they have middle eastern food so I made a point to drop back by later on. I went by today for lunch and overall was disappointed. They didn’t have any lamb schwarma available, which may have made a huge difference in my experience. (I love lamb) Instead I had the chicken schwarma, which wasn’t nearly as savory as the ones from Nile on 55^th. If I’m ever by there and have a chance to try the lamb I might change my mind, but in general I don’t see myself making a plan to go back.

I’m so excited to have a halal meat store in Hyde park! Great service!

AMAZING SHAWARMA!!! This place is like a little corner store meets deli … it’s a gem. Discovered it a few weeks ago and have gone there a few times since then. Very clean and the owner is very friendly.

I’ve been stopping by Valley of Jordan since they opened for hummus, baba ghanoush, dolma, and various convenience items. They are super friendly and the salads are great. I tried a deli sandwich for the first time tonight for a quick dinner before an evening class. Incredible! Best sandwich I’ve had in the neighborhood. Do yourself a favor and stop by to get a sandwich sometime.

This place is a welcome addition to the neighborhood! It’s a no-​frills mini-​mart sort of thing, but they have a couple of standouts:
1. The sandwich counter: they have great sandwiches, including halal selections, and very inexpensive. Awesome.
2. The middle eastern specialty prepared foods: they have baba ganouj, hummus and stuffed grape leaves in the front counter and they are all SUPER cheap and delicious. Seriously– you can get a package of 8 stuffed leaves for under $ 3.00.
3. Middle eastern desserts– I’ve tried a few of their different pastries from the front and they were all really good. (I’m too ignorant to know the names of anything besides baklava, but they were all tasty!)

Love this place. Small minimart, but the real gem is the sandwich counter. Very cheap, very good sandwiches. Nice selection of halal lunch meat. The owner is a really nice guy. A bunch of us rented a storefront in the building for a weekend event in Hyde Park, and we were in and out all day when he was open. As a thank you, he brought us an enormous tray of hummus and pita. Good place to drop in and get ice cream or a parfait.
I hope we can come back next year!

Great store for halal meat and wonderful Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. Gotta love canned stuffed grape leaves.
My one problem with Valley Of Jordan is that it’s not a one stop shop. The produce selection (at least right now when it has just opened) would be generously described as minimal, and most of the foods are standard convenience store and CVS items. Eggs and milk are from factory farms, and the spice selection is pretty bare. I still have to go to Hyde Park Produce for the stuff I need. VoJ right now is really only good for a handful of thongs I want.