A new Indian Trail restaurant is serving up halal shawarma, kabobs and more

If you’re looking for a go-to Mediterranean spot in Indian Trail, The Valley Grill is the move. Near the Sun Valley movie theater, it’s one of those places where you’ll leave stuffed but still have enough leftovers for the next day or two.

The restaurant, which serves 100% fresh halal dishes, opened in December.

The owner, Mahmod Awad, started as a dishwasher, worked his way up to chef and has spent more than 30 years cooking. Now, he’s bringing those flavors to Indian Trail.

“My mom and dad are actually refugees. They came in from Yemen when they were about 16-17, and ever since, my dad’s been in the kitchen,” said Mahmod’s son, Ahmed Awad, the restaurant’s manager.

Fresh off the grill

Awad highlighted The Valley Grill’s lentil soup and specially marinated chicken, both staples of his family’s table while he was growing up in Dearborn, Michigan.

“There’s like a bunch of Mediterranean foods and Arab people, Arab population. So, we grew up around this stuff. That’s why we decided to bring it to Indian Trail. Not a lot of people know about this (cuisine). It’s something different for the area,” Awad said.

During my visit, I had the mixed grill platter, made with lamb kabob, tawook (chicken), lamb kafta and chicken kafta, along with the lentil soup and chicken lemon rice soup. (So good!)

But my favorite part was dessert, of course. I had the rice pudding and couldn’t seem to put it down.

Awad’s favorite? The gallaba, a Mediterranean stir-fry that comes with salmon or chicken.

If you’re visiting for the first time, here are a few more dishes to check out:

• Tabbouli salad

• Vegetarian grape leaves

• Chicken shawarma sandwich

• Lamb chops

• Falafel sandwich

• Baklava

What’s next for The Valley Grill?

Awad hopes to introduce a Ramadan buffet next year for those breaking their dawn-to-sunset fast during the Muslim holy month.

“We’ve had a lot of people asking about it,” he said.

The Valley Grill

Location: 6443 Old Monroe Rd, Indian Trail, NC 28079

Menu

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Instagram: @the_valley_grille

Mari Pressley

The Charlotte Observer

Freelancer Mari Pressley was an intern on the Charlotte Observer’s Service Desk and CharlotteFive. She studies mass communication with a concentration in journalism, while minoring in writing and photography. Her previous experience includes interning for Credit Karma’s Editorial team and serving as Managing Editor at Winthrop University’s school newspaper, The Johnsonian.