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| - Salem's is a great place for lunch or dinner. It is a cavernous space, easy to get to in the strip. Small off-street parking lot for those who drive. It's set up cafeteria style, with all of the selections on giant chalk boards hung from the ceiling.
It can be a little overwhelming at first, but the guys behind the counter are super friendly and helpful if you need any assistance or have questions.
I usually go with my friend Nutbar, who is a hard-core carnivore, and he always gets a lamb dish, usually a gyro or shish kabobs. I get the falafel sandwich or the vegetarian curry. The portions are huge, the ingredients are fresh, and everything is perfectly seasoned and cooked. They always have a good selection of desserts, the baklava is good. The hummus and naan is delicious. The tabouleh is good, has a bit more parsley in it than I'm used to, but very fresh tasting.
It can sometimes be a little chaotic at the cash register, where people pick up to-go orders as well as people like me who are eating on site. But it's always a minor inconvenience. Everything is served in styrofoam containers, helpful because often I can't eat everything.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is strictly a no-frills place in terms of decorating. Dropped ceilings, rows of simple tables and padded restaurant chairs, and a few Steelers memorabilia on the walls. But you don't come for the ambiance--you come for the food!
This is the middle eastern counterpart of Spice Island, which also has great food in a kind of basic ambiance environment. The prices, like Spice Island, are very reasonable.
Be sure to stroll through the market after your meal--they have a great selection of middle eastern groceries and ready-to-eat food.
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