Shish Cafe
Kathie Jenkins, St. Paul Pioneer Press

I ordered the hummus, falafel and baba ghannouj. The server took a deep breath. "I don't want to tell you what to do," she said. And then she proceeded to do exactly that. "You should really get the Maza Mix. It includes the dishes you've just ordered plus a small Greek salad, and you'll save yourself some money."

You've got to hand it to Leo and Beth Judeh, the owners of the new Shish in St. Paul. They know how to hire good help. Their new cafe on Grand Avenue not only has terrific service but also terrific food.

Leo helped his family run restaurants in Jerusalem and San Francisco, and now he finally has a place of his own in his wife's home state of Minnesota. The civilized little cafe tucked on Grand Avenue between Cambridge and Macalester streets has already become a neighborhood hangout.

The menu, like most Middle Eastern restaurants, is heavy on hot and cold hors d'oeuvres and salads, and you could make a meal of those dishes. The delicious Maza Mix our server recommended costs $7.95 and easily feeds two. But the signature dish -- shish kebab -- is also quite good, served on rice with a salad and warm pita bread. The kebabs are offered five ways, including lamb, which was juicy and tender.

And if you don't want to go the Middle Eastern route, there's the all-American burger, topped with your choice of cheese - American, Swiss, cheddar or feta.

Shish, A Mediterranean Grill & Café
From The Mac Weekly, MacAlester College

Those who have visited the eastern Mediterranean develop an enduring love of the fast food served from street carts in that region. Shish, A Mediterranean Grill and Café inspires this same love with Mediterranean fare that is fast, healthy and not the least bit Americanized. Rashed and Beth Judeh opened their casual eatery in 2006 in the St. Paul neighborhood where they live. Rashed has owned delis in San Francisco with his brothers, but it was his dream to open a restaurant that showed off a part of his culture. Shish offers an alternative to American fast food with gyros, falafel, hummus and tabouli. A chicken shawarma comes wrapped in Lebanese flatbread or in a pita. The Turkish coffee is a refreshing change of pace. One customer called the spicy eggplant dish known as babaganoush "the best I've had outside Beirut." Others rave over the stuffed grape leaves or the cheese pie with its layers of filo dough and feta cheese. Even the burger choices take on Middle Eastern overtones with such ingredients as fresh ground lamb, hummus and feta. You don't have to leave the Midwest to taste the Mideast, just bring your appetite to Shish, A Mediterranean Grill & Café.

Epic Sandwich: Shish Cafe's Gyros Wrap
By Teddy Hobbins

February, 2009

I first discovered Shish Mediterranean Grill & Cafe while grabbing lunch at the neighboring Italian Pie Shoppe on Grand Ave. in St. Paul. It was spanking new back then, and I have to admit that I was intrigued from the moment I laid eyes on the place. I've enjoyed a few meals there since, but none as much as my most recent trip.

Shish offers a nice variety of traditional starters including hummus, bobogonoush, dolmas, kibbeh and falafel. They also feature a number of sandwiches, burgers, and a surprising amount of entrees in their small but efficient kitchen. I'd had a good burger and an outstanding shawarma (think curry-spiced chicken sandwich) before, so I decided to shift gears and try a gyro flatbread wrap (they have a smaller version of a gyro served in a pita as well). I figured it would be a good gauge for how they can handle a classic.

The sandwich was simply enormous, and could have easily intimidated even the proudest Chipotle burrito. The thin flatbread was fortuitous enough to manage the multitude of contents and prevent any filling fall-out--no small accomplishment when you're talking gyros. The first thing you taste when you sink your teeth into this monster is the bite of the raw onions followed by the neutralizing cool of cucumber sauce. The wrap was packed full of tender gyros meat still shimmering with its spicy cooking juices. The tomatoes and lettuce provided a nice textural contrast, and the refreshing parsley paired well with the spiciness of the meat. My only criticisms are that despite the wrap's ability to keep the sandwich organized, it lacked any real flavor. The sandwich was also a bit over-sauced in my opinion, but it didn't hinder my attempt to slowly take down this ridiculously huge Mediterranean favorite.

Sandwich Rating: Killer. This gyro was easily the best I've ever had in the Twin Cities (MSP is arguably not a bastion for great gyros, though). The portion was far beyond generous and they pack it full of flavorful and high quality ingredients. I'll be back many times in the future, but may downsize to the traditional pita version of the gyro so as to avoid the inevitable food coma.

From City Pages 2007 Restaurant Guide

Shish is a bargain of a quick-serving Mediterranean deli and counter-service restaurant perched in the heart of Macalester’s part of Grand Avenue, but the real plates, real furniture, and prettily decorated restaurant make it feel more posh than penny-pinching. The Shish Maza plate is a must:  Order it and you get the restaurant’s beautiful hummus, a weighty, toasty, thickly creamy rendition served glossed with olive oil and sprinkled with good paprika, as well as a scoop of brightly minty and lively tabbouli, freshly shredded baba ghanoush, a trio of roasty falafel balls made a little nutty by a batter made with a good number of sesame seeds which crisp beautifully on the outside. The plate is further loaded up with squares of feta cheese, good olives, tomatoes, and lettuce, and served with a big basket of pita bread. It makes a hearty appetizer for two, or dinner for one. Heartier shish-kabob plates come with your choice of meat, like lamb, kefta (ground beef and spices), chicken, or vegetables, and are served supper-club style with everything included.

From City Pages Best of the Twin Cities issue

April, 2007

Shish Named Best Middle Eastern Restaurant!

Leo Judeh opened his spic-and-span Macalesterland spot last June, and he hasn’t had a day off since. The demand for his homemade lamb burgers, rich moussaka, light and zingy hummus, deeply flavored kibbeh, buoyant and crisp spinach pies, big fresh salads, and potently flavored baba ghannoush is just too intense. The recipes at Shish are all simple, real-deal family heirlooms, made the way Judah’s mom cooked in Jerusalem, with fresh ingredients and served on real plates in a stylish gold-accented room at fast-food bargain prices. The super-black, super-strong Turkish coffee is fair trade. The food is all Kosher and Halal – except, of course, the gyros. The takeout is faster, cheaper, and better than even most home gourmet cooks could ever hope to pull off. No wonder Judeh doesn’t get a day off! We’d feel bad for him, except we know he recently debuted a new breakfast menu that includes homemade crepes. For a master cook like him, that’s a surefire recipe for more customers, not more sleep.

From Midway Como Monitor magazine
Shish Is It!

February, 2007

I had the very best mousaka of my life… It was the special of the day, so I hope you are as lucky as I was when you visit Shish. The eggplant and potato slices were perfectly coked, the seasoned ground meat layer was subtly scented with cinnamon or something similarly delightful and unexpected (to my palate at least), and the custardy top layer was light as a feather and delicately flavored. Yum.

And the Turkish coffee. I could write pages about it. Fresh off the burner in the traditional little brass (or maybe copper) pot with the long handle, the Turkish coffee at Shish is my favorite in town so far. It’s got the traditional mud of powder-fine coffee grounds in the bottom, it’s generously sweetened and spiced with cardamom, and you get to pour it into a tiny, exquisite china cup and saucer…

The food at Shish made me wonder why peace in the Middle East is so hard to achieve. After all, much of the food is similar – same herbs, spices, respect for vegetables and use of meat almost as a condiment. Which is why I asked the owner of Shish (several times) the nationality of his cuisine. “Jerusalem,” he said finally, acknowledging almost sheepishly that he was half Israeli and half Palestinian…

I believe food should transcend politics and it’s hard to be partisan when your mouth is full. During our lunch at Shish, my mouth was almost as busy as my hand, which was sneaking on to everyone else’s plates to steal grilled vegetables (…veggie kebab, $9.95), yellow rice and chunks of meat (…lamb kebab, $11.95), and huge bites of that succulent mousaka ($6.95). It was a two-way street. I put my giant pile of fries in the middle of the table and they disappeared in record time. I refused to share my lamb burger ($7.95) though. It was too good, sparked with fresh mint and served with a salad bursting with tomatoes, olives, fresh greens (and vitamins too I’m sure). The centerpiece of the meal – figuratively and literally – was our appetizer platter, called the Shish Maza Mix ($7.95). We all dipped into the hummus, babaganoush and tabbouli with pita bread and decorated each bite with olives, feta and salad greens. I was lucky enough to get one of the falafel balls (chickpea fritters)…

Just like the other dishes, my lamb kebab was delicious. The chunks came squished tightly together, so tight that at first I thought I was about to eat two long lamb tubes. I breathed a shgh of relief when one by one they slid off the skewer. Because of their close proximity to each other, the meat was very tender, especially the larger chunks…

So whether you’re looking for a yummy shish kebab or just want to mooch off of your friends’ lunch plates, then Shish (remember, it’s not “sheesh”) is the place to go.

From Mpls St Paul magazine
Dining Out by Andrew Zimmern

February, 2007

Budget-conscious diners in Crocus Hill, Mac-Groveland, and Highland Park looking for fresh kebabs, falafel, stuffed grape leaves, and spinach pies have a new option on Grand Avenue, just west of Macalester College. Shish bills itself as a Mediterranean grill, a reminder that the best menu items are the marinated and grilled kebabs that come fresh off the char-broiler with plenty of tasty tidbits on the side. Pair the weighty kefta, lamb, beef, and chicken skewers with hummus and baba gannouj and you cannot go wrong… Turkish coffees are made to order, a nice way to pick yourself up after one of the signature kebab platters.

From Vita.mn magazine

February, 2007

Shish is a great spot for a quick lunch or dinner. My favorites are the cheese pie and hummus. The lamb gyro is delicious. Super-fast and friendly…the best Middle Eastern food I’ve tasted in the Twin Cities.

From Avenues magazine
Hot Dish by Brock LeRabe

July, 2006

Leo Judeh and wife Beth have transformed the former Grand Avenue Hardware rental store into a delightful and tastefully appointed eatery that makes a most welcome addition to the local dining scene. Shish’s menu selections are all authentic, reasonably priced and made with fresh ingredients. The warm spinach pie garnished with feta cheese and herbs is tantalizing, as are the crispy Kibbe balls. Though I’ve never been crazy about vegetarian stuffed grape leaves (I prefer a rice and lamb stuffing), Leo’s are stuffed with a richly seasoned blend of rice and lentils and are excellent. My wife, who had never tasted falafel, was amazed that fried ground garbanzo beans could be so tasty in a sandwich. The gyros meat in the sandwich that I ordered was lightly seasoned and wrapped in Lebanese flat bread.

Originally from Jerusalem, Leo most recently ran a restaurant in Seattle. His wife Beth convinced him to move to St. Paul, and he’s optimistic that their operation here will be successful…