Absolutely incredible food in large portions at a reasonable price. Employees are kind and provide great, timely service. I've been multiple times and will gladly keep coming back for more. Instant 5-star. read more

Respectfully sharing an unpleasant experience from our recent visit We've been loyal patrons of this restaurant for a long time, usually visiting every other Sunday with a group of 9-10 friends to enjoy good food and time together. The ambiance and general quality of the food have always been excellent, and we've genuinely appreciated that. However, during our most recent visit, we had a rather disappointing experience that I feel compelled to share--constructively and respectfully--so it can hopefully be improved going forward. We ordered a spicy fish dish that unfortunately was not up to the restaurant's usual standards. It appeared to be a frozen tilapia, not fully cooked, with a strong raw fish smell that made it quite unappetizing. I returned it and politely explained I wasn't satisfied with the quality. I even mentioned I didn't mind paying for the meal if it met basic expectations--but I was met with a dismissive smirk rather than any understanding or acknowledgment. Later, when we went to pay, we were surprised to see an unexpected charge for tea! This was especially disappointing since tea had always been served complimentary during our previous visits. There was no signage or prior communication indicating a change in this policy. When I politely asked for clarification, the lady at the counter responded very rudely and was not willing to listen. Wanting to resolve the matter calmly, I spoke with a gentleman who appeared to be closely affiliated with the owner--possibly his son. He respectfully listened to my concerns and communicated them to the owner, who ultimately agreed to deduct the charges for the fish and the tea. While I appreciate that decision, the attitude of the front staff, especially the lady at the counter, remained rude and unprofessional! There was no apology--only resistance and continued arguing. As returning customers, we didn't expect perfection--but we did expect respect and consistency. I hope this feedback is taken in the spirit of improvement, because we've enjoyed this place many times in the past and would like to continue doing so in the future. Good service is just as important as good food--and I truly hope future guests are treated with a bit more courtesy and care!! !!!A long-time customer!!!!!!! read more

I'm gonna make this quick and simple; Pros: the food was delicious and service was quick, (to be fair I did go when it was slow) Cons: the dining room looks so bland and cheap, like they did not put any effort into decorating the place. Your napkin will be a box of tissues on the table...yup. You read that right. There is an automatic 18% gratuity on your bill so check if you decide to tip more, I didn't You have to get up from your table and pay your bill at the counter read more

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Rating: 4.3 Came to try this middle eastern restaurant with a friend due to one of my Syrian friend's recommendation. It's located in Cranston and parking is available. There are many doors on the establishment but only one on the side of the parking lot works so you don't have to try every single one like I did. It looks small but is rather large establishment with many seatings and back room available for hookah and smoking. They have hot tea for self service. We got the combo grilled plate which came with grilled chicken, beef and lamb shish kebob wrapped in pita bread, hummus, salad and garlic and spicy sauce. The meat was tender and flavorful and pair well with pita bread the hummus/garlic sauce. Personally I liked the lamb the best. Everything else was delicious and the portion was good. The service was good for the most part but the wait on the food was pretty long as we had to wait around 30 minutes. Kitchen did look small and there was decent amount of people so maybe staffing or kitchen isn't sufficient with serving large amount of customers in a timely manner? Overall the place was pretty good and definitely liked their food. Down side was the wait on food and that they added 18% gratuity automatically in our tab which i thought was excessive for a restaurant to do for 2 people. I think too should be given based on service not automatically. The place wasn't also necessary the most sanitary environment which can be a problem for some. Aside from that I would come back to try their other dishes maybe for pick up so I can avoid automatic tip. read more

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My partner came here with friends and I'm glad he took me next! We were seated swiftly and our server got our drinks and order quickly because I already looked over the menu~ ordered the mango smoothie, which was very sweet and refreshing on this hot day. They offer tea, self service, instead of water, and it was delicious. It came in small glass mugs and was hot and sweet. It was a good combo with the savory food. Ordered the combo and it was good. Had more than enough to share for 3, and plenty of pita bread~ this was such a unique and different food experience for me that I very much enjoyed. Waitress picked up our empty plates and were attentive until it got busy, in which we had to go to the counter and ask for to-go boxes. I think one pays at the front, but I wasn't sure since we walked to the front to get boxes and pay our bill ourselves since the waitress never came back. So the big elephant in the room is the automatic 18% gratitud added to our bill. Seems to be something other reviews mention. I can't explain the reason except they want to pay their staff well, but they should be more attentive. Some where on their phones and have full blown conversations with their earbuds in. If they were more attentive and conscious it would make more sense. Otherwise the food is solid and enjoyable. Feels more authentic with many families here enjoying big shareable meals.. read more

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My friend and I came here on a weekday afternoon so it was just us in the restaurant and there is plenty of parking and plenty of space inside. I tried their complimentary tea and it was good but it was too sweet for my liking. For starters, we ordered some hummus and it came with pita. That hummus was incredibly delicious. It was light, it was smooth, it was nutty and creamy, and with the pita it was very addicting. We ordered a chicken shawarma to share and it was delicious and perfectly pressed to give it a crunchy wrap. That dipped in their garlic and spicy sauce was really good. We also ordered their chicken and lamb skewers over rice and that was delicious since both meats were very tender. The rice was not too flavorful but with all the other sides and flavors, it reall brought it to life. The side salad was good but it was a bit soggy. Overall great food and for good prices. read more

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Not the same service as it used to be. Soon to be out of business. I have been going to this place since the old location. It's been over 8-9 years. It used to be our go to place on weekends and Ramadan.The whole staff have changed and food quality is not the same as it used to be, but last night we had the worse experience. My brother brought the drink from outside without knowing no outside drinks are allowed. Mind you, thats not how it used to be. Rules must have changed recently. When the staff reminded us, we apologized and said we were not aware but when it came time to pay, they charged us for the drink and said it doesn't matter even if the drink is from outside we still charge for it as no outside drinks policy is mentioned on the door. Instant of telling us not to bring outside drink moving forward. It's not about $2-$3 drink but the situation could have handled differently with the old customers coming to the restaurant for 9 years. My suggestion is to there are much better food options available with better quality and service. Don't waste your time and money there. read more

el laham is a solid place to stop in with friends or family for a casual meal. their portions are so generous and they have a little bit of everything from the Levant region. their meat and rice options are outstanding, and i love their rotating dessert options. i have sat in both the hookah room and non hookah room, and had a good time with friends. service has varied depending on the rush. but never the kindness, just the speed of service. sometimes it's taken an hour to get food and sometimes it's taken 15min. doesn't keep me from coming back but i plan my visits carefully in case it's a day where it's too long of a wait! read more

El Laham Restaurant - shish plate and rice, this could easily feed 4 people amazing food and generous for the price - Hookah Bars Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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Authentic food. Great and fresh. Wait staff was very attentive. Everything was hot and little waiting time. Definitely recommend this place if you like middle eastern food. read more

I recommend the Fantastic kabob sandwich. The Syrian bread is sooo fresh and delicious; excellent dessert too! The fatoosh salad was great as well. It was a pick-up order, and I did not have to wait! read more

Shawarma is freshly made and good size. Don't forget the fries...they are great here.

Good food and generous portions made to order. Service was prompt and courteous. The restaurant has several areas for patrons to eat or enjoy music. read more

The food was so good, restaurant has sections for smoking and non smoking, we sat in non smoking, service was good they brought the food and bottles of water, they didn't check on us the entire time but we didn't really mind or need anything. I wanted to order dessert but was way too full, portions are huge btw. Definitely worth a try. read more

El Laham Restaurant - Kabseh, Hummus plate Kibbeh (5) Lamb Chops with Rice - Hookah Bars Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

I went to El laham restaurant all the way from Boston to RI it's about 45 mile around 1 Hr and 2 minutes ! decided to try this restaurant cause my friend recommend it to me ! It was a Saturday night i went into the restaurant and waiting for around 20 minutes and no server approached me for any help,i got frustrated i went to their main cashier desk and they said they are sorry about not noticing me ! Which is weird ! Overall the restaurant is good and welcoming except i felt the server over there wasn't welcoming and i don't know why? they were just not having it at all ! i can tell from the way they were talking with me ! the food for me was good enough! but a decision to re-visit this restaurant again? i don't think so i would just try somewhere else! They just give me this kinda of bad vibes ! read more

Came during COVID Ramadan for a buffet style iftar. Really good Syrian food and felt very homey! Authentic and clean. $22.5 for all you can eat with water and tea. Decent price! read more

El Laham Restaurant - a plate of food - Hookah Bars Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

They have a nice iftar buffet at about $27/person, with a mix of Egyptian meats, salads, and sides. The food was very flavorful and the ambience nice. They also serve sheesha of various flavors and their sheesha was not as charcoal-ish and quite clean clean compared to a lot of other places. Turkish coffee 5/5 (not burnt, just perfect!) Overall good ambience, open late, and the food is good (halal) and the Turkish coffee and drinks are great! read more

Let's break it down so you can get how awful this place is. I went here on the recommendation of a mutual friend and let me just say I will never listen to a recommendation from them again. Having no abundance of middle eastern restaurants in the MA and RI area, I was excited to try this place out! However, the excitement quickly died down as I entered into the establishment. You are welcomed in with the most rancid smell. Because we ordered ahead we had no option but to stay and pay for our food. We were quickly ushered to a table with chairs. The chairs had years of dust stuck on them. Massive burn holes from cigarettes in the chairs and tables. We got our food and it was barely warm. I'm pretty sure my rice was microwaved and had been sitting there all day. The kebabs we were served had BLACK HAIR all over the plate. The chicken smelt and tasted rancid. If you value your health don't go to this establishment. The dining room was disgusting, dust all over the dining room. Huge flies all over the wall and plates. WHAT THEY FAIL TO MENTION WHEN ORDERING AHEAD FOR DINING IN, IS THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY 18% GRATUITY. This is ridiculous. They did not serve us. Did not check on us at all. When we informed the manager we don't want to pay for a service we did not receive she became hostile and became extremely unprofessional. The cooks in the back, were not wearing gloves. Rubbing all over their faces and then handling the food. How disgusting!!! I will be following up with a call to the health department for the poor sanitary conditions of this establishment. Disgusting!!! Stay away for your own safety. read more

The Food. Always. Always. Always. On point. While a lot of my fave restaurants in RI have struggled with consistency during the pandemic (I mean, duh), somehow El Laham has managed to keep turning out DELICIOUS Syrian food that somehow tastes as good as if you ate it at the restaurant. Even tho the Walmart fake Kleenex used as dinner napkins has still got to go. Even tho the wait makes me feel like Godot. Even so the even thos, I love the food here. It's honestly best of class Middle Eastern food in R.I. I'm kinda addicted to getting it. And I'm so happy this place is around. read more

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Amazing food and great ambiance. If you want Mediterranean food, go here! Awesome service as well.

Delicious food and nice sized portions. We did a pick up order, it was prepared in timely manner. Nice customer service. Sitting area was clean and family oriented. Hukah room is separate area. read more

First of all they are very very nice there. Service is very slow but it's ok we are patient. 5 stars for the hummus and garlic sauce Careful with hummus with meat or meat with garlic sauce, they add a very good lamb but it is mostly fat Also they don't make their own bread at this place you can expect cold packaged pita Their rice was good, salad was good hot sauce was good The lamb ground shish kebob was too dry They sell sharwama there but it is not really sharwama it's cut up chicken which is ok their chicken on skewers also have the same seasoning it's slightly better as it's grilled. Their lamb shawarma was way too fatty we had to constantly remove unchewable pieces not pleasant. Their whole grilled chicken looks really good in the picture and when it was on our plate but again the flavor was very very bland. Their Arabic sharwama came with fries which I could tell was likely the Ortega frozen fries It's sad I want to want this place and support them but the food was not good and we won't be going back. read more

This restaurant is astounding. You must go. Apparently people travel far and wide to eat here because it's that good. You wouldn't know if from walking by, but there's a whole back room where you can ply chess and smoke and eat their incredible food. Ask the server what to order if you're not sure, they'll get you something that will amaze you. It takes awhile to get the food, but there's a waterfall inside and lots of things to help pass the time. But the wait is valid. read more

Always consistently amazing, the babaganoush is the best that I have had anywhere. The baklava omg, you cannot go wrong with ordering anything in their menu. read more

The worst food I have ever had in my entire life and no service from the waitress what so ever and they automatically charged 18% tip in the check even party of 2 for dine in. read more

Honestly if I could give this place 0 stars I would. The place reeks and as soon as you walk you get a swif of the smell. There's a water fountain in the restaurant but it has no water and it looks disgusting and it smells, all around that area are large flies. The chairs were gross, with burn marks, the tables were sticky. They brought plates to our table and they were all chipped and wet. Imagine being forced to pay 18% gratitude and we never even had a server come to our table. We actually had to walk to the counter to ask for drinks. The food tasted ok but when it was brought out it wasn't even warm. The staff was very unprofessional ( dressed it sweat pants and t shirts) and the manager was actually very rude. read more

Great food for a great price. We really enjoyed the kibbeh, lamb, and chicken sandwich. Will definitely be back! read more

El Laham Restaurant - Lamb and salad - Hookah Bars Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

The food here is great tasting, & it's authentic. LOVE IT. Would definitely come back here. & highly recommend read more

The food here is incredible! If you want authentic Syrian/Lebanese food then this place hits all the spots. It truly tastes and feels like you're sitting back in the homeland. People come from all over the area to eat here and enjoy the ambiance. Came for Kabsa and hookah which were both incredible. read more

The food from here is spot on! Prob one of the best places to eat Middle Eastern/Syrian food in the area. Got the chicken shawarma and the mixed grille combo. Both were delish! Loved the garlic sauce and the salad that come along with the combo. Only neg was the beef kabob was a bit dry. Will def come back here. read more

First time to go yesterday! I was told to find myself a table. Stayed there for 15 mins before we let one of the employees know that we didn't even have the menu. We got the menus and placed our orders... After additional 30 mins of waiting we decided to leave. As were leaving, I informed the waiters that I was leaving, and only then did a waitress show up with the food. The excuse was that the normal wait time to get the food was 45 MINUTES and that the time they took from the order was placed and bringing the food was 32 minutes only, and that we got our food early. For 15 mins no one came to our table and after we placed our order for 32 mins no one even said that the food was going to take a long time to be ready. I left and will never step foot in this place... In my entire life, haven't seen such a poor service read more

Great food, very authentic and appreciated the Ramadan buffet! Kind workers and amazing food!!!!

We drove all the way from Massachusetts to this place we parked the car and walked in from the back entrance got inside and there was literally no one there! said hello more than 10 times and no one responded! i was shocked for the fact that restaurant is open but no one is there literally! Soo bad! read more

Man this place is fire. Had the mixed platter which was more then enough for me and my wife. Everything was on point. Salad, hummus, garlic sauce, chicken, beef kebab. I would highly recommend this place to a group of friends who can eat delicious food and smoke hookah at the same time. One thing I would like to point out that food takes a minute to come because it's made fresh and worth the wait. read more

El Laham Restaurant - Chicken beef lamb kebab mix combo platter. - Hookah Bars Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

Delicious, delicious, delicious. We had the Kebab Plate, which is more than enough food for two people to share. Everything was delicious and fresh. I am looking forward to going there again! read more

This is one of the worst place to dine in. The minimal wait is 1 hr not because restaurant is crowded but because they can not make the order. They say 1 hr and you will be lucky if you get food before 2 hrs. Never going again . Ambience is also normal. Not too bad not great either. read more

The amount and quality of the food you get is some of the best I've had when it comes to this specific food. My friend is Lebanese and I felt like I was sitting at their table eating. Just a fantastic experience top to bottom. I did read all the reviews and the ppl who gave poor reviews were so hung up on service they ignored the fact the food is amazing. I loved going here and ill be a repeat customer for sure. Don't let the bad reviews prevent you from having this food. I thought prices were more than reasonable. read more

I should have read the reviews before coming in here , I order over the phone takeout but decided to eat there , they brought me the food and that's all they did then I went to go lay at front and apparently they can tip themselves, she charged me a $9 dollar tip on a $40 dollar order, she told me she was sorry for doing that , I guess she thought I wasn't gonna do the math . Food was ok but for what she did and never coming here again. I wonder if the owner know what she's doing read more

Food is really delicious. I tried the chicken shawarma and kebab plate. Although the food is nice, the wait for the food can be long sometimes but I would say it's worth it. The one thing I disliked is that the owner smokes in the restaurant and that's a dealbreaker for me. My advice would be to get a takeout and just enjoy the food at home. read more

El Laham Restaurant - Hookah Bars Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! What an Amazing experience! Their food is incredible too! The whole hooka smoking with dinner was awesome! Their portions are huge!!! I can't wait to go back! The wait staff was incredible too I'm not sure why it wouldn't let me select that 10 stars read more

Good quality food. Great prices. I recommend the lamb combo meals, they have smoke free room and family rooms. Clean restaurant read more

El Laham Restaurant - Hookah Bars Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island