The blossoming of Culver City’s food scene continues with a new fast-casual concept taking on Mediterranean cuisine. Yalla Mediterranean offers wraps, plates, and salads that customers may build and customize to their liking with a large variety of sides and toppings. This new concept from the guys behind Daphne’s will be taking over all Daphne’s locations in the near future, and is one of the first I have seen to be so accommodating to gluten sensitivity…
Yalla’s vast menu is chock-full of gluten-free options – clearly labeled to make the experience as easy as possible. We opted to create two unique ‘build your own plates,’ which gives you the option of a protein atop basmati rice, your choice of seasonal vegetables or spiced lentils, and up to three sides (*No pita = GF!) We got both with Shalafael (falafel and chicken shawarma – both GF!) one with lentils and one with veggies. Since almost everything offered is GF, we were able to sample a variety of sides offered. You MUST get hummus when ordering Mediterranean; so we got plenty of hummus, which I paired with Greek potato salad and baba ganoush. On the other plate we had Turkish slaw, Moroccan carrot, and of course, some more hummus. We really cannot go anywhere without having fries if they are offered, so we tried the Yalla fries, which are topped with Feta Ranch. In addition, get a side of the Fire feta spread (not for those that are spice adverse!) The fries are subject to CC, so be wary if you’re ultra sensitive.
When you need a quick fix but still craving a good quality meal, hit up Yalla – we know we will on a regular basis. You get a lot of quality food for a great price, and the varietal options are numerous. We are definitely excited about the continued expansion of this concept. And next time, we will be getting their soft-serve Greek yogurt!