A restaurant in Peachtree Center was voted the top place in metro Atlanta to eat by Yelp.
Aviva by Kameel is “a Mediterranean joint in the food hall at Peachtree Center where Yelpers rave about the lamb shawarma, rosemary chicken and eggplant ratatouille,” Yelp wrote. The restaurant bested a number of the usual suspects on Yelp’s list of the Top 50 Places to Eat in Metro Atlanta.
The restaurant, which opened in Peachtree Center in 2012, carries a five-star rating on the review site, based on 308 reviews. Kameel Srouji, better known as Chef Kameel, owns the restaurant and operates it with one of his older sisters, Aviva.
The restaurant is noted for its Middle Eastern fare, which is crafted using a unique blend of spices and marinades and based on recipes passed down from previous generations.
“Many restaurants claim that they serve home cooked quality meals,” one Yelp reviewer noted. “This restaurant is one of the few that actually lives up to that!”
When the line backs up with hungry customers, Chef Kameel routinely sends out appetizers for customers to enjoy – free of charge – while they wait to order.
“Kameel puts A VIVAcious show on every time you step into his establishment,” another reviewer noted. “This guy is seriously slinging some of the freshest Mediterranean eats this city has to offer.”
Chef Kameel, who immigrated to New York in his mid 20s and moved to Atlanta after working in restaurants in New York and Canada, also operates a juice bar in Peachtree Center.
“If it’s not good enough for my family, it’s not good enough for our consumer,” Srouji told 11 Alive when asked why he thought his restaurant earned the top spot.
For more information, visit avivabykameel.com. To read Yelp’s list of best restaurants, visit bit.ly/1IgOdFG.