Naf Naf Grill is shwarma and falafel (Middle Eastern street food) brought to you Chipotle-style. The Chipotle similarity is everywhere, beginning from when you step in and see the minimalistic, industrial decor including metal surface tables. The color scheme and design is slightly different with a red color scheme and oversized traffic signs featuring a camel for "Yield".
Like Chipotle, you order your food at a full-service bar that features Middle Eastern, instead of Mexican, ingredients. There are basically 3.5 items that you can order: Chicken Shwarma, Falafel, and Steak Shwarma, plus a Veggie "deluxe" option which is a deconstructed version of the service bar (the main vegetarian components, that is). The first three entree items can be ordered in a pita or as a bowl: rice, couscous, or salad. After the main ingredient, you indicate additional items of your choosing as you move along the bar. These includes: a white or purple cabbage salad / slaw, seasoned onions, sauces (tahini, white sauce, a couple spicy ones). Menu sides include fries, lentile soup, rice, extra pita... There is an option to "Naff it up" by adding fries and a fountain drink for $3. (Either one of those items alone costs close to $3.)
Writing on the wall will tell you that Naf Naf's philosophy on ingredients and food emphasizes freshness, quality and authentic flavors. It seems consistency is also present - behind the service bar are two spits where the chicken and steak shwarma tantalizingly rotate and simmer in their own juices. However, you won't see any person slicing meat off the spit, instead the spit itself has an apparatus that slices the meat with clean, mechanized strokes. Certainly consistent, but tasty?
The chicken shwarma was moist and delicious and possessed a distinct curry flavor that I hadn't encountered in other shwarma. The pita was a nice touch - it's baked fresh and that was obvious. Fries were tasty - instead of long sticks, they are semi-circles cut from the cross-section of the potato; a crispy edge where there's a trace of potato skin and a softer center.
Naf Naf loses a star because of price. With the entree prices coming close to $8, you will easy be over $11 after any sides and/or drink, or if you Naf it up. Maybe I've had too many falafels from food carts or street vendors but that price feels a bit steep for Middle Eastern street food. Yes Chipotle was similar in raising the price of a burrito or taco, but it seems easier to stay under that $10 mark and the Chipotle feels like a bigger 'boost' from the ordinary burrito. Certainly, it can be hard to riff on falafels, but Naf Naf certainly tries by offering high quality additions and fresh-baked pita bread. Maybe the price point will grow on me over time... For now, Naf Naf Grill is an excellent option for some delicious shwarma and falafel in a sit-down setting, worth at least one visit if you haven't tried it yet.