Opened in the corner spot on Maryland Avenue in Clayton that Companion occupied for decades, Garbanzo is a fast casual option that focuses on fresh Mediterranean/Middle Eastern flavors. Interestingly, it’s a rather large chain (although this is the first local spot) that was started in Denver with St. Louis native James Park as CEO.
My first suggestion is to order a plate. You go through the food line selecting the ingredients you’d like, and human nature being what it is, you’ll probably choose more than you could possibly enjoy inside the pita or laffa wraps (both made in-house). With a plate, you can dip into each item and savor it. My Grilled Chicken Plate ($9.50) was delicious, as were all the sides I chose: savory diced chicken, yellow seasoned rice, hummus, olives, tabbouleh, feta, grilled onions and two sauces. The food was fresh and satisfying.
An extra side of Gyro Meat ($2.59) was also quite good. My sauces—tahini (ground sesame seeds) and white sauce (a mayo-dill mix)—were both excellent. The other sauces were quite good, too. There was a red hot sauce that tasted strongly of green peppers and was spicy, a Greek vinaigrette that was sweet and tangy, and a refreshing tzatziki.
The menu is simple: pitas, salads, laffas (wraps), skewers (kebabs) or plates. Once you’ve determined the kind of meal you want, you walk down the food line pointing to what you want on it. You’re free to choose a protein, veggies, grain and sauce. And you’re not limited to one of each—you can pretty much have as many as you’d like (there’s an upcharge for a second or third protein), as long as it all fits on your plate.
Again, I advise not overstuffing your pita or laffa. I added the tomato cucumber salad, hummus, roasted vegetables and yellow rice to my Grilled Steak Laffa, and it was simply too much. Even though they grill the sandwich ‘shut’ on a panini-like griddle, it wouldn’t stay closed and got super messy. Even worse, I could barely taste the meat, which based on the sample piece they gave me earlier, was really good.
Everything is house-made, from the pockets to the sauces, and the freshness shows. The pita is soft and yummy, much fresher than what we’re used to. The tzatziki sauce in my steak laffa was bright and tasty, with the dill prominent in the thin yogurt. Especially good here are the falafel, which are quite crisp and come piping hot. Ask for a sample if they don’t offer it automatically
amuse bouche
the scene | Fast-casual Middle Eastern spot with from-scratch food
the owner | Michael Staenberg
the prices | $7 to $11 for custom-built wraps, plates and stuffed pitas
the favorites | Grilled Chicken Plate, Grilled Sirloin, Gyro Meat, Tzatziki Sauce, Falafel, Mayo Dill Sauce, House-Made Potato Chips
food • ŏ • lō • gy
pita | A hollow, unleavened bread used to hold ingredients
tzatziki | A savory Mediterranean sauce made with strained yogurt, garlic, cucumbers, oil and lemon
laffa | A Middle Eastern bread similar to pita eaten with hummus and other dips
8143 maryland ave. | 314. 224.5222
Pictured at top: falafel plate with lettuce, tomato cucumber salad, seasoned rice and tahini sauce