This is a casual spot, where you order your food at the counter and a server brings it to you when it’s ready. From the start, the staff people were incredibly helpful, enlightening us on the bread choices, quickly preparing the food and checking on us several times to make sure we were satisfied. They are dedicated to the customers in a way that is particularly refreshing.

Yoshi’s offers traditional Mediterranean fare, such as hummus, falafel and tabbouleh. Everything here looked and tasted homemade, prepared with care, though sometimes the ingredients missed the mark. The hummus was delicious, thick and creamy. A strawberry-banana smoothie was a great, refreshing complement. But the lentil soup was watery and bland. And my chicken shawarma was mediocre. I requested the garlic bread, but it was overpowering and didn’t work well on the sandwich. The chicken inside was a bit overcooked and the entire sandwich was dry. I ended up spreading some of the hummus on it to add moisture and flavor.

The meat dishes fared well. The slow-roasted beef in the beef shawarma plate was flavorful and quite good, and I liked the healthful accompaniment of grilled vegetables. Similarly, marinated tenderloin steak cubes in the steak kabob plates were also delicious. And the falafel was fine, not too dry.

Vegetarian grape leaves were enormous, but contained a too-tart vinegar/spice combination that simply didn’t work. Tabbouleh was too heavy on parsley and didn’t have a good mix of spices.

With so many great Middle Eastern restaurants in town, Yoshi’s has some work to do to compete. I hope they’ll do what’s needed to get it right, though, since the quick, friendly service and care taken in the food preparation are worthy attributes.

Yoshi’s 241 E. Liberty St. Ann Arbor 734-769-9674 Yoshi's web site Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, noon-6 p.m. Plastic: Visa, Mastercard, will take American Express within the next month. Liquor: No. Prices: Moderate. Many entrees are in $9 to $12 range. Value: Excellent. Portions are very large and entrees come with pita, a choice of rice or vegetables, and a soup or house salad. Noise level: Quiet. Wheelchair access: Yes. Smoking section: No.

A beef shawarma with rice and curried potato side dish at Yoshi's.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com