Gypsy Grill

This place is a quality middle eastern eatery. It’s small, fast, and absolutely delicious. At times, I have to stop myself from coming here.
The lamb and beef shawarma is simply off the chain. Very flavorful and always ALWAYS fresh. They don’t use bullshit iceberg lettuce to fill in your sandwich like others do. All their ingredients are spot on with complimenting your meal and l always fresh.
No matter who you are, you will be greeted by a friendly cashier, have your order taken and promptly received with a stomach filled with nutritious out of this world middle eastern food.
My only gripe is that there is no bathroom for customers. But it’s a small place so that is understandable.

This is a really popular small spot with limited seats, so it’s probably best for take out or delivery. They have great gypsy box deals for under $ 10 with generous food portions. Definitely opt for getting the extra sauces like the harissa hot sauce, the white garlic sauce, tzatziki and tahini. I usually get the chicken shawarma platter or pita sandwich, which I would recommend.

It’s time I chimed in to update my husband’s review from 2014. You can read that one here:

I’m writing as I savor leftovers from a party I threw my husband last night. To say Gypsy Grill catered the event would be an understatement. Gypsy Grill dominated.
When I stopped in to Gypsy Grill to pick up dinner a few weeks ago, I floated the idea of a small house party to Moudy. «I’ll take care of everything. Don’t worry,» he reassured me. He suggested a couple of trays, some meat, some veggies. He mentioned something about «adding some of his own things,» but I couldn’t have known then that «some of [his] own things» meant a wealth of delicacies, an embarrassment of riches disguised as middle eastern food.
Beyond delighting my guests, the platters gave Jared and me a chance to try out some of the few menu items we usually pass over in favor of our standbys.
First of all, when I go broke, it will be because of those lamb chops. They’re unreal. I usually think that lamb is good right after it is cooked and terrible even an hour later. I just devoured a perfect, tender chop 24 hours later, then (while I waited impatiently for my second helping to heat) nibbled any scrap I missed on the bone. I don’t do stuff like that. Ever. But right now I’m wondering if I like my clothes enough not to go up a dress size. For those chops, it might be worth it.
Thanks, Gypsy Grill. You really made the party a success!

Small quaint place. Use it to pick up your food when you are in the mood for a change.
Among the ton of eateries around grove path, gypsy grill is one of those hidden gems. They have less than 10 seating spots within the restaurant, but they also have most of their items under $ 10.
Shawarma’s are a small meal in themselves and can keep you going for more than a few hours. The shawarma’s are quick. The kabob /​kebabs generally take a while longer.
Some small king tut figurines in the corner and parchment paintings on the walls round out the Mediterranean look.
I would say that ibby’s fafael close by is a tad better than this. But then again, ibby’s is more expensive. So after your stomach has decided it wants Mediterranean let your wallet decide where you want to go.
Update:
Came back on day 2 to try their lamb and beef shawarma. Huge disappointment. Notched the rating down one. Go with the chicken shawarma over the lamb and beef. They called their spicy sauce 911. I was thinking nose dripping and eyes watering hot. However it turned out pretty mild for my palate. I barely registered the sauce. But then again, everyone’s spice tolerance is different.

This place is where I had my very first falafel. They were quite kind to offer free samples of falafel, so I ordered their «Shawafel». The Shawafel was absolutely fantastic and it tastes great with their sweet potato fries. I also like how the food I ordered wasn’t greasy or oily, because the fries were quite fresh every time I ordered them. I’m eager to order more from here and try out different things off the menu.

Most consistently good meal in JC. I have tried almost their entire menu and never had a bad meal. The lamb shank is awesome and the shawarma is outstanding!!! I must have been here 30 times in the past two years.

Aamazing Mediterranean food. Everything tasted fresh and wonderful. The owners were very friendly and gave us some free Guava juice samples. I got the veggie combo and the stuffing in the pita was delicious. My family got the meat combos (barbecue chicken and lamb gyro) and they loved it. Huge portions and tasty food.
There is limited seating inside so plan to takeout if you do not have time to wait. Pricing was very reasonable.

This place is the best — no doubt after enduring so many other places in nyc. I’ve tried so many places Mediterranean places in nyc that are mediocre, and this is the place to come back to.
It’s worth leaving the city and coming to New Jersey.

Solid spot for Mediterranean food. Their pita isn’t generic, thin, store bought pita. It’s a little more doughy/​dense, almost like na’an. Falafel is flavorful and rich in spices, unlike some falafel in the surrounding area which can be lacking.
My go to meal is usually the Lamb and Beef Shawarma entrée platter. I’m a big guy and can’t finish it in one sitting. The meat is chopped and served over a bed of rice and a side salad. Mix it all up, douse in garlic and hot sauce, and you’re set.
Very friendly staff. The guy with the glasses taking orders is very courteous and read my order back to me to ensure I got exactly what I wanted. This surprised me as I didn’t have any changes (dietary or otherwise) to my order. But shows his attention to detail is there with every order.
The house hot sauce is on point. If you like spicy, grab an extra container. Also, the garlic sauce is delicious as well.

I walked in looking to order a box of falafel before my trek back home. Well, I was distracted by the menu and ended up ordering a Gypsy Mixed Grill, a spicy lamb and beef shawarma sandwich, and hommus with pita bread.
Gypsy Mixed Grill ($ 16.99): I had to wait an extra 15 minutes for this, but I was totally cool with it since the food was served fresh. It comes with chicken kebab, shish kebab, kofta, some greens, plenty of rice, and three different sauces (garlic, tahini, and a chili sauce). The meats were tender, grilled well, and seasoned perfectly; the rice was cooked well, too. Although I did find the chicken and beef to be tasty, the kofta was probably my favorite. I’ve eaten it at various Armenian and Persian restaurants over the years, but I think the kofta here is the most flavorful that I’ve had in a while.
The three sauces that came with the mixed platter were good. The garlic sauce was indeed a great pair with the chicken, but not as garlicky as I expected. The tahini was okay, but the chili sauce was perfect with everything. It had a nice kick!
Hommus w/​Pita ($ 4.99): The hommus was smooth, creamy, and savory. I was a bit curious when I first saw it because it’s a little darker than what I’m used to; there is also no oil or chickpeas on top, but that was not an issue. Gypsy Grill’s hommus recipe is delicious, although I would’ve liked something a little more garlicky (I obviously like garlic).
I can’t say much about the spicy lamb and beef shawarma sandwich ($ 6.99) – since I ordered this for someone else – but I can say that it was stuffed with plenty of meat and vegetables. Although I’m pretty bummed that I forgot to order their falafel during this visit, what I did order was delicious. They have specials on certain days, so I look forward to trying those.

Why don’t you deliver to jsq :(you break my heart whenever I want takeout!
The food is amazing and reasonably priced. Please just deliver to jsq!!!

Rounding out the top picks of my list, «10 places to have lunch for under $ 10 in Jersey City» is Gypsy Grill, a hole in the wall that serves amazingly delicious food. I will be bold enough to say this is probably the best middle eastern food in JC.
The gypsy boxes start at $ 9 for the chicken and falafel options and go up to $ 9.99 on other base meats (lamb, beef, kofta, etc.). In one round container the lunch platter comes with rice, your base meat or vegetable, chopped salad, and a pita on the side.
If you’re feeling like a light lunch, they also have sandwiches for $ 6 which they fill a pita with the available menu options. But given my voracious appetite I usually stick with the platters to satisfy myself.
The owner and staff are always super friendly whenever we come by. When we waited for our foods, they would give us free falafel samples, pens, magnetic calendars or just chat us up.
I love ordering here on Fridays using Eat24 because Eat24 always sends out a $ 2 off $ 10 coupon for the weekend on Friday mornings. I essentially can get one of their many imported drink for free to pad my order over $ 10 to take advantage of that coupon.

I feel like Gypsy Grill is good for drunk food. I wasn’t drunk when I ate it but it just seems like one of those foods that would satisfy a person’s drunk hunger pangs. It’s a good alternative if you can’t get to 53^rd and 6^th. It’s not exactly the same, but there’s chicken, there’s rice, there’s a boatload of grease so you’re all set!
The chicken is actually pretty good. It looks like it would be dry but it isn’t dry at all. On the other hand, the lamb and beef shawarma are dry. The amazing garlic sauce does help out the situation a little bit but I think even that can’t save it. The falafels are good, and again — the garlic sauce makes it even better.
If I were to come back, I would just stick to the chicken and the falafel. For the lamb and the beef, I don’t think a drunk person would even eat that.

The best Chicken Shawarma place…
I was on my way back home to PA from a meeting and wanted to grab something different to eat. So this Shawarma thing was on my mind for a while as I abstained from eating meat for the past year or so.
This place is on the Newark Ave, where it is hard to find parking. so I went around the block couple of times, until I found a temporary parking and got in to the store hoping to grab the order and walk out soon.
The wait time was decent, ordered in a Chicken Shawarma and asked for spicy to be good… took the wrap and drove home and had it after reaching PA.
The broil on the meat was perfect, the sauce and the fillers in the Pita bread were just perfect for the spice level and the meat. I should try this place once again for their other offerings and I will.
Thank you fellow Unilocalers! who rated this place and I decided to go there after reading the Unilocal Reviews!
Unilocal Rocks and so is Gypsy Grill. you have my business everytime am in that area!

So very happily surprised with this place! Ordered via EAT24, and could not have had a better experience. Check out this timeline:
12:55p — I place my order.
1:05 — Leave my office…
1:15 — I park right in front, walk in, friendly woman at the register greets me, I tell her my name, she hands me my order, and wishes me a great day.
1:25p — I’m in my office inhaling my Chicken Shawarma.
First impression, I was surprised by the size of the actual pita. I was tempted to take a picture of it in front of my face because I’m pretty sure it was the size of my entire face. I was too hungry to do this. Pita was fresh and the chicken was soo tasty. And the garlic sauce was the icing on the shawarma (get it). No shortcuts when it came to marinating, no sir. I’m talking LAYERS OF FLAVOR here. Same thing with the Lentil Soup, which I ended up saving for another day because the Shawarma was actually really filling (and only $ 5.99). When I heated up the soup, same thing — layers of flavor. Easily one of the best lentil soups I’ve had, and I order it pretty often. Can’t wait to try more of their menu! Or at the least, have their Chicken Shawarma Sandwich and Lentil Soup over and over again.

Love this place. Especially their Chicken Swharma. They have pot pita stuffed with chicken, veggies and spicy sauce (you can choose your level of spice). The chicken is cooked perfectly and has always been great. Great Swharma at great price.
I usually do a pick-​up order for this place.

Check in on Unilocal for a free app with 2entrees during lunch hours.
This is my goto place to pick up well cooked grilled meats and your typical yummy tahini humus type dishes.
$ 14 for shish kabob which is enough food for 2 people I think. They have good shwarmas. Definitely get the lamb it’s better than the Libby’s down the street.
This place does take a long time to cook, call ahead and order or wait 20−25mins
Not much seating but there are 3 tables outside. Credit card minimum of $ 10. Do not leave the food until the next day. You will see all the oil and fat in the food.

This was, by far, THEE best Mediterranean food I’ve ever had in my 32 years of life!!!
I had the chicken swarma platter and my wife had the lamb/​beef swarma platter… both with white sauce and hot sauce! HOT DAMN!!!
After a day of walking and shopping, my tummy is happy!!!
In addition, the area has a «Williamsburg» feeling (for those of you familiar w/NYC…and my fellow transplants). When we dined here, there was also an LGBT event so… DOUBLE WIN!
Thank you Gypsy Grill for being my first best food experience in NJ!!!

I love this place!
The food is great, tremendous value for the money, friendly staff, and a loyal customer base that keeps coming back for more. I can see why the customers keep coming back because they are so awesome. My normal meal consists of the Chicken Kabob platter with rice, salad, pita bread, and the garlic white sauce. I am always full satisfied with the meal when I eat there. Matter of fact, I meet there today, lol. Additionally, they also have these pita chips they just give out in a bag that are an awesome appetizer and a nice treat. I recommend this place as it is easily the top Middle Eastern cuisine spot in the area.

Both of my pad’s in NYC conveniently had halal carts parked out front for those horrible yet delicious cravings during ungodly hours of the night.
My new JC abode has Gypsy Grill. It’s grade A halal cart food without the grimy «street meat» feel, and it’s absolutely delectable. The décor is bright and vibrant and there are pictures of their menu items strewn about the wall. Everything is fresh and there is no hiding it– you watch them make the food right in front of you.
I went with a chicken shawarma sanggggwich (omg why is shawarma the hardest word to spell) and for 7 dollars it was large and meaty! The meat was juicy and flavorful and the salad added the perfect crunch. The whole thing was doused in their homemade garlic sauce. I think I’ll put that sauce on everything that I eat for rest of my life. Drooling just thinking about it.
The BF always goes with the Gypsy platter. It’s enough food to feed a small family but is so good that he somehow manages to eat it all. Okay, I help out a little bit too. You can easily make two meals out of this 10 dollar platter. Heaping mounds of seasoned yellow rice underneath more heaping mounds of your meat of choice to the side of a salad andddd three large falafel balls with garlic and spicy sauce on the side and a generous side of pita bread. Say that five times fast.
We shared baklava for dessert and as expected, it was phenomenal. Thick layers of nuts and honey and a flaky and delicate pastry crust.
Come here hungry and order 5 extra sides of garlic sauce. You won’t regret it.