Amazing middle eastern food. I had Fahsa. It was wonderfully spiced. Nice and spicy, but not overpowering. My husband had the mixed grill. He loved it. Chicken, beef, and lamb kebabs. Staff is very friendly and eager to please. We have been here a couple of times and had carry out once. We will be back! Afterwards go next door to the Halal supermarket. It's a very cool cultural experience. read more

The food was good and very authentic middle eastern cuisine The staff was attentive and very kind The men's restroom was very unclean - I'm told the women's was ok. It is hard for me to enjoy a nice meal knowing the staff uses that kind of restroom and nobody cares read more

What a treasure on the west side of Indianapolis. The food was amazing and fresh. Awesome staff.

I had the shawarma plate and hummus for lunch. Shawarma was delicious as was the rice! The cuisine is definitely Yemeni strong with peninsula related dishes; Mandi, lamb haneeth and saltah (an interesting experience)! The food is delicious and the restaurant's appearance is inviting with a nice Arab feel. I'm giving them four stars because the waiting service wasn't great. I had to ask for a refill on water and the water I got after I received my food (?) - unsure why. Nonetheless I will be returning for lunch next time I'm craving some delicious Arab food! read more

See all

Underwhelming and disappointment, my feelings after visiting Al-Rayan. Although this is by no means the complete breath of Middle Eastern food, when I think of middle Eastern food I think of Freshiness, Spice, and Savory. Some of my favorite go-to dishes include baba ganoush, hummus, falafel, beef/lamb kefta, and pretty much any rich dish. Needless to say, as I was making my way towards Al-Rayan, I was eagerly waiting for all the fresh and well-spiced flavors I was going to experience. But sadly, I didn't get any of that at Al-Rayan. The overall meal was bland and in some cases quite off putting. Outside of the bland and dry meats, the baba ganoush I order had a rather chemically and stale taste to it, as if the baba ganoush came in a can which they then left in the fridge too long. The hummus was also off putting, way too much tahini sauce and not enough chickpea or acid to balance everything out. Though my review isn't positive and wouldn't recommend, I'm giving Al-Rayan 3 stars for 2 reasons. 1) The service was pretty good. Our waiter was attentive and kind, and even took off the baba ganoush I didn't like off my bill. 2) Their flat bread was fresh, hot, and very tasty, by far the best part of my meal. So though they have good service and very tasty flat bread, I recommend you look elsewhere for your middle Eastern fix. read more

See all

Scrumptious is how I would describe the food. One of the best babaganoush I've had , creamy very flavorful. The grapes leaves were equally delicious, moist and tasty filling. The chicken swarm was the highlight ; fluffy and heavenly rice with tender , juicy tasty meat. Did you size the size of the flat bread ?!? read more

I work near here and have been in twice to pick up a sandwich for my lunch. I ordered a falafel sandwich and there is no description on the menu of what come on the sandwich. I asked that they not put cheese or yogurt sauce on it both times. The second time the person who took my order said it didn't come with yogurt sauce but both times the sandwich had a yogurt sauce that was hard to tell was on the sandwich because of the way it was rolled up. The falafel and bread were good but since they can't simply leave things off when requested I won't ever be back. read more

We came very late on a Friday night and were initially disappointed that they only had 2 options to choose from (lamb or chicken mandi), but we left very satisfied. The food was absolutely delicious. The lamb was so tender and full of flavor as was the chicken. Our children who ordered chicken mandi, had to take some food home as they each receive half a chicken :). If in the area, we would definitely stop here again. Well done! Sorry, no photos, the food looked and tasted too good, no one thought of taking any until it was too late read more

Stopped in when my group wanted to try something new. Food was absolutely DELICIOUS; portions were generous and reasonably priced in my opinion. Only knock is that the service was a touch slow as far as water refills (makes a difference depending on your spice tolerance). Definitely worth a visit. read more

The chicken mehdi was bitter like a burnt taste not very good don't recommend getting it

We went for a dinner during Ramadan and they had a buffet setup. Their menu was unavailable so buffet was the only option. We had made reservations for 6 anyways. They ran out of rice after first round and by the time the rice came back out it was almost 20 minutes later with the meats cold. The drink station had no ice the whole time and the bread was not oven toasted or anything it was just straight from the fridge. After all that they tried charging us 16 each. I have been to this restaurant a ridiculous amount of times and I have been pleased. This time around, worst service, poor food quality and when we talked to the employees they apologized and just said that it is because one of the kitchen staff was sick and was at home I'm like that's not my concern. You have. A restaurant. To feed people. It isn't my problem that your cook wasn't available nor is it my problem you didn't prepare. read more

This is my favorite place to get Middle Eastern food in Indianapolis, I've come here for years it's an awesome place to go with friends and family. Great food, great ambiance. read more

I really like this restaurant! I had the Grape leaves as the appetizer and Kufta Kebabs over rice as the main course. The food was very flavorful and the food came out quickly. The server was very helpful in deciding what to order. I finished the meal off with a hot cup of Yemeni tea. If you don't try this restaurant at least once you are doing yourself a disservice! read more

This food was excellent. We had the mixed platter, and 2 appetizers (Hummis and falafel). All the food was cooked an presented like a fancy restaurant. It tasted perfect. The owner was there and we talked to him. He is very friendly. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is the menu says shawarma is part of the platter but it's not served and they didn't tell us in advance. Also this may be picky, but the glass on the entrance door was smeared with fingerprints badly, but they did have hand sanitizer at the entrance. We will go back and overall had a great experience. read more

My husband and I decided we wanted to try this place because we had had- and loved- shakshuka and zhoug sauce, two foods from Yemen. We split a couple different things and it was all delicious. We will be back to try more! read more

I have found this restaurant on yelp and based on 4 stars we decided to pay them a visit. We got there around 1 pm , they were not busy, the restroom was not clean at all and out of paper towels , our waitress was the chef also !!!! We asked about 2-3 food and he said they are out of them so basically he gave us 3 choices only , mandi lamb ,mandi chicken or mixed platter!? We ordered mixed plater which it should be included 2 shish of each beef kabab , lamb kabab , chicken kabab and toveq kabab totally 8 shish , he said it will take up to 30 min then he left us and we were alone by ourselves without anything even for drink!! Long story short after 20-25 min he brought us the platter , all the 8 shish were way away over cooked and burned I'll attach the pic , all the meets were dry n chewy and bitter because of burning ,we told him and he said its yours and if u don't want it its okay but still u have to pay !!!!! the pic he showed us on the menu at beginning for order our food was totally something different than he brought us !? No tomatoes no pickles no nuts only rice and dry burned bitter meet !! So far its a shame but still good part of the story remains to tell !!! We noticed the he put only one shish of lamb kabob so we asked him and he said im sorry we are out of that too so I substitute it with chicken we told him we order the mixed platter because of that and he should told us so we could order something else or leave!! He said don't worry I'll bring u some roasted lamb for our faults and also I asked him about the difference between the picture on the menu and our platter he said that picture is for advertisement!!!! Anyway we had our meals however so when it comes to pay we found out he charged us for the roasted lamb that he offered us !!! I'm so disappointed of myself that I let them rob me like this !!! I'll upload 3 pictures, our mixed platter, their pictures of mixed platter and copy of the invoice so it's totally up to you to let them rob you also or not !!! Good luck read more

See all

Al-Rayan is located in the former Old Country Buffet restaurant. It is authentic, flavorful Yemení style Arabic food. We had the Beiruti hummus, Baba Ganoush, tabouli, falafel, and a mixed grill. Everything was absolutely delicious and super flavorful without being overly spicy. The manager could not have been nicer or more service oriented. I will definitely return and take more friends next time. Oh, and the prices are very reasonable. read more

Al-Rayan Restaurant - Baba ga Hummus Beiruti and Baba Gannouj - Halal Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

See all

Finally have the chance to make the trek in the frigid cold to Al-Rayan, a whole in the wall serving unique and delicious Yemeni specials. We walked all the way to pay counter and the very sweet lady adorned in a beautiful hijab handed us menus which turned out to be our waitress. Saturday lunch hour was very quiet today. We were the only ones in there as another was finishing up. There were tables with chairs and traditional floor seating area with cushions and a mat for your food. I would've tried to sit in the booths but my tight, cold-weather, bulky clothing didn't allow me to even bend myself into a pretzel on the floor. Of course, they are trying to conserve heating costs as I had my coat on while dining in. I would probably take it to go next time. It forced to me to order hot chai tea with milk for a mere $1.50. Served in a paper cup piping hot, warming my hands, it had the fragrance of toasty cloves slightly sweetened, but not overly. We started with an appetizer - baba ganoush. Lovely charred eggplants whipped into a creamy consistency topped with diced tomatoes, cilantro, sumac, olive oil, and balsamic drizzle was served with a Yemen flatbread "malawach". I wish the flat bread was at least served warm from the oven, not microwaved. Our lunch time staple consisted of "Fahsa" which is a sizzling shredded lamb stew topped with creamy fenugreek also served with malawach. We ordered it spicy with some jalapeno peppers. We shared an enormous platter of Mendi lamb with rice. Two tender, well seasoned, fall-off the bone lamb pieces was served with biryani like rice infused with cloves, saffron, and cardamon? We were struggling to finish such a large portion. Price on point, $30ish with 5% off if paying with cash, otherwise you pay your card fee. Very different ethnic experience you definitely have to try. read more

See all

A sumptuous, tasty meal. Appetizers have a number of vegetarian options including hummus and baba ganouj. The baba ganouj is a cold appetizer, flavorful, not the best though. Their egg shahshoka came with bread(almost life a softer version of a naan). The combination was really tasty and appetizing. The naan was really soft and fresh. My friends also enjoyed their chicken shawarma and chicken mandi. The rice with their dishes was absolutely yummy. Their deserts are freshly made and spread out by the entrance to entice you! Absolutely yummy and fresh. Good service and good staff. The place is spacious and well lit. read more

We ordered the large meat plate for 5-7 people and lamb mandi. The food was very flavorful and quantity was large enough to feed more people. The hummus was also great. Took a star of since they are under staffed so was very difficult to get any attention. Also, not sure how a middle-eastern restaurant runs out of garlic sauce. ‍ read more

Took a total of 8 to Rayan last night. Since none of us had gone before, ordered the meat platter meal for 5-7 so we could try lots of tastes. Still had leftovers. Got two big platters of food, three plates of appetizers, bread, plus sauces. Agreed we had to come back and enjoy the flavors again. Meats served on delicious rice. One Yemeni dessert was enough for 4 at least. Oh, the tea was strong and great. I had mine with milk and it was sweetened with honey I think. Served in paper to go cups? Not a fine dining establishment but truly an experience that I would repeat. Price excellent. $130 for 8 and we were all full. Only downsides: Server very nice and English was good and clear. However, we felt very neglected for most of the night. I think it was a lack of experience. Took a long time to get drinks and forever to get the dessert ordered. Drinks never refreshed until we got the eye of another employee. Almost got up and did it ourselves. I think the dessert was burned in the kitchen (smoke coming around that time and it took a very long time) and we got the banana instead of date one when it was eventually delivered. Did not ask they replace since it had been so long. Served with a strange assortment of silverware. Fork and spoon at the table with a couple of dinner knives left with the meat plate. No serving spoons for the huge platters of rice and meat. Plastic spoons brought with the dessert (like you get with take out ice cream) along with plates for sharing and the dessert was served in the foil baking dish. It was kind of ugly and gray but tasted interesting with banana and honey flavors. read more

Rayan is great. Now it's hard to get my husband (a true Yelper in all senses of the word) to go back to any restaurant, no matter how good, because of course there is always something new to explore. But Rayan was so excellent that we had no quibble at all about going back a second, third, and (hopefully this weekend) fourth time. The service is excellent and the interior is interesting and pleasant. The food is amazing. Everything we've had here has been delicious. Order anything and you won't be disappointed. I know that's not very specific, but I really mean it. And the fresh pita bread that comes with your meal? Wow! The best pita I've had outside of Cairo. By the way, the black tea--watch out! It's absolutely delicious and will give you nice big jolt of caffeine. read more

Pricing is reasonable, not expensive at all and the portion you get for your price is phenomenal. Parking is free Decor is not the best. But they have seating where you can close the curtains and those have pictures and a light hanging above. I'd recommend sitting there. You get privacy while you devour their food. Service is good. The people are really sweet. read more

This was our first time here so I am not going to lie I was intimidated by the menu. We opted to sit in a booth because there was only one floor space (not sure of the proper term) left and I did not want to take it. We ordered 2 salads w lemon that were delicious. My husband got the chicken meal that came with a huge helping of rice. They also gave him a piece of lamb to try. I had the root vegetable "dip" w lamb sauce. Both were amazing. Honestly mine was the greatest thing ever. It was served in a little pot bubbling. I got it spicy so it had jalapeños. My husband said he wishes he would have gotten the lamb instead because it was so good. The decor is basic. The staff is very nice. We will be coming back here for sure. read more

We went there with family visiting from Nj, they were surprised with the quality of tendered lamb n aromatic rice, sufficient food for 11 people n high quality taste,v satisfied n thumbs up read more

My friend and I were the only two in the restaurant when we came in. Food was excellent! Kafta kebabs were amazing, the rice was plentiful and had a great flavour. Service... if you could call it service ? I think we caught these guys napping in the first part of the morning. As more people came in, they were much more attentive. I will be back, but this time for dinner instead. I'm a sucker for good kebabs, and there isn't a whole lot of that in indy. read more

A gem! Located in an unassuming strip mall, you have the option of booths, tables or sitting on the floor. We started with the creamiest hummus I've ever had and super eggplant-y baba ghanouj. The pita is unlike any I've ever had- enormous, pizza sized sheets that are more reminiscent of naan. The star was the fahsa: spiced shredded lamb served bubbling in a clay pot. You have the option of spicy or no (I requested "white people spicy" and it was perfect for my 'I like to think I'm adventurous but I've been known to call mayonnaise spicy' taste buds) and pita makes the perfect utensil. I've eaten a lot of Middle Eastern food but I've never seen this on another menu. It is definitely worth the trip! The service is super friendly, too, and on our way out our server told us to come back to try the fish- which looked grilled and spiced to perfection. We will be back! read more

great baba ganoush and humus. Tasted fresh but they don't speak enough english to confirm. The baba ganoush had a good eggplant flavor with big pieces of eggplant but no bitterness. Tried 3 yemeni dishes, the vegetable Saltah, the mendi chicken and the lamb haneeth. The lamb was most and delicious with great flavor. the chicken had moist and dry bits and not as tasty. the veg was curried and similar to indian. we'd order everything but the chicken again. service was good and wait reasonable (not more than 20 minutes). planning to go back read more

This restaurant recently opened in Indy, it is the only Yemeni restaurant in the Indianapolis area, it is as authentic as it gets. Usually great Yemeni restaurants can be found in NYC or Chicago, but this one is as authentic it can get. I highly recommend the Fahsa and Mandi Laham! Oh, and there's free tea to drink after the meal :) read more

See all

This place is wonderful! My wife and I decided to try this place on a whim one night and we were not disappointed. Their lamb is delicious, chai tea is great, and especially their rice! Oh, the rice! My wife is not a huge fan of rice, usually doesn't eat it at all most places, but she loved how they prepared it here. It had some wonderful spices in in (cinnamon with some other things maybe?) that made it absolutely addicting. The decor is very simple but they do have some nice partitioned off seating areas with cushions, where you sit on a raised carpeted floor. They do also have regular tables as well. For an extra treat, go next door to the market, owned by the same people I think, amd get some baklava to go! We walked over there and met the chef who cooked our food. Overall fantastic food and great service! I definitely recommend and will be going back as soon as possible! read more

Al-Rayan Restaurant - Halal Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Great!! I had the lamb schwarma sandwich--the cook on the meat and the spice blend was excellent. The meat was crispy on the outside but tender once you bit in. My daughter had an egg dish that was spiced deliciously with smoked paprika and cumin. My wife had a very tasty lamb soup with lots of turmeric. Overall, really filling, scrumptious food for a more than fair price--really some of the better middle eastern food you can get in the state. read more

We stumbled upon this place and were very happy we did. The hummus is probably one of the best I have ever had. Based on other reviews we ordered the falafel which was also great. Staff was very friendly and affordable prices. We will be back soon for sure! read more

Al - Rayan has very good food. It's fresh and tasty. I ordered food for delivery. It was very prompt.

ordered humus, mixed grill and baked leg of lamb. Amazing..... if you are interested in authentic middle eastern food, this is the place in Indy!!! Thank you read more

Halal and very authentic. Lamb very tender and smelled amazing upon entering. Very polite and friendly. Would definitely go again! read more

Al-Rayan Restaurant - Lamb was delicious. Hummus could use a little more garlic but I like mine heavy. Would definitely go again. - Halal Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

The food was really good as well as the service! The ambiance is nice and clean. We will def. be back! Thank you ! read more

See all

My Dad's been talking about this place for a year, raving about their tender lamb dishes, which he has been getting as take out during the pandemic . Finally got a chance to try it in house and it was excellent. We had three different lamb dishes and all were great. And the spicy sauce that comes with the lamb chops! The hummus with grilled meat and bread made for a good starter and was silky smooth. Portions are big and great to share. Nice people, lovely atmosphere (indoor fountain!) and not too busy if you are Covid shy. read more

Service was very friendly. Service was not fast, but relaxed. It took us 75 minutes from start to finish to eat lunch. If you want EXCELLENT middle eastern food, then give Al Rayan a try. We went for lunch and enjoyed the Lamb Mendi, Falafal plate, Baba Gannouj, with Naan-style bread. Everything was excellent and highly flavorful! Prices are reasonable for the quality and quantity of the food- price range $8-15. This is authentic middle eastern cuisine, and you can even dine in a private curtain enclosed area, with your shoes off, seated on floor cushions (traditional middle eastern style). By the way, the waiter speaks excellent english and is very helpful with explaining the menu so do not be put off by the majority of the patrons being middle eastern: You will be welcome here. And besides, take this as an indication of how good & authentic the food is at Al Rayan! read more

As a party of 2, we were the only customers in the restaurant at the time. Waited 15-20 minutes for our order of the mixed platter and falafel to be taken. 30 minutes later, they let us know they were out of shish tawook and lamb kofta for the platter. Another 40 minutes later, we finally got our food. 20 minutes into our meal, they let us know they are also out of falafel. The chicken kofta was extremely dry and has been the worst I have ever had at a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurant EVER. In addition, we had to hold up our glasses for a while to get them a refill our drinks because they did not once check to see while we were doing as we waited almost 2 hours for our food alone. Would not recommend based on the service and quality. read more

Break it down to all the things you want from a good restaurant: Ambience 2/10 - run down and poorly maintained Service 4/10 Food 10/10 This is an authentic Yemeni restaurant serving some of the most delicious dishes. I think the quality of food is excellent so I will definitely return maybe for take out. I did not enjoy the dining experience and I felt they can do a little more effort on the decor. After all you chose to dine somewhere for more reasons than just the food. I think the service was nice but not being offered silverware or napkins is assuming I will be using my hands! I had the bbq platter which was excellent! Their naan is the best ! read more