I just happened to be in Mesa to check out the Arts Center on a recent evening and what I discovered was one big bedroom community with shopping plazas and strip malls a-plenty. I was looking for a healthy dinner in an unfamiliar suburb and found this Mediterranean fast-food spot on my Yelp app. Little did I realize this was #85 on Yelp's just-published Top 100 Places to Eat in the entire country (link: http://bit.ly/2sN4Qsa). It was an admittedly quirky list of non-Michelin-starred eateries, but I can see why Green Corner would have a devoted following. It holds a dominant position in - surprise! - a small shopping center with a huge parking lot (photo: http://bit.ly/2EJqWNK). It was a compact spot and fairly busy with families having taken over the booths.
I read that their spit-roasted meat was made in-house and tasted amazing, but I attempted to stay healthy and went with the $8.99 Vegetarian Plate which featured three good-size falafel balls nicely crisped, a very fresh hummus, baba ghannoug, tabouleh salad, a pair of dolmas, and tahini sauce with a lot of pita wedges in a separate basket (photo: http://bit.ly/2ony6RN). If I was feeling more calorifically inclined, I would have gone for the &13.49 Green Corner Combo Plate which offered chicken, beef, and lamb kafta kabobs plus a falafel ball. However, I was happy with my sensible choice, and the staff was kind enough to serve me a complimentary slice of their Baklava (photo: http://bit.ly/2CCtOKq). How could I resist that?
FOOD - 4 stars...real home-style Mediterranean that tastes fresh and flavorful
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...just a fast-food space but well maintained
SERVICE - 4.5 stars...stellar...and they give away baklava
TOTAL - 4 stars...is it the 85th best place to eat in the country?...who am I to argue with my Yelp brethren?