We came here around 8pm, and were greeted by a lovely host. Our server recommended a couple dishes…read moreto start off with, and we ordered a few drinks. The drinks were great and the ambiance was lovely, our party was sat at a large round table which really emphasized the family-style approach of this spot. My favourites of the night were the chicken, the cauliflower, and the dips! Unfortunately we were not informed that the kitchen was going to close about 20 minutes after we sat down. This meant that we weren't able to add more dishes, as what we had ordered wasn't enough for all of us to feel completely full. It was a solid spot with good vibes, but for the price point, I would hope that the service and communication would be more attentive.

I love Mamnoon's new Happy Hour! From 5:00 - 6:30 every evening you can pick from a smaller happy…read morehour menu at steep discounts. As always, they have excellent vegetarian and vegan options. The cocktails are unique. I recently enjoyed a cocktail with vodka, pineapple, passion fruit, and cinnamon simple syrup, with some kind of interesting dried leaves or seeds on the rim. Delicious!

Tanoor is one of the more pleasant surprises in my time in Seattle. I've always thought about the…read moreWestlake / SLU area as a food dessert. Filled with corporate slop bowls to fuel up tech bros, you won't find a decent meal anywhere on this side of the lake. But Tanoor is kind of like that special someone who has been there your whole life but you've always looked past for greener pastures. This restaurant was staring me right in the eyes for years, and I didn't realize how magnificent it was until today. When you walk in you are greeted by warm, fresh and fluffy pita. Guess what, IT COMES WITH THE MEAL! Everyone knows I'm a sucker for some free bread. But don't let these Lebanese pillows fill you up, the dip marathon has just begun. The menu here is unlike anything I've ever seen. You can get lost trying to figure out what to order for lunch, so I would advise consulting the waitstaff for guidance through this delightful maze. I just looked on their menu to figure out what the fries that I ate were called, and I can't find them for the life of me. But they had their own incredible dip completely covering them. At one point we had 4 different dips on the table, and I'm not sure how they got there. 1) The dip on the fries 2) Spicy hummus (not that spicy, incredibly tasty) 3) Za'tar that comes with the pita 4) Yogurt sauce that came with the Kabob combo Everything comes with something else here. And since I was having an electric conversation with my good friend, I sort of lost track of everything that we ordered. But if you love dipping things in other things as much as I do, you will love Tanoor!

The food here is pretty good. The fresh bread that is served at the table is the highlight. This…read morerestaurant has a modern vibe and is a nice dine in option in the area. I highly recommend the combo for two to three people as you get a variety of different appetizers and all of the main kabobs. However, a couple of things that really made this experience mediocre. First, the meat was overcooked even though I asked for medium rare. Most of the meat came out medium well. The rice was undercooked and hard when you bit into it. The server could have been more attentive.. didn't come back to check on us, even though the restaurant wasn't super busy. The biggest disappointment is that this establishment passes on a 5% fee to help pay for their staff's benefits. They stay it's optional and they can take it off but it's very distasteful. The owner should reconsider this and build this expense into the pricing of their menu. Otherwise their wait staff is going to feel slighted when customers leave less tip because of this additional fee. Overall, this is a solid place, but the experience was just average considering all aspects, and therefore the three star rating.

Very good food great service , mixed American and Middle Eastern taste recommend this restaurant…read moreto every body

I'm someone who is vegetarian (no eggs) I tried their Pita…read moreWrap with Falafel. The wrap was good, but they put the pita down first and put everything on top. So it's basically an open wrap, I wasn't a huge fan of it but taste was good. Service was good too. And the ambiance was good as well

Upon reading reviews about being takeout only, we went last night, ordered take out and decided to…read moretake it to the beach. Best date night! The portions are generous and Rula and George were unbelievably kind. You can truly taste the love in their food! Rula provided fantastic knowledge about the food, dietary restrictions, and details about how it's made. We definitely have a new go-to spot for take out! All the food was incredible, the kafta kabab was fresh and juicy! Rula explained that all gyro comes frozen and all restaurants in the area have the same source that they get it from but they season their specially--the seasoning on it was outstanding. The rice, hummus, and Babaghanouje was delicious. The surprise stand out was the salad dressing! I would buy bottles of it to put on everything if I could! It was SO good!!

The best food! Generous portions and great neighborhood restaurant. George and Rula remember your…read morenames and your orders. The food is always delicious. One entree is big enough for two people.We love this place and the owners

Food: amazing flavors…read more Ambiance: nice atmosphere, clean Service: staff def "phoned it in", they couldn't give a crap about us, from Reception to Server to Busser Price: spendy Do ii recommend? Yes. It was delicious!

Had a nice dinner here…read more Highlights were the pita, all of the dips, the seafood stew, and the fried calamari. The chermoula sauce for the calamari was delicious. We personally did not care for the flavor or thigh meat chicken kebab but it was presented nicely and the sauce was flavorful. The steak was nice and cooked just right but could have used some finishing salt. We also had 3 cocktails. 2 of them were delicious. One which is not in the photos was called ouz operator and I simply did not enjoy it, at all, matter of personal taste. Server didn't ask how everything was or if we liked it, and I thought that was a bit odd. Our server was friendly but she was also busy with a lot of tables and our interactions felt more quick and business like. A couple times we needed something I had to make eye contact to get attention. Inside was quite nice. Simple. We had a booth by the window and it was just right. Overall a very nice time if you want this style of food.

I finally got to tried Homer and it didn't disappoint! We…read morewere a big group and waited about 1.5 hours before getting seated. I'd recommend getting there early and explored the neighborhood while you wait. The restaurant was a bit loud so it's a little hard to chat with big group. We chose the Family Feast option, which came with 3 course of food, desserts. This option is fantastic for big group to share, as well as to try different menu items without having to choose. They brought out a lot of food for each course, and pack up whatever we didn't finish for us to take home. Since their menu changes often, it was a great experience for both first-timers and guests who have been before, to try seasonal menu items. Our first course consisted of 3 dips, grilled medjool dates, anchovies with sourdough, and unlimited pita bread. All of the dips were delicious, and the grilled medjool dates were one of my favorites of the meal. Our second course were summer tomatoes, shaved kohlrabi, and grilled little gems salad with nectarines, and dill emulsion dressing. All of them were so refreshing, and the flavors were on point. The summer tomatoes were sweet. We were already pretty full at this point. Our third course were roasted chicken with chili-fruit paste, and grilled pork with rainier cherry. The chicken was super tender, the chili-fruit paste was not spicy, just the right amount of sweet and spicy. The grilled pork was tender and sweet, it was definitely one of my favorites. Desserts were ice cream and warm cookie with sweet cream. It was absolutely tasty and a great end to the meal. Our server was very attentive and nice. We didn't feel rushed during our time dining here. Overall, the restaurant was super worth the long wait, and I love all the dishes I tried that day.

I organized a reunion for our group, the first time we'd all been together in over 10 years. We've…read moreall been through life experiences none of us expected, so this dinner meant a lot. I arrived 20 minutes before opening and was first in line. One friend joined me 10 minutes later. At 5pm it was just the two of us, so I asked for a table for 4 and explained that I'd happily order food and drinks for everyone immediately, even though the rest of the group was still fighting the weekday traffic. The hostess refused, so we stepped aside. 2 minutes later our 3rd friend arrived. I asked the group behind us if they minded us getting back in line. They laughed and said it was no problem because they had just had their 3rd person arrive as well. When I got back in line, the hostess deliberately skipped over me and called the next group instead. After seating them, I stopped her and asked for a table for 3. She asked if it would "really" be just 3. At that point I honestly didn't know. Our 4th friend was driving from Everett and had texted that she was stuck in standstill traffic. I said yes, seat the 3 of us. The hostess told us to wait while she seated yet another group, taking the last indoor table. We were then placed outside on a hot day. Despite how the evening started, I did exactly what I'd said I would. We ordered dinner for the entire group, including 2 bottles of wine to avoid inconveniencing them with making drinks. Then, incredibly, the hostess came back to our table and removed the 4th chair to make absolutely sure our last friend couldn't join us if she arrived. It felt petty, unnecessary, and frankly embarrassing. What should have been a joyful reunion became a stressful experience because of one person's rigid and unwelcoming attitude. The food was equally inconsistent. The labneh was extremely sour and came with cold, slightly stale pita. The squid & lamb were overly salty. The kohlrabi with peaches was so aggressively smoky that we left almost the entire dish untouched. The mushrooms were fine. The grilled pork was excellent and easily the highlight of the meal. The cod was just okay, and the desserts were average. We spent ~$500 for the meal. People don't spend this kind of money just for the food. The price reflects the entire experience, and that's where this restaurant failed. The service felt cold, impersonal, and overly focused on rules instead of hospitality. Rather than making guests feel welcome, the hostess made us feel like a problem she had to manage. I've had warmer, friendlier service at fast food restaurants. I won't be returning, and I took the time to write this review because no meal, especially one marking such a meaningful reunion, should be overshadowed by such an unnecessarily unpleasant welcome.

Ordered two shawarmas, one beef one chicken…read more Both marinated beautifully to bring out the unique flavors of each meat and the pita was made fresh in their fire oven. Definitely coming back!

********CLOSED************…read more They recently closed and reopened under a different name. It's now called THE BOSPHORUS PALACE. We originally went because we had seen good reviews for Almanqal Mediterranean Grill. When we got there, the server mentioned it's basically the same place but with a different menu, so we decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. The food took quite a while to come out and when it finally arrived, it wasn't even hot. The bread honestly tasted like something bought from a grocery store. The rice was very bland, and although the salad was actually really good, the chicken was extremely dry, chewy, and lacked flavor. The presentation looked nice, but the taste just didn't match. The portions were also quite small, and the prices felt very high for what you get. The service was just okay overall. Maybe they are still new and working things out, but for the price and portion size it just didn't feel worth it. Overall, it felt like a waste of time and money considering the quality and quantity of the food.

Really enjoy this restaurant- though I do think it's a bit pricey for the amount of food you get. I…read morehave gotten the Beyti kabob with eggplant and the lamb and have tried their hummuses and pita. I come back often when I'm home and the decor is cute and unique as well.

Big fan of Cafe Turko. A welcoming space with some friendly staff that operates part way between a…read moreTurkish coffee shop and a restaurant. Starting with the coffee - delicious. Turkish coffee is a short robust coffee, similar to espresso. Served with dark brown sugar and a Turkish delight candy, it is superb. The food here is awesome. From Turkish pizza and flatbreads to some delicately flavored kebabs. All served by some of the nicest people. I've been in a couple of times and there's always members of the local Turkish community eating here. Says great things about any ethnic restaurant when folks from that ethnicity choose to eat there. If you like Eastern Mediterranean food, give Cafe Turko a try!

I have followed Yalla on Instagram for awhile. I love how the Owner Taylor often donates part of…read moreproceeds to a cause in need most recently to those struggling in Nepal. Which was part of the reason I visited a few weeks ago. I actually have been wanting to try Yalla for awhile, and just recently figured where it was located. A bit out of my way from work and home, but the day I decided to go was perfect. I was meeting friends at Sake Nomi which doesn't serve food so you're allowed to bring some in. I had two hours to waste so it gave me plenty of time to get up to Capitol Hill and back to Pioneer Square. Yalla is a walk up window with a bench outside to sit but I imagine most people take the food to go. I was sharing the food with five other people so the three mezze dips was the perfect option, I also added the special dip of the day that had 100% proceeds going to help those in Nepal. I also added one of the pressed Saj, the grilled Kefta a lot easier to share. One of my friends wanted the Lamb wrap so that was included in the order as well. Love how fresh the ingredients were. Each dip had distinctively different flavors and textures. Saj was included two different ways to enjoy with the mezze in its soft flatbread form and as a cracker perfect for dipping. My favorites were the Muhummara and the Nuraniye (Zuchinni Dip). I liked the tanginess of the Muhummara and the fresh lemon forward of the Nuraniye. The Kefta was delicious, I need to carry a knife for situations like this when sharing food we ended up ripping off pieces this came with Labneh. I definitely want to try a wrap next time and well their toum sauce. Service was friendly and helpful when I was explaining there was a group of us sharing the items.

Yalla is a walk up window slinging unbelievably delicious Palestinian food. I went on a gorgeous…read moreSaturday just after 12PM and there was no line, but it looked like they were packing some take out orders. The signature saj bread is cooked fresh on a hot stone and is almost like a Middle Eastern flour tortilla with the way it's super thin and satisfyingly chewy bite. The only seating options are a few large benches on the sidewalk, but there's a poster saying you're welcome to sit at the neighboring bar which opens in the late afternoon provided you purchase a drink as well. Ended up sampling 3 of their wrap options and the Zaatar Wrap was deliciously nutty and fragrant, but texturally there was so many herbs that the center ate a little dry. The Lahme Khuruf (Lamb) was my favorite by far with super juicy ground meat with some tang from the labneh, sweetness, freshness from the tomato, and texture from the pine nuts. Absolute home run on this one! The Awarma and Cheese was a close second, but personally, the flavor profile was just a little less interesting than the lamb. Tip: grab some extra napkins as the wraps can fall apart a bit at the end!

Best service I've ever had, hands down. Not only did our server give us amazing recommendations,…read morebut they also shared some history about the restaurant and the food itself, that little extra touch made the whole meal feel special. The food tasted like home cooking, which is the highest compliment I can give. Portions were huge, the place was spotless, and everything just felt right. We recently moved here from California and have been on a mission to find our new go-to spots. This one just shot straight to the top of the list. We're a serious foodie family, and this place delivered on every level. Can't wait to go back!

Old Mediterranean is a great spot if you're craving Mediterranean food. We tried the Mezze Platter,…read moreFalafel Plate, Zahrah, and Spanakopita, and everything tasted delicious. The service was a bit slow, but our server was incredibly kind and apologized for the delay by bringing us complimentary falafel plates, which we really appreciated. It was a thoughtful gesture that made the experience much better. One thing to keep in mind is that the portion sizes are quite generous, so it's easy to share dishes. The restaurant itself is fairly small, so I'd recommend making a reservation, especially during busy hours. Overall, a nice place with tasty food, generous portions, and warm hospitality