The food was fair, we were offered buffet food and the chicken was dry. Never offered anything else and we're never checked on. There were two other people there and no one else came into the restarant. I love Mediterranian food and cook it myself at home. We saw nothing that the pictures of their food on the website showed. We were shocked by the price for what we got $$$$. Ambiance was was poor. Communication was poor. I doubt we will ever go back. read more

Went to the Troutdale location, it was bad food truck food in the old Sharis building. I didn't get what I ordered and the lamb looked and tasted like little cubes of dog food. The rice was like instant pre-made minute rice. A few years ago I went to the downtown location of Ishtar gate, it was very excellent. Im sad that that the quality was so poor. The girls with limited English were very nice. read more

Honestly this place is another one that has gone downhill since the owner of the place doesn't work there anymore. The food wasn't bad before and you could walk in but now, there is zero interaction. The door is locked, you order from an electronic kiosk, and there's one of those curbside patios built now with no heating so it's freezing as hell. Regardless of whoever is making the food, it's total slop now. I ate here a year ago and managed to come back after forgetting how bad it was to see the new changes. A handful of places like this only stand a chance because they stay open later than when all other business are closed. So if you have a late night craving for middle eastern food, or happen to stumble out of the adult video star next door, this might hook you in. But after you get your food, it is downhill like I said. The quality isn't there, if you order a wrap/gyro, it's equivalent to a middle eastern sloppy Joe. I can't support this place anymore with costs going up, it's no excuse to be spending a lot for slop. read more

I ordered the Chicken Shawarma and enjoyed the majority of it, until u took a bite and nearly swallowed someone's hair, I'm half tempted to give the meal back by regurgitation. their first and only response was to DNA test it against my own, but giving them anything more than the price of the meal and a 20% top would be bullshit.. if you're starving and don't mind eating someone's hair, by all means, partake in this travesty. read more

Good food, friendly service, reasonable price. Ishtar Gate was perfect for a late-night bite.

So incredibly delicious every time. Fresh flavorful I highly recommend trying their food in particular the chicken Shawarma plate. It's consistently wonderful. read more

See all

So Ishtar had my food ready in 15 minutes! That was great but the speed sacrificed the quality of the food. I live two blocks away and got the food as they took it off the heat. When I got home it was cool and I had to heat it up. Chicken kebab was dry and honestly the beef and lamb dishes makanek and sukout were tasty. I have had good experiences at Ishtar but this one was not great. I was severely disappointed with what I got today :( I believe in Ishtar and I will be back and expect it to be better. I will improve my review when that happens read more

See all

The food here is absolutely delicious! I enjoyed my falafel with hummus and veggies. The cook was pleasant and very kind. I would go back, for sure! read more

tiny hole in the wall place with excellent food and big portions. It's more of a to-go spot as there isn't much room inside. Chicken shawarma plate is amazing and my friend loved her gyro too. I've been back several times read more

Ishtar Gate - Chicken Shawarma Plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I went here, because I had just arrived in town and needed a place that was open late. This is hands down the best falafel sandwich I've had in my life. My kids raved about the chicken kebab over rice. The staff was super friendly. read more

Love this place, hands down the best gyro you'll have in Portland. A little hole in the wall joint with BIG flavor! Best in the city. 10/10 read more

Ishtar Gate - Chicken Gyro - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

The best meal we've had in ages. The love that must have been put into this food is notable. Don't pass up the Lamb, Kafka and falafels. The salad is perfection with pickles, tomatoes and a dressing that balances the plate. You won't regret a choice. read more

Ishtar Gate - Kafta Kofta lamb Kabab over rice - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

Great food, and crazy good service (the Uber driver ignored their call and he insisted on bringing me the item that was missed for no extra charge, something I've never seen before). The knafeh was especially good, I can't recommend more. read more

Def a gem in the hole! I got a veggie mezza plate, so reasonably priced and huuuuuge portions! Super friendly customer service. Will be coming back :) read more

Literally the best gyro ever I love them so much and they are so nice, especially the cute younger guy:)

Food is always good no matter what time I order. Meat is always quality and flavors are always on point.

My favorite chicken Gyro! It is the best I have ever had. They put hot sauce on it and all kinds of yummy stuff except the pickels. I get it without pickles. Fries are good and there veggie plates ( hummus, salad, falafel and baba) too. Don't be surprised if you call and they just say hello and not Ishtar Gate. Parking is a challenge. Just street parking which is often full due to other buisnessses on the block. It is good for to go food. There is no inside seating. read more

As far as authentic Middle Eastern food goes... this is an awesome site! I can wait to come back in and try other dishes. It has a very small seating area but the service is really quick and friendly! I'll be here next week to enjoy more delicious dishes. read more

See all

I ordered the chicken shawarma. First, they gave me the wrong meat, there's no way what they served me was chicken. Crappy lamb maybe? It was brown and all chopped up and tasted weird. Then, they put canned pickled jalapenos and hot sauce on it, some weird sweet tasting sauce, shredded carrots, and green olives. It was served to look pretty but in a way that is impractical to eat. I wish I could recommend this place but I just can't. I grew up eating this kind of food regularly, and this is not what it's supposed to taste like. This was the worse shawarma I've ever had. read more

One of the best meals I have ever had. Period. Got a recommendation, and took a chance with a new place to eat. Best decision ever. Last night, we feasted on the lamb shawarma plate, the lamb shawarma sandwich, the Makali Side plate, and a side of baba ghanoush. I don't even know where to start. It was a near religious experience. Check this place out, you won't regret it. Large portions, tasty rice, surprisingly tasty salad (I'm used to many takeout places and their "handfuls of iceberg"), and the creamiest tzatziki. We had to force ourselves to stop eating in order to protect our bellies. I cannot wait for lunch today when I get to dive in again. You'll want to order an additional pita bread for the large amounts of sauces. :) read more

Why would a restaurant put ketchup, mustard, and pickles and on a Gyro? I called and said whats up. The man on the phone said.... "oh yeah thats o u r special sauce read more

Got the lamb plate delivered and it was AMAZING. They have always treated me well and they continue through Covid. Seriously no idea why the 3 star average - it's well above read more

I have NEVER been more angry, disappointed, or disillusioned with a restaurant as I have tonight. $30 plus dollars for what? Crappy-ass "food"? We SPECIFICALLY asked for NO Olives, Sweet Pickles, Jalapeños, Sriracha, Sumac, Cayenne, or Feta due to food sensitivities (look up Mast Cell Activation Disease Syndrome; MCADS). What did we get instead? All of the above plus something they like to call "yogurt sauce". Puhleeze! My granddaughter's "GoGurt" tastes better than what they have to offer. Moral of this review? Next time you're craving Mediterranean food, please order something edible from "The Gyros House" on SE 82nd, near Holgate Blvd. There Tzadiki sauce is pretty damn good. read more

Delicious but hard to really give a 5 star as the delivery person (GH) had tipped the containers so the food got all mixed up. Baklava was very good! read more

This place is a great gem open late night. The food is extremely consistent and excellent quality for the price. The meat is on point and the flavor is so good. Five stars! read more

Delicious knafeh and baklava, haven't tried many iraqi restaurants in portland but was very pleased with this one. The bad reviews are wrong don't listen to them read more

Do not buy any Groupons or other promotional items for this place. Bought a Groupon September 18, 2019 and tried to redeem it today (November 4, 2019, and it expires in March 2020) I've eaten here in the past, and figured this was a cool deal. I was told they are not accepting any Groupons as it was only a Summer Deal. (NOWHERE ON THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DOES IT SAY THAT) Basically, it seems to me they con'd people into giving them money without intention of delivering what they sold. Also claim it is not refundable. Filed a complaint with Oregon Department of Justice for violation of state and federal gift card laws. (Offer falls under gift cards, not certificates, that's why monetary value doesn't expire until 2025) read more

Ishtar Gate - Terms and condition s portion of Voucher, minus voucher numbers, etc. - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We ordered gyros through Postmates and they were the worst gyros we've ever eaten. The lamb meat wasn't the traditional shaved lamb, it was a prepackaged grocery store product. None of the sauces that were advertised were included. One piece of feta and a thin slice of tomato with some brown wilted lettuce rounded out the rest. On top of all of that, it was cold. Very disappointing and we wont be ordering from there again. read more

Ishtar Gate - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This is our go to late night, drunk and need some food ASAP spot. It's so good! We usually get the falafel or the chicken gyro. I bring it home and eat it on my bed in my underwear and its so saucy I just put a towel down and go to town, sauce everywhere, chicken pieces flying, most amazing drunk food ever and its DELICIOUS! read more

Ishtar Gate - a sandwich and a side of dip - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Don't expect to find a fancy place here. They don't even have seating area. What you can expect is as authentic as you're going to find in Portland. They even have stuff to zucchini which is made by the owners mom. You know it's good. The place doesn't necessarily look clean, but it is clean because the restroom was very clean. That's a good indicator of that cleanliness level. They are open until three, so we will definitely be a night owl next time. Often times in the Middle East the best food comes from simple places; this place is no exception... read more

Very welcoming staff and bomb food! They deserve every penny, of which it wasn't many that they asked for! read more

Ishtar Gate - a close up of a purple tie - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I have always ordered their food for delivery, and it always is wonderful! The new lamb fries are so good! Even when I order at 2am the food is perfect! I'm so glad they are in the neighborhood! read more

Ordered in person after seeing Ishtar on postmates. I ordered a lamb shawarma and a side of baba ghanoush. While the shawarma was amazing for the price ($7) great flavor and huge in size, the Baba was six dollars for the smallest container topped with pickles and tomatoes for garnish. Sure it looked pretty, but you lose half the container to garnish. Flavor was unlike any Baba ganoush id ever had and wasn't good: very salty, and chunky? This was served with store bought pita which was disappointing compared to other medi restaurants in the area that make their own pita. They also tried to charge me more than the menu listed, and while the entire place was empty I had to wait 20 minutes for my simple order. I won't be back unless I'm looking to kill some time read more

Ishtar Gate - Baba ganoush - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The worst gyro ever!!!! Please don't waste your time and money at this place. The meat was dry and flavorless.

Kind of a hidden gem, this place is right by my apartment and I eat here late at night.

So good! I got it really late drunk once and was nervous to try it sober because it was sooo good the first time and the second/ sober time was even better. Falafel sandwich was huge and delicious. read more

This place is HORRIBLE!!!! Their sad little "Salad" consists of pickles, pickled jalapeno peppers, tasteless tomatoes, soggy cauliflower, dried carrots and whole onion slapped on top of lettuce that looks like it was purchased from a second hand vegetable vendor in India plagued with lepracy. Lamb kabob? Chicken kabob? It's all covered in some weird, orange sauce that looks and tastes like Cheez Whiz. Falafel is dry. Fried veggies are soggy. When I called to complain the guy on the phone told me to "feed it to your dog." Yes, really. I wouldn't even feed this to my worst enemies dog. Do not eat here. I implore you... If I could give this place a -5...I would. read more

Bought a Groupon that was due to expire February 9, 2020. Tried to redeem Friday, January 31st. They would not accept. They said they no longer worked with Groupon. $10 fOr $20 worth of fare. I left. Poor business practice. The Groupon said it was nonrefundable; however, received $10 of Groupon bucks after contacting Groupon. Appears they were accepting monies from this deal and refusing to redeem. Can't say anything about the food, but don't appreciate a scam. read more

Oh....my god. Where do I even begin? This is by far, after over 5 years of living here, the official worst meal I have ever had in Portland. The lettuce inside my shawarma wrap was BROWN. Yes, you read that right. Brown. The meet was like old Carne Asada. There was CAULIFLOWER and PICKLES in my wrap and my friend got a lamb gyro with carrots, olives, pickles????? Online it said lettuce, tomato, onion, and tzatziki????? The meat was ice cold. Not room temp, COLD. Like frozen in the middle. The wraps were soggy. The fries were soggy. I took 3 bites and literally could NOT eat any further. It was disgusting. I am all for experimenting with recipes! But ADD IT ON YOUR MENU! read more

I had noticed awhile ago the new sign announcing a new restaurant occupying the space that used to be Tacos Chavez. It is now called ISHTAR GATE, a Mediterranean restaurant. I went to check them out today. The place is very tiny. . .there are only two small tables with four chairs inside and two more small tables outside on the sidewalk. (It's probably a good idea to plan on ordering to-go.) I had wanted to order Beef Kofta (my favorite Middle Eastern dish) but they had already run out for the day, so I ordered a Beef Over Rice plate. The beef appeared to be gyro meat, was pleasantly seasoned, and came on a bed of saffron rice. The meal included a small side salad and tzatziki sauce. Overall, it was OK, and I will be back to try the Beef Kofta and Chicken Kofta in the future. read more

See all