this restaurant is delicious and has a really cool ambiance…read more we ordered to drink: the frozen daiquiri & the happy tears cocktail. very delicious but very strong. for appetizers we ordered: the seasonal pickles. the vegetables are pickles, banana peppers, carrots and tomato. SO SO good! and the tomato matbucha (not pictured) came with 3 things of bread..and the dish was similar to a hummus. Was also delicious. And the Spanish anchovies, I am not a fan of anchovies but my boyfriend said they were good and he would order them again. for our main dish we ordered the slow roasted shrimp. the corn & poblano pepper mix was 10/10 and the taro chips on top just made the entire dish come together perfectly. would definitely recommend ordering it. the service and the ambiance of the restaurant was amazing. we were too full to have a night cap out back, but we had a glance at the boat bar area and we will be coming back to have a drink out there- very cool setup!

What a treat dining at Ajja! I was in the triangle visiting a childhood friend and his family and…read morethey raved about this spot. Two kids under 12 and the kids raved about this spot! They weren't wrong. We were out on their patio on a summer evening, a mix of fans and a good cross breeze kept it nice and the vibey decor helped us learn into the summer heat. Shared plates, roasted flavors and a cocktail driven menu sets the theme. We started out with a few amazing spreads then shared large format fish, beef and veg. For the starters, the roasted carrots and the roasted eggplant spreads were served up with home made pita served piping hot! Both spreads were delicious, balancing savory and a hint of sweet with just enough spice to add depth w/o taking away from the natural veggie flavors. The fried haloumi was gobbled up so fast I almost didn't get a picture of it! For the mains, we had the fried fish which was ZOMG!!!! Flaky but still juicy, bathed in this east Asian inspired sauce and sprinkled with fresh herbs that gave the whole dish a pop! The kids destroyed most of it. The Short rib fell apart with a fork!! Enough said!! And the charted cabbage and broccoli was such a crowd favorite we almost got another order but had to leave room for dessert. The table shared the strawberry shortcake and I opted for an espresso martini that was both sweet and balanced and so smooth you could take it in one glug. The shortcake was a hit with the kids and parents! The cocktails were all perfectly balanced and the service was immaculate. No notes from me except to check this place out!!

Everything here! From the food, to the service, to the atmosphere is outstanding. It has a warm,…read moreinviting feel that makes you want to stay awhile. Highly recommend giving it a try!

This was a major disappointment. We'd been here once before for some friends' wedding celebration…read moreand thought the banquet/catering food was pretty good so decided to add it to the list to come back and check out their regular menu. Place was EMPTY on a Thurs at 6pm. Service was truly bad....like we had to get up after being seated for 15 minutes and ask the hostess if we could get a server to help us....in an empty restaurant. 40 minutes after being seated, we got our food. The food was just bad with the exception of the flatbread I ordered that was pretty tasty. My husband had the falafel and veggies and was given horrendously over seasoned and tough falafel with super under seasoned and undercooked veggies (like chunks of raw carrot). The other sides we ordered were a flavorless Fatoush salad and very mid rice. We never got the pita that was offered to us and after the second reminder, we just gave up on that. We tried it. Won't be back. There are WAY better options in the area for dinner.

"Consistency Matters"…read more The food is delish, let's start there. This hasn't been on my bingo card for a while and boo hoo! The garden pizzette and chicken shawarma are fan favorites for a reason. Chicken Shawarma is a (IMO) well seasoned cinnamon forward profile that delivers a tender chew. Don't let the cinnamon description deter you. The flavor is complex, savory, and very good! The garden pizzette is delicious. The perfect mixup of feta, mint, tomato, and cucumber...Chef's Kiss (dip in hummus and/or tzatziki for that extra, extra added flavor). We also loved the tzatziki/lebnah sauce. Perfect balance for our Americanized palate. My biggest complaint, would be consistency. I ordered twice in one week. Each meal was delicious, but noticeable different. Not a huge factor, but one I thought worth mentioning. Bread was whole wheat ... cool/ not a problem .. but also not my preference. All in all, a darn good meal! Sold side options. Fast casual Mediterranean/Lebanese : 4.5

I usually go to the Cary location for multiple catering orders that I place per month. The people…read moreat the Cary location have been very polite, friendly and helpful. I was going to be closer to the Raleigh location this past month so I decided to go to the Raleigh location and see if they could do the same as cary. I went in and asked a young man he said that should not be a problem for me to put in my catering orders and then have my payment done a certain way at the register, as they usually do, in cary. I placed my order and got to the register and then the very nice girl that was there was going to ring me up. She wasn't sure how to manually enter my credit card information that I needed to give, so she asked what I'm going to assume was her manager or whoever was in charge that day? The woman turned around and looked at me as if I walked in and started in her face. Her face was so disgusted, twisted up, and snarled with disapproval. She asked me, with a huge attitude, "what was going on here?". I politely explained the situation, which is that, at the Cary location our company pays over the phone when I arrive. I handed her the phone to give her the credit card information and she was speaking to my boss (who is a very world-renowned doctor) about the payment info. She was so rude to him and said "well usually we don't do this but we'll do it this time". I informed her that from now on, since it was such a problem we will gladly go to the other location or just another restaurant in general. The younger people at the register were extremely friendly and polite and really made this experience the most positive thing from this whole trip to this location. As I was leaving the female who had the attitude earlier did say that she " was sorry, and that she just didn't know what she was walking into". At this point, I really did not care about an I'm sorry, because I will never go back to this location. I don't care who or what she is, but if she doesn't know what she's walking into, then the best idea for her(if she had any business or common sense)would be to approach it in a professional manner and not with a stank attitude. I have worked in doing catering sales,amahing businesses, throwing events, and ordering multiple catering orders for other businesses that I run. I have never and would never, approach anyone like this if I was uncertain of any situation. It puts a really bad look on their whole concept. I have already talked to multiple people about this and told all the physicians that I work with. I have also discussed this encounter with other people who do multiple orders for catering and other event networking groups. I will never be ordering from this location again. I hope whatever they do, they get it right, and start hiring people who appreciate having a job, to make sure that no one else feels so turned off by someone like this. I'm only giving a two stars for the Friends League kids that were at the counter and at the cash register

I had a pick three platter. The chicken salad was decent but not as good as Sassool. I also tried…read moretheir potatoes, which were on the vinegary side. The beets were on par with Sassool and the pomegranate salad had mostly strawberries. Vibes were nice, service was fine. Pretty easy to find parking on a Friday night.

We stopped in to visit and enjoy some Lebanese foods. We have been here a few times and enjoyed our…read morevisit but this past weekend our visit was very disappointing. We ordered the grape leaves, baklava, namoora and tabbouli. I am Lebanese and these are staples in our home. The grape leaves were extremely dry and tough. The rice was very undercooked and the leaves themselves were so dry and tough we could barely chew through them. We ordered 12 and thought maybe it was a fluke but all 12 were completely inedible and we threw them out immediately. The baklava was okay, nothing to write home about. Very simple syrup forward and you couldn't taste much else (we ordered the walnut). The namoora was stale. Very dry. Namoora should melt in your mouth with with a slight chew. This was again, tough and stale. We threw those out as well. Lastly, our favorite salad, tabbouli. The lemon taste was nonexistent. The parsley wasn't chopped fine as Tabbouli should be. It was a watery mess. Overall, we won't be back. We spent over $75 on 4 items and left feeling hungry and bamboozled. There are other Lebanese food spots to visit in the Raleigh area, I will stick to those. Please do better when representing Lebanese cuisine. 15 workers behind the counter can seem like you're doing something right but in the end, it all comes down to the freshness and authenticity of what you are claiming to serve.

This place has a small, but private, parking lot. I ordered takeout at the counter during lunch…read moretime on a weekday. At the very back page of the menu was the daily special, which includes some sort of protein in a bed of rice (no sides) for about $9.00. I think the food was worth the value. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare, so order ahead if you want to get in and out. The ambience is very casual and the place looks like it has aged, but in a good way. Feels like it's been around forever whether that's the case or not. I would return to try some other items as the food was fresh and delicious even as a takeout.

Service: they are nice and fairly quick with service. No qualms there. :)…read more Ambiance: not a first date place. It is more geared towards mom and pop family service style. Food: what we got was okay. They were flavorful and will fill you up. The meat is tender and rice is perfectly cooked. However, the food always came out luke warm to cold, rather than nice and hot. I can understand that we eat with our hands here too. But the food should still be hot. Overall: it's okay, I would come again and ask for them to make mine hotter and not cooled down though :)

We so enjoyed our lunch today at Al-Basha! The chicken and lamb skewers were delicious. The chicken…read morewas the tenderest I've ever had. The sides were got were perfect with the kebabs. The daily rice offering with the garlic sauce went very well together. Friendly service, cooked to order and reasonably priced. Also, we had fun shopping in their well stocked market while we waited. We will go back soon! Thanks you!

Al Basha was a great experience! All of us ordered the chicken shawarma wrap combo, which came with…read morea wrap, fries, and coleslaw for around $13. It was a pretty generous amount of food for the price, and everything was solid. The shawarma was solid, the fries were good, and overall it was a satisfying lunch. Honestly, the food by itself was probably more of a 4-star experience for me, but the hospitality is what bumped this up to five stars. Every employee greeted us right when we walked in, and they even gave each of us a cup of their lentil soup to try, "on the house." Multiple employees also checked in during our meal to ask how everything was and whether we were enjoying the food. You could genuinely tell they cared about our experience, and that kind of hospitality goes a long way. Solid food, great value, and even better service. Definitely worth checking out!

I came to Bosphorus on a Sunday evening for dinner with friends, and the restaurant was packed…read more Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long for a table. The service was friendly, though it seemed like a team effort, so different staff members would take our order or bring out food instead of one dedicated server. That occasionally led to delays when we asked for refills or extra plates, and we usually had to repeat the request to our waitress later. For dinner, I shared the Kofta Kebab and Lahmacun with a friend, and the portion size was just enough for both of us to leave full. Unfortunately, parts of the kebab were burnt, so maybe we just caught them on an off night. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the meal was the warm pita bread they brought to the table. If you're looking to try Turkish food, Bosphorus is worth checking out, but I'd probably order different dishes next time or visit when it's a little less busy.

We have been to Bosphorus a few times and love it!…read more If you're looking for somewhere fancy and upscale, this isn't that. If you want something that feels authentic and are willing to overlook some small cosmetic/ambience nuances for great food, this is your spot. The food is delicious and consistent every time! We usually get the grilled chicken kabobs which are always so juicy! I also love the cheese cigarras (can't remember how to spell). They give you complementary bread which is also delicious. Really wonderful, authentic place with great staff!

Randomly found this place one day, and my life definitely changed. Hands down, they have the best…read moreBeef Shawarma sandwich. At first, I went with Chicken Shawarma because I'm a chicken girlie. But I ended to eating half of my husband's Beef Shawarma sandwich. So I recommend you getting that to begin with if you are into beef. By the register, they also have a lot of premade/assembled dishes to purchase. The grocery section is small, but has a lot of fun things to look and buy. I love getting their tin fish and chocolate as a treat during my visit!

I'd heard amazing things about their shawarmas, so I decided to check it out and it did not…read moredisappoint! The restaurant is attached to a grocery market. They have a dining area, but it seems like a lot of people do take their food to go. The staff gave great recommendations, making the whole ordering process feel effortless.

I got a rolled chicken pita and the cauliflower appetizer to go. Both were pretty good and had a…read morelot of flavor. It also came with a side of pita which was nice. The rolled pita was absolutely huge and definitely big enough to be a meal! I expected it to be smaller given the price.

Really good dinner here tonight!…read more The falafel was delicious, the lamb was cooked perfectly, and the cranberry walnut salad with chicken was so good. Very friendly uncomfortable atmosphere, the service was just fine and the food is so healthy, you feel really good eating it! Will definitely be back!

Came here for a work dinner, and it was the PERFECT spot. Great ambiance. Not too crowded…read more Excellent service. Upscale spot without being too pricey. It was fun doing shared plates across everyone. I don't think I could recommend a more solid spot for a corporate group dinner in downtown Raleigh. Everyone greatly enjoyed and the food was tasty all around.

I went to their first brunch weekend and it was awesome. The shutters were open because the weather…read morewas nice and the restaurant is beautiful. I bet they get walk ins on nice days. I dare you not to get the Pistachio Baklava French Toast. It's so freaking good and even kiddos liked it. The Benedict is also a classic and the burrata app is one of the best I've had. I can't wait to try the lamb hash and dive into their big cocktail menu. The table behind me had a cool shareable cocktail bowl. Great place to bring friends, it's one of the best looking restaurants in town.