OMG!! Just had the best lunch evvaaaahhh!!…read more I built my own bowl with brown basamati rice, gyro meat, cucumbers, kalamata olives, feta, Tzatziki and hummus and wow was it packed with flavor!! I'll definitely be ordering it again!!

For mall food this was the best option here I think. My chicken Shawarmabowl was tastey. Lots of…read moresauce ans flavor. People here were super nice too. The place was clean. Lots of seating. I might again.

Still the best falafel in Portland: slightly crunchy golden-brown exterior, bright green when you…read morebite into it, fluffy and moist and so delicious. If you're craving falafel in the city, THIS is going to be the place you want to get it from (why are all the other places serving up such dry options?)! I like the Falafel Salad (which is both plant-based and gluten-free): it comes with four or five falafel balls, a generous dollop of hummus, local greens mixed with radish and cucumbers and mint, and two small plastic containers of tahini sauce and lime vinaigrette. It's not a very big salad; I usually end up supplementing it with additional greens at home. The french fries are a miss for me: from here, they always seem quite soggy even after only a few minutes. The shawarma flavor is amazing, but there's just something unappetizing (for me, anyway) about a limp fry. At lunch it seems they prioritize their online orders more than their in person orders, so expect a wait (or have the forethought to order ahead of time online).

Fantastic Falafel pita pocket. The pita was nice and fluffy and very fresh. This has become a "go…read moreto" stop for each of my visits to Portland. Gotta have my Falafel Fix!

First, some advice: Ignore the one-star reviews- it is…read moreunethical to post such reviews based on one visit, and the reviews are not accurate at any rate. Don't, for heaven's sake, park on Forest Ave. With the lane-hopping speedsters it is too dangerous for you to exit from the driver's side. There is ample room to turn in to the parking area in front of the restaurant. The various containers of treasures in the coolers are not labeled; bring a roll of masking tape and a marker pen. The staff will help you label your items. (They are courteous, engaging . Now, I will assume this is your first visit and that you are getting take out for two. Start with a bag of bread. Add a container of Persian pickles, and one of olives. Get 1-3 containers of the various hummus. Add one tabbouleh. One babaganoosh. You will need two containers of the baklava so there is no resentment harbored between the two of you. There is mushroom soup, frozen. Take one. For meat, you will see soups/stews of chicken, lamb, beef. There is no goat. Any of those meat dishes are celestial; you will swear they are the best you've ever tasted. Depending upon how much restraint you exercise, this should cost you $50-75 and will comprise several meals. Tip generously- you will be back and you'll want them to remember you.

Good food, a bit expensive and great service. We had it outside on the benches…read more Skip the fries, hummus and baba ganoush is great.

last night we went to Magissa for dinner. First let me start by saying I am Greek and a very good…read morecook. When it comes to Greek food we are picky. It was Greek food with a modern flair. It was creative and delish. we had Calamari with a basil olio and of course I asked for more lemon, hey I'm Greek. It was tender and very yummy, we had a salad as well and that was delishious as well. We ordered the lamb chops with greens (horta) and potatoes. the lamb was from upstate Maine and was very fresh and cooked perfectly, the potatoes were crispy. The restuarant was in a nice homey neighborhood and we found street parking no problem. The restaurant is lovely inside, light and airy with an island feel. the waitstaff was very nice and friendly and our meals and drinks came out in perfect time. we met Nancy the owner who we became fast friends. she smart dedicated and creative. If you want a great meal, in a lovely cool place go to Magessa, the word means witch and you will be bewitched by this place and its food, you'll want to go back.

I was incredibly lucky to attend Magissas first Drag Brunch! What an amazing experience. They went…read moreall out with Mamma Mia inspired decorations and the atmosphere was stunning. Great drag queens hosting the party and kept it lively, even getting all the staff and customers to dance. I ordered the greek shakshuka and it was delicious! perfect runny egg and a great dish with the naan addition. I got a glass of the house white and the house red wine and both were divine! I hope they continue to do these fun brunches, the staff was amazing and it was such a great time.

Great little hole in the wall! I read about Mazzat a while ago and finally made my way there. This…read moretiny Middle Eastern eatery is a hidden gem located in Portland's busy Forest Ave neighborhood. My falafel wrap may be one of the best meals I've gotten in Portland, solely based on food-to-price ratio. The falafel was perfectly cooked, and the wrap was quite yummy. It came with these deep-fried "chips" (I'm sure they are something else) and a side of delicious hummus. I paid about $10 for the whole thing, including a soda. You just can't beat that. The menu was extensive and included a mix of sandwiches, salads, and plates. Would I go back to Mazzat? If I'm in the area, yes, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to make it there! In my opinion, this is more of a takeout spot. I did dine in, but the vibe is pretty much nonexistent -- a mix of about eight tables inside without much going on. All in all, I'm glad I tried it!

A hidden gem, I'd had cookies around the corner before and hadn't realized this was here. My…read morehusband brought home takeout items to snack on once and we realized we needed to make a point to come back and give it a proper try. Service was very polite and patient, and the food was awesome. They've got two vertical spits going for shawarma. The kebabs are displayed in the fridge and then cooked, so flavorful and interesting. There are several tables to sit and dine in if that's your vibe. It was torture driving home with the delicious smells. Don't skip eating the pickled veggies, they're unique and delicious! The portions pack a punch for the price. Next time I'll dine in and enjoy everything hot and fresh without the wait. The desserts also looked really good, next time!

There's a little story attached to this review. We had just gotten off the unique ferry cruise…read morearound the harbor and we're very hungry. My daughter was craving pizza and I could've gone with pizza. I always like a good pizza. Anyway, we stopped in front of the Olive Café in order to place our order for the pizza place across the street. We are going back-and-forth we'd have to carry the pizza back to our hotel, etc. etc. All of a sudden we looked inside this little restaurant where people were eating. I turned my head, looked at the menu. My daughter immediately canceled the pizza order, and we went inside. The server host owner was phenomenal. The food absolutely outstanding. I am a true lover of Middle Eastern/Greek food and it was phenomenal. The sauce used that tahini was tangy. It was beyond fantastic.

We stopped into this Lebanese restaurant for a quick bite between meals, and it was such a great…read morefind. We ordered the grape leaves and baba ghanoush, and both were honestly the best we've ever had--fresh, incredibly flavorful, and perfectly prepared. The service was quick and friendly, making it an easy stop while exploring the area. It's conveniently located near the Old Port, and the restaurant itself was clean and welcoming. We'd definitely return!

From the outside, it looks like a run-down tattoo parlor…read more When you go to the front door on Main Street, you are directed to the side door. Courage. The interior is transformative. The decor is Turkish; tables are flanked by comfortable sofas and pillows. No one was at the counter. The trick is you have to bang on the bell. The young lady who appears is cheerful, greeting, efficient. Indicate you are eating in, but stand there and order from the menu posted. The food: I dislike rice, or thought I did- their rice is sublime. What do they add to it? The baba ghanoush is the best I've tasted. My friend got chicken kabob and raved about it. My curried chicken was equally good. You won't have room for the baklava but take some home (and hide it from the family or it will disappear.) I'll be back. More of that rice for one thing.

We visited Istanbul together because it had been a long time. In the last few years this place has…read moreundergone a few changes. For a while there was also a market here. That is now gone, with only remnants remaining of that time period. It has gone back to looking almost exactly like my photos from years ago. We both got the mixed grill. It was fine. Lamb was a bit dry and salty. Beef was ok. Two types of chicken. Lots of rice. Salad and hummus before hand. Nothing to write home about, nothing to complain about. The guy who took our order was also our waiter and brought items to our table. Nice, energetic, kind of cute. We'd go back but prefer other places for similar food.

SUPER delicious food. My friend had the chicken plate and I had the lamb kebab wrap - both were big…read moreportions with great flavors. The space itself could use a littttle sprucing to make it a bit more comfortable, and they may need an extra set of hands because I noticed lots of waiting between orders (I think only one person takes the order, cooks the food and serves!) Slight changes would make this a 10/10. Overall, would recommend! Food is great and hard to find around here.

In my opinion this is the most underrated restaurant in the portland area. The food is delicious,…read morethe portion sizes are gigantic and the prices are reasonable. This is my go-to post surf spot.

Evo was recommended to us, and we were not disappointed during our recent trip to Portland. Our…read moreserver was friendly and knowledgeable. We chose to sit at a table upstairs (mezzanine). There was also an option to sit at the counter downstairs. We started with the chickpea fries, which were spiced well with a crispy exterior and creamy texture inside. It was a unique way of serving chickpeas. I had the NY strip steak, which I enjoyed, but a tip if you're going. The medium rare was closer to rare in my opinion. If you like medium rare, I'd ask for medium. My wife had the mushroom shawarma, which she enjoyed thoroughly and raved about the unique spices.

My wife and I popped in here last night for dinner and a first round of drinks. It was 7pm on a…read moreWednesday and it was at about half capacity, so we had no trouble walking in and being seated right away, though the upstairs seating (which looked really cool) was sadly full. No matter - we got prime seating at the bar with full view of the kitchen and watching everyone prepare everything! Right out of the gate, we were impressed with the friendliness and professionalism of the staff and the vibe of the place. Even though it was relatively small, it never felt cramped at all and the decor and look just felt so sleek and modern but also warm and just a place you wanted to be. We started with drinks - an Emerald Oasis for me and a Desert Rose for the lady. The Emerald Oasis was tasty, refreshing, slightly minty with a hint of cucumber, and relatively mild in flavor. The Desert Rose was also equally refreshing with a good amount of smoke flavor and some pleasant floral notes. What's weird to me though is that it's a tequila drink with smoke added... why not just use mezcal and call it a day? I actually mistakenly thought it was mezcal when I tried it as it had a very similar flavor profile. Overall, both solid but not necessarily earth-shattering flavor bombs. For an app, we ordered some seared halloumi to start. It was a pretty small portion (two pieces for each of us equated to about 4 normal size bites each) but the flavor was really nice with a touch of heat from the peppers and a little crunch from the sunflowers. I'm definitely glad we got it and I know halloumi is expensive, but I feel like I could've used just a little more oomph somehow. Next up was the whipped feta. My wife is celiac so they got me some pita on the side and her some crudites in the form of sliced carrots and cucumbers. The pita was warm, slightly chewy, slightly crispy in some spots, and a good amount of fluffiness. The whipped feta was tasty with the pomegranate molasses giving it some depth and character but the whole thing started getting a little soupy and hard to really scoop up without a spoon towards the end. Again, another solid dish but maybe would try the hummus next time. Lastly - entrees. I started with the paprika shrimp. It was a good amount of sauce to cover the whole dish though I feel like it relied a lot on the spiciness instead of depth of flavor. Also, and maybe this is a personal thing, any dish that has shrimp with tails still on but covered in sauce is kind of annoying to get the tails off without getting your hands super messy. I get the presentation of it but still. Also, the chickpeas were slightly dry and crunchy, but that may very well be the intention and design of the dish. I didn't mind it and the sauce balanced it out nicely, but it was a bit unexpected. My wife got the Moroccan mushroom (after an oopsie that sent what was supposed to be hers to another table by mistake first and then fired up a new one right away in about 10 minutes). It was a really nice dish with lots of flavor and locally foraged mushrooms. I'm not a mushroom fan and I even thought it was pretty tasty! All in all, a really solid experience but at the same time just about every item feels like it could have been just a little bit more - whether it was flavor or amount or something. The presentation on everything was full-blown Michelin star quality too (as it was on all the other dishes we saw floating around too), though I question why the large amount random space on the plate on our two entrees. The shrimp I guess you could get away with but half an empty plate on the mushrooms just felt like it was being a little too artsy. I'm not a chef or even a professional food critic though, so what do I know? :) I wouldn't mind going back here but I wouldn't go out of my way to go back either.

Enjoyed the food and my cocktail! It was just what we needed on rainy Sunday. They do brunch on…read moreSunday and nice selection of items. Will be returning

Went here for brunch the other day and was impressed. The service was super friendly and they even…read moregave us a couple free mocktails. So refreshing and needed. They have a wide open space with lots of tables, and a big bar. It would be a great space for a big party as they have lots of room and a lot of the Old Port spots don't have much seating. We got brunch food and it was great as well. The waitress, kitchen staff and service were amazing! I will be back.