Phoenicia: A grocery type restaurant

Restaurant: Phoenicia
1001 Austin Street, Houston, Texas 77010
Buffet or a-la-carte: Neither
Date of visit: 6/23/14

Photo Credit: http://www.phoeniciafoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Phoenicia_V_GRN_RGB.jpg

Background:

Salam/hey guys! Today I will be reviewing a well-known establishment: Phoenicia. Phoenicia has been in business since 1983 and has two locations. One in downtown on Austin Street, and one on Westheimer Road. I reviewed the one on Westheimer Road. My friend who works downtown told me and my friend that we can meet up for lunch. He suggested Phoenicia in downtown. I had been reluctant to try a restaurant in downtown. I only remember going to the food court in the Shops at Houston Center whenever I would go to the George R. Brown Convention Center for robotics or other activities during high school. Usually in the other places, you would have to pay for parking, and parking is at least $5 during weekdays. Thankfully, Phoenicia has complimentary parking at the One Park Place garage. After going swiftly through traffic, I arrived at the place.

Let The Experience Begin!

Thankfully, I found a very good parking spot. There is direct access to the place from the garage. After getting off the elevator, there is a a walkway, which leads to the place. That place turns out to be a huge grocery store. The restaurant is located in the middle of the grocery store. This evoked memories of Saudi when I used to buy cheesebread from one of the stalls at the Tamimi Market, and when I used to buy snacks at the Geant at the Mall of Dhahran. There were places that had all sorts of salads and other dedicated foods. My friend had me follow him to where to order.



Let's Eat!
I decided to go with the platter. I got sides of broccoli, carrots, and salad. The main meat I got was beef. My friend got the shawarma. I paid $11.75 (tax included) for the meal. There is no waiting time as the food was instantly served.



Menu: http://www.phoeniciafoods.com/departments/prepared-foods/
There is no definite menu for this place. The things in the link are those that are definitetly there though. The specials change every day. There is however, pork and alcohol sold as the owners are non-Muslim. but they are cooked separately though. In the grocery part, you can get various foreign products of your favorite things.

Tzatziki sauce, pita bread, vegetables, and meat

The Verdict:

The food tasted fairly decently. The pita bread was fresh, their salad was good, and both the carrots and broccoli were alright. The meat was very tender, but I wish they would put more meat. The meal was washed down with a bottle of water. Overall, two thumbs up.

Regarding the service, there was nothing to criticize or praise. I just paid for the food and sat down to eat.

Conclusion:

This place is great if you want to do some grocery shopping. I would also recommend the food if you are hungry. I'll definitely come back and provide an update to the other food available as they look so tempting to try!

Grading:

Service: 8/10

Food: 7/10

Waiting Time: N/A

Total: 15/20 = 75% (C)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Phoenicia
1001 Austin Street, Houston, Texas 77010
Phone: (832) 360-2222
Website: http://www.phoeniciafoods.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YUMSTOP
Timings: Mon-Fri: 7 AM - 9 PM; Sat-Sun: 9 AM - 8 PM
Caters: Yes

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Cheers!
Zain Mohammed