After a 5pm movie at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, we stepped into…read moreLebanese Taverna for a casual dinner before heading back to our hotel. I was hungry and ordered with my eyes, so I ordered too much to share and we ended up packing a bunch home. (That pita bread lasted us for a few days!) If zaatar is on the menu, I have to order it. We also got hummus (so creamy and good). The pita bread was so soft and tasty. He ordered a falafel salad and I got the chicken shawarma. Note: there are also a bunch of sauces at a station near the counter where you pick up your orders - the harissa and garlic sauce (white, fluffy sauce) are really good! *chef's kiss* We sat inside and ate. There was a lot of seating available and the windows offer a airy feel when you're in there. The place was clean and well taken care of. The staff behind the counter were friendly... In sum, it's a good casual spot to grab a bite of tasty Lebanese food for a reasonable price! FYI - if you're into labneh, they have bottles in the cold cases!

I stopped by Lebanese Taverna to grab a quick dinner. Before I get into the my food experience,…read moreI'll start with my experience with the service. Upon arriving to the restaurant, I saw a father and his toddler-aged child sitting at a table and a person waiting for their orders. The father and his child were dining in and the other person was getting his food to go. As part of the protocol, I went to the counter to place an order to dine in and grabbed a table to wait for my food. While waiting for my food, the lady at the counter brought the food to the guy waiting for his to go order and later to the guy waiting with his daughter. However, when my dinner was ready, she gestured to me to pick up my food at the counter. At first, I thought nothing of it. While I was eating, a group of 3-4 people arrived to dine in. Again, the lady behind the counter brought their orders to their table (she had to make a couple of trips to their table). I hate to ask this (and perhaps, I'm reading too much into this), but why was I the only person who had to go to the counter to get my order even though I was dining-in? In general, it's not a huge deal for me to pick up my food from the counter. However, it does become a slight issue (at least for me), when I'm the only person who had to do it. During my visit, there were four dine in orders (including mine), and the lady walked three out of four orders to the folks dining...with me being the exception. Actually, I get it would be more than four total orders because the lady had to make multiple trips for the table of 3-4 diners. Added to this situation, I was the only Black person dining in the restaurant. Perhaps, it was an oversight from the lady at the counter, but I saw this as a slight microaggression. Now that I've got that off of my chest, I can get into the food. The restaurant offers a menu that consists of various flatbreads, salads, combo platters, sandwiches, and rice bowls. For my dining pleasure, I ordered a shawarma combo, which comes with two sides. For my two sides, I went with a side salad and fries. The combo with tip and a can soda was about $19. Overall, I thought the food was fine and worth the value; however, the beef and chicken were a little too salty for my tastes. I will say that the portion sizes are pretty generous because my dish was jammed packed with chicken and beef. The shawarma definitely was large enough for two meals. The restaurant has a mini fixings bar (only for dine-in customers) that includes yougurt, tahini, and a couple of other things that I cannot remember. Overall, the restaurant was pretty clean and a nice a nice layout conducive to dining in or taking your food to go.

A Hidden Gem in Takoma Park!…read more Olive Lounge exceeded my expectations! The food was fresh, flavorful, and paired perfectly with their drinks. Their happy hour prices are very reasonable, making it an easy spot to enjoy without breaking the bank. I ordered the spinach dip, which was absolutely amazing, along with the pita and hummus, which was fresh and tasty. The standout for me, though, was the steak and cheese egg rolls, super good! Everything came out fresh, and the service made for an enjoyable experience. An added bonus is their outdoor lounge area, which creates a great atmosphere for relaxing with friends or enjoying a nice evening out. I'll definitely be back and highly recommend Olive Lounge to anyone looking for great Mediterranean food, good drinks, and a welcoming vibe in Takoma Park.

Overall: great prices, delicious food, okay service, casual ambiance, single stall inclusive…read morerestrooms, changing table, kids menus, and high chairs available They have a great happy hour and different daily specials. There is so much to love about the menu. Everything we ate was delicious, but overall we are just wildly impressed with the prices. We rarely eat that much quality food for the prices you pay here. I love how many vegetables they have on the menu and the meat was cooked perfectly.

I came here for my friend's engagement party, and everything was amazing. The food was delicious,…read moreflavorful, and incredibly filling. The large platter was perfect for sharing, and every bite was cooked perfectly. I've been to Bethesda so many times and never even knew this restaurant was here. What a hidden gem. I don't remember our server's name, but he was the bartender, host, and waiter all in one. He was so kind, personable, and made the entire experience even better with his great service. I will definitely be back and highly recommend Bacchus to anyone looking for amazing food, generous portions, and outstanding hospitality.

Honestly let's start with 10 stars across the board in every area. I have to start with the amazing…read moreowner ! When I say he went above and beyond for every single person at the resturant today he was amazing. You can feel the love and the care that he put in every single thing he did whether it was more water , taking your order, making your drink everything. We started with HOT and FRESH! Pita bread it was perfectly soft and absolutely delicious , the oil and herb dip was better than majority of Lebanese and middle eastern restaurants I've been to honestly the service and food is better than 80% of the restaurants I visit and I go out to eat weekly. They were very busy and they still made sure we were well taken care of. The resturant is also very clean and they move with efficiency when it comes to cleaning as well. We had beef kafta, grape leaves with rice and meat , lamb shank and the surf and turf. Every single thing was so good so juicy and perfectly seasoned I can't say enough about how good everything is. They also have the best sausage for appetizers oh my they were so delicious. We also had a dessert with baklava not sure what it was but man it was delicious a bit floral but it was mind blowing. Also the belly dancing is soooo good !

Yasmine is a new addition to the Heights Food Hall in Friendship Heights, DC and serves Middle…read moreEastern food. I was excited to try this place as DC proper seems to lack good, authentic, and affordable shawarma places. I came on a Friday night at 5:30 pm and the entire food hall was pretty empty, perhaps because it was raining. I ordered: Chicken shawarma sandwich- the best chicken shawarma sandwich I've had in DC proper so far. The bread was fresh, the chicken was flavorful, and the sandwich also had toum (Lebanese whipped garlic sauce), pickles, peppers, onions and lettuce. There was also an herbal green sauce on the side (don't know the name) which I really enjoyed. Fries with toum sauce- the fries tasted fresh and had seasoning on them (not sure what) that was good. The toum was a perfect dipping sauce for the fries. Overall, the sandwich was $13.5, and the fries were $7, which came out to about $22, which is a little on the expensive side. I'm really happy with this addition to the Heights food hall. I will definitely be back for my shawarma fix.

Yasmine serves up some really tasty food. The doner kabob is great, and the hummus is delicious…read more Just make sure you know where it's located inside the food court at The Heights because it can be a bit hard to find at first. Once you do, you'll be glad you did!

I hate to give a negative review, but they need an overhaul. This location has a good bit of…read moreseating, but it needs to be spruced up. Decoration is lackluster or plain off-putting (bare black shelves!?). The soft drink machine is out of order. There is only one restroom. The tables are grossly sticky. The menu seems too big for the small team to execute properly-- many dishes on the mezze menu were 'meh'. The wait to get food was impossibly long for fast-casual. They need to get back to basics. Spruce up the inside. Slim down the menu to just the best dishes. Speed up the service. Had the mezze sampler; some things like the hummus were good. Falafel and kibbeh were fine. Fried items were not good. Tabouleh had no bulgar wheat in it. Salads felt sort of sad. Best thing we had was the mixed meat kebabs which were very good. Shawarma sandwich was pretty flavorless.

Disclosure: I'm a big fan of Lebanese cuisine…read more This place hits all the right notes. LebTav has a good system in place so that an order can be filled fairly quick without sacrificing taste. I've not had anything here that could be categorized as so-so. All the Lebanese food that I've consumed has been nicely done and fresh, and I've been coming here for a few years. I didn't know that LebTav is actually an outgrowth of the Lebanese Taverna restaurant business. Those particular restaurants are found all about the DMV and are more formal in service and have larger menus. I should have figured out the connection given the acronym but was a bit slow on the uptake. My favorites at this spot include tabouleh, baba ghanoush, fries & garlic, chicken samosa, meat shawarma sandwich and lambwich. Generally, I get mine to go, but if I do sit and eat, it's usually for a short period of time. I just don't think you can go wrong here in terms of fast, casual.

This place is simply beautiful in my opinion. Before you even enter, the patio has this inviting…read morefeel to it. But as soon as you answer, the decor is really nice. And this may be a best kept secret, but did you know they have happy hour all day every weekday at the bar? I go with a group of three, and we tend to just split all the happy hour food and have a party. The pide is fantastic, the burger is juicy, the gyro is flavorful ... I don't get me started on the two cocktail options, whew. It's all delicious. I need to return for brunch, and I have had some of their entrees way back, but that was their original location in DC. But I love the place and I wish them the most success!

They charged for olives in my martini! First I ordered their signature drink, after asking and…read morebeing told it was not too sweet. It was very sweet. Our server suggested a glass of white wine - undrinkable to my taste. I asked for a martini, up, with olives. It was a very nice martini - until we got the bill. They charged $1 for each olive! Outrageous! Who does this? I will never go back and promised I'd share this story with as many people as possible. The decor is old, they've done nothing to update since the prior restaurant, Positano, left. If you're contemplating this place- walk past! Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else

Great service and really enjoyed the lunch salad. We enjoyed the Greek with grilled chicken salad!…read more Made a reservation on Resy and it was quite easy to check in. Indoor and outdoor seating. Beautiful interior restaurant. The portion was very reasonable and delicious.

I'll never not appreciate Julii!!! Located in this super cute standalone in Pike & Rose, it mixes…read moreFrench and Mediterranean cuisine! I usually grab takeout but am happy that my friend and me were able to dine in. Tip: reservations are highly suggested as the restaurant does fill up. I can't remember the name of the cocktails that we ordered, but they were both super cute and refreshing! For starters, we ordered Brussels sprouts, which were crispy and super flavorful. I ordered the Julii burger (medium well) and my friend ordered the steak frites. We shared our dishes, which was smart of us. The burger is always a 10/10 and the steak was good too! Our server was also very pleasant and helped us with our drink choices. The place was clean and the ambiance was perfect for a Tuesday evening meal.

Another great vendor from Solaire Social. My wife picked up an UberEats order next door to our…read moreapartment while my father was staying over which had a Lamb Kabab Sandwich, 2 Chicken Kabab Plates, and 2 Garlic Labnes. Everything was very delicious and we look forward to eating from here again.

Very disappointed with the quality…read more Ordered chicken platter. Chicken was all stale and very hard to eat. Rice was also half cooked. It was so bad that I had to make the complaint and eventually the guy refunded my money.

While visiting friends in Washington, DC, they took us to Sababa, and wow--what an incredible…read moreexperience. I can absolutely understand why it earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition. Sababa serves authentic Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine with amazing ingredients and bold, fresh flavors. The menu is designed for sharing, making it easy to try a little bit of everything. We started with several small plates, and they were all fantastic. The Israeli salad was crisp, fresh, and bursting with flavor. The roasted carrot salad was a table favorite, and the fried Brussels sprouts with cinnamon yogurt completely stole the show for me. The combination of flavors was unexpected but perfectly balanced. For my entrée, I had the lamb kebabs, and they were cooked to perfection. The steak kebab was another favorite at our table, and two of our friends shared the Jerusalem Mixed Grill, which was also excellent--especially the beef kofta. The portions are on the smaller side, but after sharing several appetizers, they felt just right. If you're extra hungry, the Mixed Grill could easily be enjoyed by one person. The service was phenomenal from beginning to end. We were warmly welcomed, checked on throughout the meal, and genuinely felt taken care of. One thing I especially appreciated was how clearly the menu labels vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. As someone who is gluten intolerant, I always notice and appreciate restaurants that make dining easier for everyone. This was easily one of my favorite meals during our trip. Every dish was thoughtful, flavorful, and beautifully executed. I would absolutely come back and highly recommend it to anyone visiting DC.

THIS IS A MUST WHEN IN D.C.!!! Food, service & ambiance…read moreAs soon as you walk in, you are immediately greeted by a kind host who Sababa doesn't just serve food! As a vegetarian. It delivers a masterclass in balance, pairing rich, savory options with bright, acidic quick-pickled vegetables and so many options. From the moment the warm pita hits the table alongside a vibrant array of dips (eggplant, labne with garlic, hummus, etc), you know you are in for an authentic culinary journey. The hummus is impossibly smooth, swirling with high-quality olive oil. Our server, Kristin, was sooo pleasant! Fast and efficient.

Wow, Oh Mama Grill sure has gotten an upgrade! Beautiful tiles, love the black-and-white, crisp,…read moreclean look, and new booths -- though I didn't try sitting in one yet, didn't think to as I was on a mission to get to all the Israeli restaurants around for and on Israel Independence Day, ha ha! (And yes! I succeeded!) The benches are a light, bright-looking wood. There are also regular tables for those who prefer that .... It's amazing how much spacious seating is packed into this little place! I wish the outside reflected the new, light beauty but I guess the treasure is only to be found by those who venture in .... As an Israeli-in-America, I appreciate the selection of Israeli drinks in the cooler, and of course the national snack of falafel! Some say they don't put fries in the pitas -- well, yeah! That's true! If you don't ask, you don't receive! I ask! I receive! I do sometimes find the sandwiches to be kind of messy, so I try to sometimes get less various salads and pickles and such so it's not completely overflowing -- because this place is GENEROUS! Of course, if you're not used to kosher food, you'll probably not understand that it does cost more because for one thing (out of many!), there has to always be an 'extra' person called a mashgiach (supervisor in Hebrew) who oversees everything to make sure it's all, well, kosher! Kosher meat is more expensive, too. And yeah, meat doesn't come with dairy! So that is not available. I heard someone asking if they had a cheeseburger and had to work to not crack up about it! I LOVE the grilled eggplant bits you can get put in -- they're special, not in the regular line up, right there at the end -- because not only do they add so much flavour and texture with so little bulk, but eggplant is one of those things I usually cannot eat because it hurts my oh-so-sensitive tongue, but this place makes it per-fect-ly, mmm ... ! So delicious! I enjoy both purple and green cabbage and carrots, but I don't like the flavour of the onions. That makes me sad, because I LOVE onions, but these ones have something on them that I don't like (looks like it's sumac -- which is ironic, because that's something that I normally love and use all the time!) and I end up picking out when I sometimes forget or get hopeful and just get them again anyway .... Actually, the onions are one of the few condiments here I do not like! The pickled beets are great -- and of course, great for your liver! They are cleansing, nutritious, and boost your Russian-ness, to boot! Or your Russian Jewishness, anyway .... I know that eating them makes my grandmother proud! The benefits of eating here are not and are also not like ones you can attain in just any regular restaurant, and it's here for people who want this kind of thing. It literally is a cornerstone, being on the corner and providing the things certain of us need -- Israeliness, Jewishness, kosherness, etc. It's too bad it suffers from bad reviews by people who don't understand or care. By the way, the work that goes into making all these salad items fresh every day is, let's just say, a LOT! I almost always get the falafel -- I used to get a platter, but it was too much for a meal so I switched back to the classic pita version and that's a perfect amount for me for a meal, plus I feel it's better for the environment because it comes packaged minimally in a little parchment paper rather than a recyclable aluminum plate with a non-recyclable aluminum-and-paper top. Truth be told, I could have trouble finishing writing this review because thinking of Oh Mama Grills' falafel is making me so hungry! I am really getting in the mood for some right now! Other things I eat from here regularly (and have for years): Israeli salad Moroccan (vegetarian) cigars Rice Other things I know are great by way of seeing the delight on my eating partner's face while consuming: Okay, I so I don't remember, but various meat things! Chicken, I think .... Things I don't love from Oh Mama Grill: Bean soup -- didn't have enough flavour for me .... Sabich. I dunno. Just didn't love it! It's hard to top falafel, in my opinion -- well, this falafel from this place, that is -- so I don't feel the need to explore the menu very much .... There aren't a whole lot of places (if any!) that offer such a variety of salads, pickles, and sauces! As an absolute pickle-lover who finds pickles and not just that but a variety of pickles a MUST for my diet, this place has it going on like no other! Update! Tried sitting on a bench at a booth! It's pretty hard, not super-comfortable, but doable -- however, a harder seat is better for your posture and health long-term! The falafel pita with toppings aplenty is so delicious, I am craving one right now ... and, in case you've ever tried some of the marinated types of vegetables here and found them too sour, I did too! Now, that is fixed. They are no longer so sour, and are therefore much more eminently edible! My eating partner agrees.

Since being sent into the office in Rockville I have driven past Oh Mama Grill every morning and…read moreafternoon and have thought about stopping for a visit. Well the day finally came when hubs was picking me up & we had time to kill before our evening plans. I had mentioned this place several times while driving past it & we decided to make a stop. It's basically a take out place with some fast food restaurant style booths. You place your order, you pay, and you wait for ur food to be prepped. Unfortunately this was a let down. His burger was sad, looked like someone had worked out their aggression on it. Seriously, I've never seen any burger & bun that flattened. It was my mistake, I was excited because of the description (it contained lamb) but wasn't anywhere close to the Greek burger we get in VA, I'm not sure it was even up the fast food level, although it was definitely in competition for flatness. My dish was composed a lot of very dry meat. I'm no longer considering a stop as I drive.