Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Everything was made fresh so it…read morewas about 15-minute wait but that's ok, I took the opportunity to look around the market. I picked up a few things. We got a medium Falafel sandwich and a Shawarma sandwich. Wow. Delicious. I actually may have liked the Falafel just slightly better but both were excellent. I also got an extra garlic sauce on the side... just love. Until next time.

I feel like I found a favorite near us. It's not one of those places where I would travel to, but…read moreif you're relatively close to Urbana, it's worth a stop. It's a small mart that specializes in middle eastern Mediterranean cuisine and ingredients. They place does not have seating inside, but plenty of seating outside. So plan on either take out or picnicking. They make the food right as you order so things are fresh. The part I really liked about this place was that the sauces were not overly salted - to increase shelf life - and the amount of oil/butter was not overly used to try to mask the ingredients. It's more on the "let the ingredients speak for itself" which I really dig. In the end, you don't feel heavy after the meal and you feel like you had a hearty and healthy meal. My favorite was the lamb shawarma. He toasts the outside pita and it gives it a nice crunch. The lamb is fresher than other places and he doesn't over season it to hide the lamb smell. Other places - if you notice - tends to use cumin a lot of mask the lamb smell. Not here though. The falafel sandwich was okay. It was colder than the lamb shawarma. But the falafels were made right there in front of you. I got the sujuk sandwich too (which is a type of sausage). It was a breakfast burrito basically. Our order took 20 mins to make and he makes it right when you order. So be prepared to stay there and peruse around. Some ingredients there were interesting. The one thing that caught my eye was a bottle of pomegranate molasses. He sells it close to 50% what Harris Teeter would charge and he has various brands of pomegranate molasses. I use pomegranate molasses to make grenadine for cocktails. Also has orange blossom and rose water (also both used for cocktails) I like this place and the guy is nice and sweet.

Without a doubt 5 stars!…read more It's been some time. Customer service remains top notch! Gentleman (owner I think) who added the toppings has and continues to be super nice and helpful, in suggesting toppings and sauces to best compliment the lamb kabob. Generous portions. Baklava w/cashews was the perfect finish.

Food was fresh, flavorful and cooked to order, quickly. I wasn't familiar with all the toppings and…read moresauces so the staff took the time out to explain them without making me feel bad. Portions are amazing for the price and there is plenty of seating. Definitely going back!

The Cedars of Lebanon is an easily-overlooked cafe right on the corner of the Old Greenbelt…read moreShopping Center which is a lovely hidden gem. I spent every summer in this town, growing up, and I never discovered this restaurant until a precious friend brought me here a few years ago. It's a dated, though efficient, and charming, cafe with fresh dishes you might love. Firstly, if you plan on having lunch here on a Monday, make sure you are able to finish by 2:45 since they close by 3pm. All other days, they are open past 8pm. We started with the sweet potato soup despite the fact that the reviews for the lentil soup here are the highest. Yes! If it's featured: get it! The turmeric and coconut milk make this soup delightful. The herbs made it so fresh and there was just the right amount of sweetness and gentle heat. Parsley really adds to this recipe and I'm not usually a fan of this herb. The pitas are soft, thin and light. Love them. We needed to order more. I've never had such paper-thin pitas. Yum! I love love love the hummus, here. It is nothing short of divine. The flavors are fabulous and deeply complex. You can really taste the tahini. The olive oil is mild and delicious. I exclaimed, "the hummus was the best ever." And then 5 minutes later, I read a review by Yelper James H. where he says it's the best ever and, "... this hummus at Cedars of Lebanon might have ruined all other hummus for me forever." While I've had similar swooning feelings over the hummus at Lebanese Taverna in Tyson's Corner, this hummus is at least a top contender if not the metro DC area's hummus winner. The cucumber mint yogurt salad is nice, cold and refreshing. You can really taste the mint. I would order this yogurt salad with every meal. The falafel pizza is unusual and fresh. Straight away-- you can taste the tahini, parsley and couscous. The dough is grainy and natural. And there are radishes on this falafel pizza: not overpowering. For the $9 or so pricepoint, this dish is a true labor of love. To prep all of these vegetables, even with food processors, must take time. How novel of a dish! Put the yogurt salad on this pizza. You will thank me. And I only did it because I was watching someone else slather it on. There were at least 12 desserts on the menu. Meow. If we weren't so full of pita, hummus, tahini and fresh veggies, we certainly would love to taste a few of these. As well as the Turkish coffee, with an authentic ceramic and metal carafé presentation.

Pretty easy, breezy no-frills restaurant…read more We stopped by Cedars of Lebanon, because it was one of the few places that had outdoor seating and was not full. The restaurant has a small outdoor dining area with three four-seater tables, which was find for our two dogs. The experience overall was pretty low key, which necessarily is not a bad thing. Although there is waiter/waitress service, you will have to order your food at the cashier's counter. Actually, maybe that's only a thing if you are dining outside. The menu has a nice mix of Middle Eastern dishes. I went with a beef (or maybe it was lamb) kabob plate. The portions were fine and my meal was pretty good. It was not out of this world amazing, but it got the job done. I thought that the prices were pretty good for the area and the amount of food received. Although the food was fine, I do not think that I would go out of my way (e.g., driving more than 30 minutes) to dine here. Just be aware that the restaurant does not serve alcoholic beverages.

Beautiful food presentation with delicious food, service was spectacular, the setting or ambience…read morewas perfect! I ordered the deconstructed calamari tacos, and wow! Just wow! I also ordered a side salad and it was beautiful and the ranch dressing was so yummy! You might think it's a Greek restaurant but it's actually an international or Mediterranean restaurant. There really isn't anything like this in Superior. And if you go to a place like this in Duluth, you're going to pay twice as much! And the taxes are a lot higher than our 5.5% and don't have extra tipping going on the receipts. Also, you wouldn't get free parking!

Centrally located, this place has a small, relatively intimate vibe where you can hear a…read moreconversation. The menu is designated as New American, but also includes a fair number of Greek style items. I found it limiting and would have preferred more on the produce side. I ended up with a pappardelle with mushrooms. I found the mushrooms quite ample, but something in the cheese sauce, whether salt or otherwise, left me feeling a bit spazzy and charged up afterward. I find this a common problem, but they impose limitations on splitting checks due to fees on their end, which is less than ideal (but perhaps not this restaurant's fault). As a meeting location, it worked, but even if I construe comparators fairly narrowly, I've had better Mediterranean fusion cuisine at upscale downtown restaurants, and I would have liked to see a menu with more vegetarian protein.

I was in Washington D.C. for the weekend and tried this amazing Mediterranean place for lunch. My…read morefriend who recommended this place has been obsessed with the food here and I can totally see why. We ordered mushroom kapnista, Halloumi pide, zaatar pide, htipiti and everything was so delicious. I'm not sure if I enjoyed the combination of dates and mushrooms together but really loved the smoky mushroom by itself. I was also very impressed with the Zaatar pide, it was cheesy and delicious. For desert we ordered greek yogurt with apricot and it was probably the best thing we tried here. The ambience is classy and they have ample of seating space. The overall meal didn't cost us as much as I thought it was, the prices were fairly reasonable!

I went with a friend to try the restaurant week lunch menu…read more The good: I loved the flavor of the shrimp for the third course, the scallops (non restaurant week dish) , the falafel, and the garlic sauce from the chicken dish of the third course. The restaurant is pretty and spacious. The bad: Most of the dishes unfortunately were pretty bland. The chilli oil did nothing for the hummus, the chicken with orzo (?) lacked salt, and the cake was extremely small with little flavor as well. Regarding service: they were kind, but it was a long while before we received bread and had to flag someone down. The lack of flavors and minuscule portions are what prevents me from returning

We are Cava-sseurs and visit them frequently as we travel for sports meets all over the nation…read more Of all we've been to this one was sub par. The staff hurried everyone and spoke to each other instead of serving the customer. The food was quickly tossed in the bowl instead of being served carefully. In the end they even forgot to ask about sauces. While it was after 8 pm the same courtesy should be extended from morning til night.

Oooooooo they finally added SALMON to their menu!…read more Was sad to see my SWEET POTATOS go but welcomed salmon with open arms. Tried it on a delicious pita and it was so yummy! The other ingredients are always fresh...I hope the salmon is here to stay!!! Fingers Crossed!! Happy Yelping!

Delicious! I ordered a full size mezeh classic bowl w/no chicken and the falafel junior bowl for…read morelunch the following and it still tasted so good. The flavors were good and the combination of ingredients that the menu bowls offered were perfect! The staff was nice, the atmosphere was peaceful and the venue was clean.

This place is a complete joke not saying that people need buffet size portions, but you're feeding…read moreadults and you portion the food as if you have a ration you're not weighing the food you gave me the saddest excuse for a salad I've ever seen. It looked like a complete afterthought, five leaves of lettuce and barely any protein and when I physically come to the location, the manager on duty throws a little more lettuce on top and five chickpeas, complete joke will never order from here again.

Lots to enjoy here…read more Food is excellent and for tapas style the portion sizes lean in the large direction. Prices are very reasonable for DC and the quality. Loved the kefta lamb skewer. Perfectly cooked and seasoned. The piquillo tahini and sumac onions added more flavor punch. The hummus was exceptional. Strong tasty chickpea and garlic flavors balanced by lemon and dill. The pickled turnips presented in a flow shape was a nice touch. Service was excellent. Reservations via Open Table.

Gypsy Kitchen was another great stop. It's Spanish tapas-style, and everything we ordered was so…read moreflavorful. We shared the tabbouleh, beef kabob, octopus, and croquettes, and everything was on point. Special mention to the chocolate raspberry espresso martini because it was amazing -- I genuinely wish I could've had ten of them. We finished with the olive oil cake for dessert, which was also delicious. Our waitress was awesome too. Such a fun meal overall.

I love this place. What a treasure amazing service every time.. the food is extraordinary the sea…read morebass is so crazy good. Hummus is extraordinary. Innovative cocktails.. many great rice options. The SOLTANI kebab I think that's what it's called is really great too I've been here three times and it never disappoints.

We had a wonderful dinner at Rumi's Kitchen in DC. The restaurant has a beautiful, warm and upscale…read moreatmosphere, but the food was definitely the highlight. We ordered several dishes to share, which was a great way to experience different Persian flavors. The Falafel was crispy on the outside and came with hummus, tabbouleh, pickled beets and vegetables, making it a really flavorful starter. The fresh herbs, feta, radishes and walnuts served with the bread were also such a nice touch and a great way to start the meal. The Hummus with meat was rich and creamy and one of the standouts of the meal. We also tried the Roasted Cauliflower & Shallot Torshi, which had a nice char and plenty of flavor. For our main, the Chicken Kebab was incredibly tender and juicy with a beautiful saffron flavor, and the fluffy saffron basmati rice paired perfectly with it. We finished with the baklava and ice cream, which was such a good ending to the meal -- crispy, nutty and sweet, with the creamy ice cream balancing everything out. Overall, we really enjoyed the variety of flavors and the experience of sharing everything at the table. The food felt comforting but also special, and the portions were generous. Definitely one of the memorable meals we had in DC, and I'd happily come back!