Strange. The initial vibe was a little off but luckily that improved. The food was confused and ultimately a bust. The hostess and server were nice and well dressed, albeit a little stiff. They were attentive but did not hover. Our server would view our progress from a distance then swoop in to remove empty plates and bring our next courses. The hostess was quick to fill our empty water glasses. The real disappointment was the food. The menu was bizarre. At first glance, most of it appears Middle Eastern but then I began to notice a lot of pasta, like fettuccine. I'm also pretty sure "steak Diane" is an American dish. "Sesame encrusted Ahi" is Asian, be it Japanese or Korean. I've been to DarSalam and Nicholas in Portland numerous times and not disappointed. When I was first told this restaurant was Middle Eastern I assumed it would be similar to those I mentioned above, not even close. Even when you read the owner's description of his food it doesn't match, "it's a journey guided by aromas and flavors common throughout streets from Cairo to Athens". I didn't feel it and that's too bad because I think a mix of Cairo and Athens, done well, would be amazing!! I feel like perhaps Eugene was afraid of the owner's original idea. Perhaps he transitioned back to "safer" foods for those who don't know any better? I think he lost his way and that's sad. We ordered a couple appetizers, the baby trio was good but typical. The skewered beef was tasty but very small. The salad was blah. I was excited by the idea of a sumac dressing but I didn't actually taste any sumac. Where was the lemon flavor and the red color? I think it was just olive oil. The only entree that sounded interesting was a mushroom ravioli with butternut squash puree...not Middle Eastern by any means but whatever. It was ok but the puree was a little thick, too much cheese? Some white wine or broth would have thinned it to a more pleasing consistency. When dessert was offered I wasn't excited. Usually I'll hear the offerings but I was so underwhelmed by this point I didn't want to bother. I hope things change, I really wanted to like this place. read more

Graduation dinner for 10+ people went without a hitch. The food and service were both excellent. I was a little weary considering they have a fair number of low yelp reviews, but my expectations are high and they were exceeded. From the waitress who handled my pushy mother to the chef coming out to check out us, top notch service. Delicious food, decent wine list. I would definitely go back. read more

I was disappointed with my experience. We had a reservation at 630, got sat, ordered drinks, the drinks took 20-30 minutes to get (every time) and the food was mediocre at best. read more

Came to dinner with my partner and friend who lives in Eugene. We ordered the appetizer of hummus, baba ganouj, etc.. and it was terrible. Everything was on one plate and it all mixed together. The baba Ganouj had way too much garlic in it, it actually burned my throat . They also put a curried chopped veggie on top of the hummus and it did not blend well, ruined the flavor of the hummus. The pita bread was also stale and very thin.Their bread basket was mostly delicious, a mixture of small slices of bread, mostly good but some very dry and stale. My partner and I ordered risotto (I thought this was Middle Eastern food?) It was dull and flavorless. Our friend had a lamb dish with rice and that was delicious. Although its a nice place and very good service, I wouldn't go back, the food was not what I would think of as Middle Eastern and not very good. read more

Delicious food! I ordered the Pan seared duck which I recommend, my guy got the Steak diane. Came with mashed potatoes and veggies, pretty standard but cooked very well. Great date night read more

So amazing!! I had a birthday dinner here in the court yard. They took my reservation a week ahead and then I had to change it day of which wasn't an issue for them. The chef/owner cooks outside and it's really fun to watch the process. The staff was great, and the food was delicious. Can't wait to dine here again. read more

We use to go here often when I lived in Eugene and loved it. Came down from Portland to take a friend out for his birthday. Made reservations. We were completely ignored by the hostess. She took care of a couple that came in after us with no reservation. Once we got seated nobody acknowledged us for over 10 minutes, so needless to say, we left. Won't be back sad to say. read more

Service: A little inattentive (we ordered a bottle of wine and they brought out a glass of wine, for example), but more importantly SLOW. After we ordered, a table of four entered, sat, ordered and ate a main course and desserts, paid and left before we got our appetizers. We got there at 5:45 on a Saturday evening, and it wasn't busy when we arrived. I think they're struggling a little with their recent expansion. Food: The Sambosik was excellent, and my wife reports that her seafood special (a mixed grill) was as well. The risotto du jour was just meh and one of our dining companions said the same of the cajun chicken fettuccini. read more

Great food, under great management. Important to support places run by impeccable people - peace activists

This is one of our go-to spots for special occasions and it never disappoints. The patio is such a great place to enjoy dinner and service is always on point. Our last visit we both ordered steak Diane and were a little disappointed that Ib wasn't cooking but it was still pretty good- way to saucy but otherwise delicious! read more

This is a C to C- place. Pretty good service. Awfully average food. They have the white tablecloth thing going strong but that is about it.

Awesome! The service is top notch and the execution is always spot on. The steak Diane and bananas foster are my favorites.

My parents took me and my husband to Cafe Soriah last week, and I was thoroughly underwhelmed. The food was mediocre, the service was slow, and I guess the best way to sum up the meal is that it was a joyless experience. I hate that my parents (who INSISTED on treating us) spent that much of their fixed income for such a sad meal. read more

We went there this summer for dinner and sat outside. The atmosphere was great and the food was FANTASTIC! We will definitly be back again and again. The staff was friendly and attentive and the food was full of flavor! read more

Soriah is a 5-star date night restaurant, particularly in the summer when you can be on the back patio. Great atmosphere, excellent bar and a lot of variety on the menu. The calamari is a must-have and the Steak Diane is so good you'll weep. The peaches flambe with ice cream is pretty wonderful, too. read more

One of the tastier places to enjoy a well thought out plate... the taste remains in your mouth for a while... the only downfall was the seating was a little cramped for me... read more

Really nice environment and great food. Had steak and lobster which was perfect. Husband had ribeye which was also perfect. We went Valentine's Day, so expected it to be busy. Would have five stars except our box to go with half a steak was lost in kitchen, even though we asked a few times where our to go box was as we were eating dessert. All we got was sorry the kitchen lost it. read more

Well ! We lost time and money , the food is nothing close to good , the steak is horrible and the sauce nasty , I was expecting a really good steak for the price , but I got really disappointed. read more

Disappointed I had such high expectations for this Cafe. I heard nothing but "great" things from my partner about how good this place was. I think his memory was clouded by the waitress that worked him and this place. the food was OK just ok the staff was good once they started moving. The "host" was a young man who looked scared and lost. the place itself was dirty, Seriously very dirty I will not go back I will not recommend Once again, in Eugene, paid waaaaaay too much to be let down ...again. Come on Eugene while raising your glasses, raise your expectations as well. read more

I have always loved Soriah's. It has always been a special occasion type of restaurant. I went there last week for drinks which were delicious and discovered they now have a full bar menu. Went there tonight to try the Lamb burger. Can I just say know your socks off amazing. Cooked to perfection. The date bbq sauce was the perfect compliment with the lamb. I was craving a salad and ordered a casear salad. Also very fresh and just the right amount of dressing. To drink I encourage everyone to try their house margarita. Excellent service as well. I look forward to working my way through the bar menu items! read more

Stopped in for some appetizers and a Caesar salad. My first time here but it won't be my last. Had the baked feta which was very tasty indeed but it was outdone by the Sambosik with a jalapeño dipping sauce. The only reason I'm giving this a 3 instead of 4 is due to the wait. We had reservations and they took another 15 minutes to seat us. read more

I'm not a fussy customer &I don't complain much about anything but this place is an exception. I will never come back to this place ever again. We went there for a birthday dinner and it was the worst experience ever! The food was mediocre, but service was horrible and is pretty pricey. Our order took more than hour to be served and it was cold already. Our server, his name was John who claimed he was from NY, was a very, very, very bad server. One person from our table was obviously intoxicated already, and John kept serving him drinks. Isn't it unlawful to serve a very intoxicated person? We even told John to cut our friend of. The restaurant tried to compensate us with dessert for their horrible service. Even that dessert, they failed to serve. I don't recommend this place at all. read more

If I have the choice for my last meal, it will be here! Cafe Soriah never disappoints! I've tried most of the menu and still cannot find my favorite since all are fantastic! However, the Steak Diane calls my name frequently... From wine to dessert, everything complete perfection- even the bread! And if you are lucky enough to sit in the back of the house, you get to see the happy chef at work preparing your meal. He's a sweet and sincere man; don't miss him! Love, love, love! read more

My boyfriend brought me here for dinner on our last night in Eugene. It wasn't too busy inside, which was nice so we had some intimacy. Service was good. I ordered the king salmon special and he ordered the steak diane. The salmon was cooked well but I wasn't too blown away by the beans, sauce and greens. My boyfriend's steak diane, however, was extraordinary. I could eat those mashed potatoes all evening and the steak was cooked perfectly (rare). I was definitely feeling envious. For dessert, we ordered the vanilla bean creme brulee. The creme bruless was tasty, the "assorted" berries on top were not. The presentation sample had a nice array of raspberries and such but on ours, we were given some type of small, sour red berries (holly berries?) that were not edible and just served as decoration. Slightly disappointing. All in all, a pretty romantic evening with good food. read more

I've never had a bad meal here. The main dining room can get a little crowded and they seem to prefer you ordering off of a bar menu if you sit up in the front windows. I find it a little irritating when they don't even offer me their regular dinner menu when I ask to be seated in the front rather than in the crowded dining room. I come here for a nice dinner and they give me a list of cheap hors d'oeuvres and don't deliver any bread. It's like pulling teeth to get service up there. But I have to give them four stars because I've always been happy with the food and they have the best lamb in town. read more

Middle Eastern is always fun. The dining room is no frills & adorable. They need to clean the bar better. It has an awful odor. The menu is vast with many fun options including the Steak Diane & Cherries Jubilee done table side. The glass pour of white wine was excellent. The pricing is very fair. You can tell the operation is run by a chef/owner. Every educated thought & experienced movement is done from the heart and customer focused "which has become rare in these parts." Please get a serious deep clean at the bar. It's really off putting. We were considering walking out while the host had us wait there for 5 minutes. Glad we didn't. read more

This is our favorite place to eat when we want to go somewhere special. The service is always over the top amazing and the Steak Diane is the best I've ever had. The outside seating has plenty of heaters so it never matters if it's cold but is always a beautiful atmosphere strung with lights and spacious seating. The inside dining is romantic and comfortable. Finally the bar and the front of house seating is comfortable, relaxed, and overall a really fun experience. I hope this place never goes away! read more

Underwhelmed like the rest of you. I've been for dinner several times but went for lunch for the first time last week. It was definately a sharp contrast to my dinner experiences. The place was empty and quiet. The server was good because there was nothing else for him to do. The food was good but forgettable. Ib the owner was there and actually sat us himself. He was friendly and funny so I'm adding that third star for him. read more

The food and service were fantastic! We decided to give this place a try after reading the positive reviews for my birthday dinner. It was a cool evening but we wanted to suit on the patio and they were very quick to accommodate us with a patio heater. The owner even brought me a shawl to wrap up in although i didn't need it with the heater. The waiter was very attentive but not intrusive. The Steak Diane was absolutely wonderful! My husband mentioned how well he liked the gravy and shortly thereafter, the owner was at our table with a pan of gravy to pour over his leftovers! We'll be back for sure! read more

My wife and I had dinner with a friend last night at Cafe Soriah, which has long been a favorite of all three of us. Our dinner last night was definitely sub-par however, and made me wonder if they're slipping. In no particular order: 1. Two of us had the salmon special. The salmon was dry and extremely firm - unpleasantly so. The salmon I get at Market of Choice deli is consistently moist and tender, by comparison. 2. The service was rather lackadaisical. Our server kindly offered to box up the remainder my wife's meal and my leftover salmon. We continued our conversation for about 20 minutes after he took it away, and then left for our cars. We realized that we'd never received our leftovers. I went back, and the hostess found them in the kitchen. 3. We kept getting visited by horseflies. Really...horseflies? I captured two of them using the candle holder and took them outside. A third one visited us briefly and I wasn't able to catch him. 4. The Cab. Sav. by the glass was at the low end of decent - I don't remember what label it was. The waiter brought three samples of different reds, and it was the least weak. Not a good sign. My wife's vegetarian meal was very good however - one of the rare times she's found a good vegetarian meal in Eugene - kudos for that! Their staff may have been tired from 2-3 weeks of the Olympic Trials and the Bach Festival, but still...it used to feel special to dine at Soriah, but this felt like just another so-so Eugene dinner at a middle-of-the-road restaurant. I'm hoping that this was just an off-night for them! read more

Dined here on 7/21/2006 and since this was the most critical I've ever been of service at a restaurant, I saved my review: - We can see that one could have a very good experience at Soriah. Unfortunately, this was not the case for us. The appetizers were very good, and were served in a reasonable amount of time. Then the problem starts. Our salad was delivered about 45 minutes after the last bite of our appetizers. At the 43 minute mark our waitress came and said that `your salad should be coming out soon`, without a whole lot of concern. I stated that it had been a 45 minute wait betwwn courses, which didn't seem to elicit any apologies or corrective measures to improve our experience. Then the entrees came out about 2 minutes after the salad, 3 of 4 of which were mediocre. My wife's salmon was dry and fishy. My daughter's Morrocan steak was tough, and my son's Java shrimp tasted frozen. I will say, my rack of lamb was succulent, but batting .250 at this price point is not acceptable. Nearly an hour later our waitress came back and asked us if we wanted to see the dessert tray, which after 2/12 hours (with our teens), we declined. The owner seems like a very concerned individual, who takes pride in his restaurant. Given his success, our experience may have been an abberation, but it left us with a disappointing dining experience during our one night in Eugene. read more

Good food. I think this one of the better places in town. The steak Dianne is a little on the salty soupy side, but is a nice flavour/texture overall. The wait staff isn't always the best and the tables are too cramped and crowded in...but I will return. The owner is a great guy. Good wine selection. read more

A long time ago I worked in the back of this place. They do a good job here. It's good clean honest food. They bake their bread in the back, make their apps daily, things are always fresh. Unlike other places I've worked I have no horror stories about food prep or personnel. Its not a cheap dinner but they make a nice atmosphere. read more

Beautiful interior and the staff was great. We split a salad for our starter and they split it it and presented it on two plates for us. The food was really amazing. read more

I was so disappointed in the service. Our sever did not check in regularly. Our dinners came out with too much time in between plates. While the food was delicious, the $500 bill was not worth the bad service. read more

Huh. What good things can I say about Cafe Soriah? Not much, really. When my girlfriend and I went there, we were ignored by the waitress from the moment she realized that we weren't buying a bottle of wine. Then she snubbed us, and the owner turned his blind eye to it. Now, we didn't look black-tie formal, but we were in more than casual dress - it was our anniversary. So I called back to complain to the owner about the less than stunning service our $60 came with...and the hostess had the waitress field the call. WTF? How professional is that, eh? Asking for the owner and getting the person you're complaining about? Save your time, go to Poppi's Anatolia. Better food, better prices. Service can still be arrogant, but it is a fair sight better than Soriah's miserable attitude. read more

The food at Soriah is fine. If you haven't eaten a lot of middle eastern or Mediterranean food, this is a good place to try more of it. If you are a connoisseur, this place wouldn't be worth a trip. I am no connoisseur, but I have been to Soriah 3 times and I'm well over it. The service is AWFUL. Every time i've gone we've experienced bad service. I've never gotten out in under 2 hours, and it's not because of lingering conversation. The most recent dinner I had there was completely ruined because the bartenders and wait staff were so loudly talking and joking with one another about 5 feet from our table, and one of my companions actually had to get up and walk to the gathering to ask if our waiter was planning on ever coming back to our table. A lot of people talk about the bar, and say that it's a great hangout. I haven't experienced it that way, and I will take those people's word for it. But don't be fooled - this is an okay restaurant with bad service, not the must-see destination to propose to your girlfriend. read more

So my guy took me to Cafe Soriah for my birthday. We like to try new things and the chef recommended the Steak Diane the waiter said he never has to push it it says great meal. We started with the special calamari which took a little getting used to it is rather salty but it kind of grew on us. But then when the steak came and the sauce to steak and the vegetables were so over-salted and the potatoes were rather plain that's when the disappointment set in. Everyone was nice and we like the atmosphere but the food was so difficult to consume as the salt was so heavy. I don't understand how someone could do tkhis to food. But was very disappointing and I felt bad cuz my boyfriend tried so hard to have everything perfect. By the way we both felt everything was way over salted and difficult to eat because of it. Food should never be relying on salt. Seasoning is important of course, but a heavy hand with salt is never good. I expected better of Cafe Sariah. read more

Fine, so I took my Husband to Cafe Soriah for his Birthday recently. We had been there a few times and had reserved the place for only special occasions. The chairs are OLD and very uncomfortable. The server kept filling my water glass (that was in an awkward place and did not ask if I needed water, but kept coming by every 5 minuter and making me move). The "art" on the walls are for sale (they all have pricetags) and are so ugly to look at while eating. Why not buy or have some beautiful art made for the walls? The food. Well, OK at best. Not so good and will absolutely never return. I have been told since that some people have gotten very sick from their food and will also not return. read more

I think the steak Diane is the best steak I've had in town. The salad was also incredible. Great service. One of my new favorite places in Eugene! read more