Great food and wonderful service. If you're of fan of eating tapas style, you can do that here! And it's easy to please the vegetarians too. I'll try the chef's tasting menu next time. A solid recommendation if you're a Portlander wanting to try something new or if you're visiting from out of town. Cocktails are interesting at MEC. And I mean the good kind of interesting. Both Dr Vim and the Turkish Delight...were delightful! Bacon Wrapped Dates. Warm, two bites of happiness. Fried Anchovies. A must try, nicely salted plate of finger food! Beef Tartare. One of the best I've had. Loved the flavor profile. Hummus. Creamy and silky. If you are a fan of hummus, you need to try this! Delicata Squash. The brown butter yogurt made the dish. Broccolini. The fried chickpeas were the crunch that gives the "extra something" this kind of dish needs. Grilled Octopus. End portion of the tentacle was a bit chewier than I'd like, the rest was tender and creamy. Greek Potatoes. Complementary & comfort food at it's finest. read more

this was some of the best food I have ever had!!! so amazingly delicious. Highly recommend

Food was absolutely delicious & beautiful! Best hummus in town and service was fast & caring Thank you read more

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Food is always delicious and the service has been consistently excellent whether I was dining alone or with a group.

I absolutely love Shalom Y'all and there little sister Lil' Shalom. But this place is overpriced and ridiculous. I've eaten here pre-pandemic and the servers were snotty and entitled. Very strange energy and atmosphere. Now mid-pandemic, doordash is our preferred way to get dinner. The food is great so that's what keeps me giving it second and third tries. I have ordered the Fennel salad many times from Shalom Y'all and this time I got it from here. Same recipe since it's the same restauranteurs. But the size at this location is hilariously small.... what happened? It's not even one head of fennel shaved in this salad. someone took a spoonful and called it good. Really? Embarrassingly small. I know the pandemic has hit restaurants hard but if you're increasing your prices and cutting the portion into a fourth of the size it used to be, then, well... I'm out. Not a great way to get business back in thru the doors. 2 stars due to yummy food, but not worth the price for the size. read more

Mediterranean Exploration - ...did someone get hungry and eat part of it during delivery? Fennel Salad - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

MEC. Define delicious. Coming in with my mom without a reservation, no problem. Checking in with the host my mom and I showed out vaccine card and got seated almost immediately. Now I suggest making a reservation just in case. Started off with the radicchio salad and potatoes. The salad was so good I wish I had ordered 2! It is perfect for two people. The potatoes are vibrant in flavor and also enough for two people. Now getting to the boureka, that was delicious! That is a bit over priced in my book but had great flavor. That is enough for one person. The falafel was a bit dry but paired with tahini and some herb green sauce on the side was perfect. The hummus was my favorite thing with chirpy Brussel sprouts and pomegranate. The two combinations work wonders! Definitely order the hummus! Next time we will have to try to Lamb or Kafta kabob. Put this on your list if you're coming from out of town. Thanks again MEC. ;) read more

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One star -- amazing lamb/hummus appetizer. Hardly justified cost of $17.00 though for the portion you get. In addition, paid $34.00 for "entree" hanger steak that was tiny, tiny, tiny, appetizer sized dish. Mouse size potions, beware as your pocket book will feel the pain but you will leave hungry... ok, I will add a star because it's clean and hip and the service was great. (Should have returned the appetizer steak dish back to the kitchen). read more

One of my favorite middle eastern places! We had some of the ir vegetarian dishes the last time we visited, baba ganoush was really good, especially loved the mint garnishing, the mujaradaram which is lentil rice, the flavoring was perfect, made even better with the fried onions on the top, the falafel and pita was really good as well, not dry and oily at all and well seasoned. Please open a branch in Seattle! read more

Three different dishes, the amount of salt is ridiculous and the portions are tiny for the price.

We didn't have a reservation but were seated on a busy night within 10 minutes. Our food came out hot and delicious but the 2 entrees we ordered were wrong. Our waitress took them off the bill, treated us to free dessert. We were blown away by everything we tried and left life long patrons!! read more

Fennel salad was great, light, refreshing, crisp and just a hint of nice herby flavors, mm! Eggplant flavorful and delicious. Hummus and pita, seriously the softest, best tasting bread I have ever had and the hummus was so creamy and delish! Lamb chops, wow can't help being so repetitive but delicious! So flavorful and perfectly cooked! I think best lamb chops I have ever had! My husband thought the broccolini was the best he's ever had! Olive cake...yumeeeee! Wonderful flavors, different, so delicious! Mm...what a wonderful, amazing experience! read more

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In just a few visits Mediterranean Exploration Company has become my go-to happy hour spot in the Pearl if I'm looking for a place to eat, not just have a drink or two. Every time I've come, I've sat at the bar so I can't comment on the full dinner experience, but service from the bartenders and food runners has been spectacular each time and the food is well worth it. Let's get this out of the way: it's tapas. Yes, it's small plates for higher prices; yes, you'll probably have to spend more if you're looking to really stuff yourself; if you're expecting Olive Garden-sized portions, you're in the wrong place. Yes, the kitchen sends out dishes as they are prepared; if you would like your food in a particular order, you should probably clear that with your server so you don't then get upset that the dishes didn't come in the order you expected in your mind. Got it? Good. Now let's eat. The octopus here is some of the best I've ever had. Hands down. Grilled until heartbreakingly tender, no rubbery-ness to it at all, with a light smoky char and a clean olive oil and dill drizzle, it's out of this world. I order it every time. I even ordered it for a friend who had never eaten octopus before and she loved it. The smoked mackerel is delicious as well - salty, briny, slightly fishy, but melt-in-your-mouth tender and buttery. Meatballs are quite good, but nothing to write home about. The hummus is delightful - clean, fresh flavors, velvety smooth texture, and a deceptively generous portion. I do wish the happy hour wines and cocktails were a buck or two cheaper - it's happy hour, guys, come on! - and the drafts weren't 12oz pours (you're not getting a pint for $3, guys, sorry, I know) but the Gold Dinar and Turkish Delight are well worth it. I'm looking forward to returning for dinner - when I've a few more dinars of my own. read more

Exploring the flavors of Mediterranean Exploration Company in the Pearl District should be on any Yelp adventurer's list of ambitious and delicious. The restaurant is busy. There's a reason. Actually, there's a whole menu full of reasons including * Turkish Delight Cocktail Gives a whole new meaning to turkish delight * Breakside Brewery Toro Red Should always get a green light * "Usul" Hummus Not your usual hummus bi tahini * Greek Lamb Chops Will have you lickin' your chops * Grilled Octopus Had 8 tentacles; you get 1 * Fried Chicken Limping along 1 leg at a time * Fennel Salad Never been so gentle * Rose Water Panna Cotta Gotta alotta rose watta * Date Olive Oil Cake Perfect for your date on this date Mediterranean Exploration Company has been one of my favorite flavor finds in Portland. It's crazy loud with ambivalent service at so-so prices, but I totally can't wait to discover more of the fantastic food. read more

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When I leave my child with a babysitter to go out for a date night with husband, this is what I am hoping for, EVERYTIME. I am so glad I chose this for our 10th anniversary dinner. I was bummed that we didn't have a reservation and was not looking forward to wasting our precious time just waiting for a table. To my surprise, we were seated right away and on a saturday night! Granted that it was bar-side seating, which I generally always decline, but this actually was very comfortable and provided for easy cuddling ;) We ordered shalosh, broccolini, chicken kebab souvlaki and the Israeli meatballs. Everything tasted heavenly, except broccolini which I wasn't in love with (although I could see what they were going for). Their menu had a lot of similarities to Toro Bravo, their sister restaurant, but MEC was clearly the winner for me. The service was great, the ambience was spot on... oh yeah, and their moroccan mint iced tea was so refreshing! Can't wait to come back with a bigger group to try more delicious goodness. See you soon! read more

Everything we ordered here was exceptional with a great variety of flavors. The service was great too. Highly recommended!

Overpriced. Basically a tapas restaurant but doesn't claim that and the prices did not reflect a tapas plate. Food looked great and tasty but most plates were flavorless. We came here per Yelp reviews and photos. But, we were very disappointed with the outcome. We ordered the octopus: it was very very tender but had no taste or flavor. The hanger steak was great and tender but not worth $21 The brick oven chicken with arugula was by far the best--but, again, overpriced. I guess we've been pretty spoiled with the many options in the Bay Area of California along with San Diego and Kauai. So, forgive us because we are comparing this restaurant to the top tapas restaurants like: Sabio Tapas in Pleasanton, Zuzu in Napa, Costa Brava in San Diego, AMA and Bar Acuda in Kauai... Sorry...you're overrated and overpriced. We'll never be back. read more

Love the food and service. Not a place for privacy as the tables are close together but the food is outstanding !

Great vibe, strong cocktails, but HOW are you gonna charge $13 for a SINGLE PIECE of octopus on your HAPPY HOUR MENU?!?I ran into the MEC with about 5 minutes left on the happy hour. I really wanted to check the spot out, but wasn't super hungry so I just wanted a snack and a drink. I ordered the Turkish Delight cocktail: Sobieski vodka, ceylon tea, lemon, Reagan's orange bitters, and orange blossom water. Great drink! Not very sweet, refreshing, and strong. I also ordered the octopus from the HH menu; it didn't have much description but I like octopus and it seemed popular so what could go wrong? So I was rather dismayed when I was presented with a SINGLE (albeit large) octopus tentacle. What. It was cooked and seasoned nicely, but really? I would happily pay $8 for that, even as much as $10 (pushing it)! But $13?!? I was slightly bitter. So this is a spot I will have to revisit, when I have more time and more appetite. Both the cocktail and octopus were tasty but the value is questionable. read more

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Although the people I came with were vegetarians who do not eat much, the couple things we ordered were all good. The place itself had a nice atmosphere and was packed. We walked in and they didn't have any seats, so we agreed to come back after an hour and a half and stopped to get wine and cheese bar to hold me over. I got the steak souvlaki and it was really good. It was cooked well, and seasoned well, and the sauce was great. Make a reservation ahead of time and you won't be disappointed. read more

Mediterranean Exploration - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I had been wanting to try MEC for quite awhile, so when out-of-town friends asked us to pick a restaurant for dinner, I jumped on it. We arrived at 8 pm and we're seated by 8:30, which was impressive. Our server was also on top of his game. My complaint lies in the fact that each dish was quite salty in its own right, and the aggregate of the dishes was so overly salty that it was a struggle for the palate. And that's coming from someone who likes to salt their food! The best dishes were the baked eggplant stuffed with lamb, the lamb pot pie, lamb chops, and the falafel. Each had a nice blend of flavors. I will definitely give MEC another try and hope that they get a grasp on the salt content of their individual dishes. read more

REALLY good. Went there a couple of times for team dinners and had a great time! Might be a wait sometimes, but worth it! Labneh, cauliflower, felafels - all great stuff. Even the not-so-virgin high tea is pretty innovative - overall, loved it. read more

Great Greek food! I guess the locals call it MEC... Randomly came here based on a friends recommendation while I was in town for work. It was a great experience. I did not have a reservation, however there were a few spaces at the bar so I ate at the bar. Cool vibe when you walk in. Wood tables and a white industrial ceiling. The lighting was low and gave off a warm and cozy vibe. We did not really know what to order so we told the bartender to just give us a mix of different items family style. You can do a lot of small dishes here and try a bunch of stuff. This is what I had. - Hummus and Pita w/ tahini, egg, & onion - Great flavor in the humus and the pita was fantastic. Well done. - Falafel w/ s'hug, pickles, & tahini - This was a great dish. A must have. The flavor of the dipping sauce and Falafel together was amazing. - Bacon Wrapped Dates - These were typical bacon wrapped dates. They put an almond inside that gave it an interesting flavor combo. Good stuff, but pretty typical for this dish. - Octopus w/ piquillo pepper and dill - I was really excited for this dish, however it was pleasantly marginal. I was hoping for something a little better. It was good, but not great. The dill gave it an interesting taste. - Scallops w/ agresto, leeks, & bread crumbs - Deliciousness. Great dish. I would recommend this if you like Scallops. Perfectly cooked too. - Artichoke - There was nothing too special about the artichoke. I would pass on this. - Skirt Steak Souvlaki w/ marinated onions and tzatziki - Perfect flavor on this Skirt Steak. I loved the taste. I would recommend this, but if you only want one red meat, then go with the Lamb Chops. - Greek Lamb Chops - oregano, garlic, & lemon - This was one of the best lamb chops I have had in a long time. We finished off with this dish and it was great. Perfect temp too. read more

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We started with Bacon Wrapped Dates--yum!!! Then we had Fennel Salad--the fennel was thinly sliced with a light olive oil vinaigrette dressing and candid pecans--nice and light. Then we had Lebanese Stuffed Eggplant--my partner said it reminded him of food he had in Greece in santorini and then loved it!!! Then we had Grilled Octopus that was was cooked perfectly and wasn't rubbery - lightly drizzled with olive oil and paprika. This meal has been perfect for the Solstice which is just 2 days away. Probably our best meal in Portland--so far. A little pricey but worth it. read more

Bravo John Gorham. you are a boss-man with your restaurant empire in portland, oregon. a few weekends past, my husband and I enjoyed a much needed celebratory dress-up date night -a night outside of our little beer and casual attire friendly neighborhood. we decided on and evening at Mediterranean Exploration Company where the ambiance is like a busy New York style restaurant. everyone is little dressed up, the lighting is dimly lit, servers are swiftly bringing hot plates from the busy kitchen to our table, and the never ending sound of shaken cocktails and pours mix into the sounds of the kitchen. We decided on the tasting menu via a suggestion of a very happy friend. for $40 a person, it didn't seem like that price was over the top -considering what other restaurants are charging. Once our food started to came out -as it was ready and family style like their other restaurants- we were amazed at how much we received, we were absolutely stuffed. since we were unsure what items we would receive on the tasting menu I asked our server if she knew what dishes we would receive that night, she let us know that it's never a set menu for the evening. I let her know I was curious about those that contained diary. a few moments later she came back with a menu marked stating which had dairy and which items exactly. I was more than impressed. that was a life saver. as our dishes came out and the names were given it was great to have a handy reference available to us, I was able to eat what I could and pass on others without too much of a fit or asking each runner what was contained in each item. over all we would up with about 7-9 dishes, and surprisingly we received some of the heartier dishes like octopus, lamb chops, and scallops, we were super impressed with going for the tasting menu that evening. every thing was stellar and so was our server for making life so much easier for us! read more

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Great happy hour menu. Delicious cocktails. Had the falafel sandwich which was super filling and had piquant eggplant included. Great bartenders and nice Pearl vibe. The castelverano olives, warmed, were soft and flavorful. Come early for a seat. Thurs. nite was pretty packed at 5ish. Super attentive. read more

Mediterranean Exploration - Potatoes, bread plate, olives - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I really like Mediterranean Exploration Company and the quality of food they provide. It's consistently good each time I've gone. The menu changes frequently enough and is large enough that I can generally order some favorites and new items each time I visit. Most of the menu is a highlight, so I won't list off must haves, but I would recommend trying a variety, especially if you are in a group. The menu is sharable and honestly, some of the items are very filling if they were eaten alone. The tasting menu is a good option if you don't have the chance to return again. The bar and drink menu is quite good and if the wait is long, they can tab your drinks while you wait in the lobby area or out on the patio. Hopefully the weather isn't raining! read more

Excellent restaurant and great service! We recently had dinner here and loved the food. I had delicious lamb chops and hummus. The pita is fabulous and the cocktails are amazing (and well priced! The entire menu is tantalizing and enjoyed gazing at the dishes. The atmosphere is very cool and buzzing! Highly recommend! read more

Another winner from the people who brought you Toro Bravo, Tasty & Sons and Tasty and Alder. We tried several dishes, as always. Lamb chops- excellent. "Jewish fish stew" was not really a stew, but a piece of white fish with a very flavorful sauce in which it was cooked. I'll comment on just one more: the grilled octopus. Now, the grilled octopus might be better than marriage counseling. You see, my wife and I, generally, see eye-to-eye on most things. One of our big disagreements over the years has been on calamari or octopus. She liked it, but I never liked it, too much. Yeah, if it was cooked in enough grease, I could choke down calamari with some beer. Well, the grilled octopus was delicious. A real piece of "meat" spiced just right - and healthful. read more

Mediterranean Exploration - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Wow - a really enthusiastic wow. MEC is the kind of place that Portlander's are bound to be talking about in the coming year. Yeah, its understated in the slam packed Pearl District and is an easy place to overlook if you're walking around (NB: we went to BlueHour first thinking it was MEC) - but it truly deserves an evening out and a tapas style meal. We had a very eclectic and enjoyable meal at the "chef's bar." The service was very friendly and super knowledgeable. The proteins were all super well flavored. And, finally - the salads were some of the best we have had in recent memory. I especially liked the frisee salad. What made the meal particularly enjoyable (and marked a return invite on my wife's part) was the fact that we walked into the place on a busy Friday night without a reservation and the host didn't balk. In fact, she graciously said that we "arrived at the perfect time" and even offered us our choice of seating. That's the sign of a well run front house. Match the reception experience with the selections from the kitchen - and we'll be making the Mediterranean Exploration Company a place on our "go to" list. read more

This was a great place to have dinner. The place was packed, but I was lucky enough to find a seat at the end of a communal table in the bar. Great service and fantastic Mediterranean food! And nice Oregon amber beer. read more

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One of my favorite Mediterranean restaurants in Portland. Excellent food. Excellent service. Great vibe and location. The only one downside is the portion sizes (very small) for the price. But it definitely one I would recommend you try at least once. read more

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I usually love this restaurant the food is extremely yummy but sadly I got food poisoning from takeout last night and have been extremely sick. Again, love this food but I had a bad bad experience last night. read more

What a wonderful experience! From the moment we walked into the door we were excited about dinner and nothing disappointed! We had a party of 8 so we basically order almost everything from the menu. Let me tell you, there wasn't a single thing placed on the table that we didn't enjoy...we even ordered seconds of a few things. My personal faves: the eggplant dip, the falafel, shawarma roasted cauliflower, grilled octopus, mujadara. I don't eat meat but the people who do raved about the lamb chops and chicken meatballs. We had a few more things that I cannot remember. The point is, you cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. *thought about reducing the review half of a star since the waiter cut me out of the group picture he took for our table...like, there was no way he couldn't have noticed that he positioned the camera without me being in the photo since I was at the front of the table. I decided to laugh about it. read more

This place is seriously so damn good. You can literally order anything on the menu and leave with a smile. It's owned by the same folks from Tasty & Alder. If you're a foodie you should deff check it out. Recommend: Calamari, Hummus with Fresh Pita, Lamb Ribs, radicchio salad, mint tea Order anything you want though, you will be happy with any dish. Fresh & Hot & Tasty. Worth the experience. 5*+ read more

Mediterranean Exploration - Lamb chops - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Came here two weeks ago on a whim and I was surprised we could get reservations, since it opened less than a month ago. Besides the cocktails (i could not taste the tea in my tea lemon cocktail), everything was wonderful. Definitely get the "El Baboor" Lamb Kebab Pie-- juicy pieces of lamb and vegetables with manoushi-like bread baked around the dish--very inviting and definitely comfort food. I also loved the charred eggplant with lamb. It was executed well and pretty balance. The tartare was good and I thought it was interesting they substituted the standard raw egg for healthier yogurt. The space is spacious and has ample seating for large parties. The menu was a bit intimidating with all the choices, but I definitely will be back to try some more. read more

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I brought my parents to dinner for their anniversary dinner, and everything was perfect. The waitress was so nice and made us feel well taken care of. The food was thoughtful, fresh, and balanced. So delicious, I would highly recommend this spot! read more

Awesome dinner! Everything tasted so fresh and delicious! The menu was full of creative options! We had so many items, its hard to recall them all. We started with pita bread, hot from the oven. Quickly followed by a trio of spreads - one with carrot, another with eggplant and olive, and my favorite was made with beets. So delicious! Grilled lamb chops, fennel salad with candied pecans, a chopped salad of radish, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and mint, and grilled eggplant stuffed with ground lamb and feta. Our server was quite delightful and if we were in Louisiana, I would've stolen her (or at least tried) to come and work for me! She was personable, friendly and knowledgeable. I also had a wonderfully tasty cocktail and found their cocktail menu quite interesting. If I were visiting longer, it would've been fun to get through the whole list! The decor was sleek but comfortable. Clean lines, lots of natural light. It was a bit loud but thats likely due to the concrete flooring and open concept kitchen; However, I enjoy a lively atmosphere and didnt mind the noise. The lack of one star is solely for wine selection. I'm a white wine drinker and what I had was delicious. A great, oakey chardonnay full of flavor. The reds were lacking, if looking for something full bodied or bold. There were no cabs on the menu and the two wines my cousins tried were interesting but not at all the flavors they desired. Add some cabs, y'all and get that 5th star! I hope to return when I visit Portland again next year! Great job! read more

Mediterranean Exploration - Eggplant with ground lamb and feta! - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Oregon

i was so very happy that we were able to get a last minute RSVP. I was euphoric that we were going to be eating delicious food from the same owner as Toro Bravo without the extremely painful wait. Yahoo! I have to say it was a pretty awesome dining experience. I didnt think it could be more amazing than Toro Bravo but it was. Wonderful and attentive service. All the tapas were fantastic and they reminded me of Harvest Vine in SEA. We loved the grilled octopus that was drenched in olive oil. The lamb meatballs were absolutely delicious and not too gamey. The rotisserie chicken was incredibly moist and seasoned to perfection. The duck confit was the star of the evening. You will be transported to Paris and back. Tender meat, sweet and savory simultaneously. A good place to go with a larger group so you can try more dishes. read more

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REALLY long wait if you get there late. It's because they don't take reservations. This is pretty annoying. We got there at 530 on a Saturday and waited almost an hour. 2 times we've gotten there at 7 and we're told 2 hours. No meal is worth that. The food is really quite good, if a bit foofy and expensive. Most of what they do can be had at one on the myriad of portland's Lebanese, and other Mediterranean restaurants. Bringing it all together is what they do well. We had lamb kebab, falafels, grilled broccolini, Greek potatoes, and uvetsi. All of which I recommend. Their cocktails are complex and some are fairly involved. I enjoyed sitting at the bar. I will be back if I can get there by 530, but never any later. My time is worth something to me. An update: arriving by 445 Mp on a Sunday is the way to go. We got tanked on some excellent cocktails (I recommend the Bad Bijou) and had an excellent dinner. The Kanafe dessert was wonderful. It's made of noodles made from phyllo dough, and flavored with some wonderful aromatics like rose water. Totally loved it. read more

Mediterranean Exploration Company officially goes neck and neck with Lechon for our favorite "fancier" dinner experience in Portland. This place is bustling most days of the week, so be sure to make a reservation if your party is large or you don't want to wait for a table (you have to call and speak with someone to make a reservation; it cannot be done online). We have been here twice for dinner and both times got seated in a very busy restaurant right away (with reservations). The wait staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and are quick to offer helpful suggestions based on your preferences. The menu is expansive, so don't expect to hit all your must-tries in one visit! The bacon wrapped dates are a small, easy addition to any meal and super tasty! As for starters, the beef tartare and labneh top our list of favorites. For entrees (which are still served family style by the way), the Youvetsi was out of this world and perfectly seasoned - not to mention far bigger than we expected it to be! As has been said on countless reviews, the lamb chops are perfect here - our only recommendation to future folks is consider getting the half order instead of the full so that you can check out some of the many other amazing menu items (unless you're a larger party of four or more, in which case stick with the full order). We have still been too full to try the El Baboor...next time! You can't go wrong with dessert here - the chocolate baklava is a standout to me, though the olive cake is on my list for next time. Drinks are super tasty here (the constant Gardener is very refreshing, but the oldest lemon takes the cake!) too and highly recommended. All in all - this is a great special occasion restaurant and has the perk of taking reservations that is not a given for many Portland spots. Definitely will return. read more

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