Good food and good service. Paula is an excellent wait person. Very relaxing outside.read more

Extremely friendly service and great ambiance. We were here on a Saturday night and they had a live…read moresaxophonist, who played throughout our entire meal and it was lovely. The food was delicious as well, we had several dips with bread to begin, both were on point, and then graduated to the grilled platter for two which also impressed. Will definitely be returning to this neighborhood gem!

Small plates middle eastern-fusion restaurant with a cool vibe and great food…read more Table, booth, and bar seating I came here with my fiancé and we split small plates of hummus, falafel, brussel sprouts, and a chicken skewer. The hummus and Brussel sprouts were the best, and the chicken was solid as well, but we didn't love the falafel. Solid selection of drinks. My fiance got a passionfruit cocktail but thought that it was too sweet for her taste On inKind!

We were only able to secure outdoor seating, and unfortunately the ambiance outside is not great…read more The patio was wet even though it wasn't raining that day of the day before. There is nothing pretty or appealing about seating outside. The buffet is inside the restaurant which also makes it a bit of an inconvenience. The restaurant inside is on the smaller side and feels a bit crowded near the buffet area. They had a lot of food selections which was great, however, we were disappointed that the taste of the food did not match the great presentation of each dish. Overall the dishes were bland, lacked flavor, and were too oily. Even the mashed potatoes were bland and not tasty. Nice selection of desserts too, but again, nothing exciting, juts a typical dessert buffet selection (brownies, cupcakes, chocolate fountain..). The standout were the baklavas. The highlight of our outing was the service. Everyone was very attentive and nice.

I really enjoyed the food, ambiance and cleanliness of Alara! My family had ordered humus spread,…read moreKofte with Iskender sauce, Roasted Califlower, Ground beef pide, Sheperd salad w/ salmon & chicken wrap. I loved everything on the menu but the humus spread and Sheperd salad were my favorites. The humus spread came with free, fresh warm bread and the salad added a refreshing bite to the yogurt dressings. The service was ok, our server didn't introduce himself or explain the menu which was odd as first time diners. It was confusing for my family and I to order as we didn't know if the dishes were designed to be shareable. In the end the service was a small blip on a great dining experience. They even gave my sister free baklava for her birthday.

Alara provided an amazing experience! I tried grape leaves for the first time and i fear these ones…read morewill be hard to live up to! The roasted cauliflower was out of this world. It was roasted to perfection and was mixed with the best spices. The yogurt dressing paired so well and provided an explosion of flavors. The mushroom hummus is one to live up to. The pitas were served warm and possibly the best bread i have ever had in my life. The Sunset in Instanbul was possibly one of the best champagne cocktails i have had. It was light and crisp. I highly recommend this restaurant! Service was subpar. They place wasn't very busy but it took the servers forever to take our drink orders, food orders, and bring the food out. Ambiance was so cool! Their decor was so beautiful. They played calming music. They have seats in front of their windows so you can people watch outside. Everything was clean!

Yum!! Food hits the spot and is a quick spot. It's a little pricey for what it is but it so good…read more Service is quick and attentive. Inside is like a diner.

Spectacular food! Very good portions and very tasty. I just came here a little after they opened…read moretoday. Appreciate that they were open on a holiday! Very convenient location. Spacious store. Menu is not very big, but they got all i wanted. Doner is what i look for. Found them from New York. Came here for a little rest and have food. Very prompt service. Thank you Faris.

Meze Restaurant was a pleasant surprise. I went during off hours, so it was pretty quiet, but the…read morefood was better than I expected. I had the chicken sis kebab, and it was really good. The service was also good, and overall it ended up being a nice experience.

We stopped in here in May while in town for a conference and we enjoyed our visit. We had a late…read morelunch that day, so just wanted a small nosh and a drink and this was perfect. The mojitos were flavorful and tasty and we really enjoyed our katmar dessert (a phyllo pastry filled dessert with pistachios, cream, and honey). I also had some raki, which was delicious and was a nice way to end the meal. Service was pretty good and we'd recommend stopping in here if you're in the area.

HISTORY OF PRESENT INDULGENCE: Couple presents with chief…read morecomplaint of needing a good lunch while hanging out in the area. Walked by storefront and decided Uyghur food sounded way better than Chipotle. PHYSICAL EXAM: Food - Two dishes sampled. The Chop Fried Noodles presented as noodles diced down to a fine, pastina-like consistency -- a preparation I had not previously encountered. Smaller than gnocchi bites. Crisp vegetables were well-integrated throughout, and the flavor profile was savory and deeply developed. Scooping more bites became borderline and compulsion. The Fried Lamb Shank was excellent. Properly fried with no excess gaminess, yet retaining full lamb character. The naan served beneath it functioned as an outstanding sponge for juice and flavor absorption, in addition to itself shining as a fragrant, comforting bread. The cuisine overall blends Middle Eastern and Chinese influences -- aromatics, warming spices, bold umami -- into something unique and hard to find outside of the few Uyghur restaurants that exist. Ambiance - Felt like a family-run establishment with a clear sense of identity -- comfortable, intentional, and built first for their own community. It was quiet during our visit at a weekday lunch hour, but the layout and menu size is conducive to large groups without issue. Easily missed storefront on a street most people are driving by to get in and out of the city. Service - Attentive. Hospitable. Friendly. ASSESSMENT: A highly functioning, underdiagnosed gem. Uyghur Eats delivers a cuisine that many diners don't have meaningful exposure to. Sampled dishes both possessed a balance of restaurant extravagance with homestyle feel. Both dishes were standouts. Broad menu requiring more frequent visits to truly taste it all. PLAN: 5 out of 5 highly recommend assessing Uyghur Eats for yourself. Follow up in 3 months - try other dishes at follow-up.

AMAZING! Kind people, great food, warm environment. The local authentic restaurant our neighborhood…read moreneeds! Yum

The food is very good and made fresh. If you are looking for a yummy beef or chicken doner, there…read moreis no better place. It's my go-to spot in DuPont Circle.

I tried the Iskender gyro platter at Capital Donar Shawarma, and it was a letdown. The dish…read morefeatured tough slices of roast beef instead of lamb, which felt off. The meat lacked flavor, making it a disappointing choice. Additionally, the staff seemed inattentive, which didn't enhance the experience. If you visit, and give it a shot ...stick to a classic gyro or doner sandwich instead.

Very casual place. Toilets pretty clean. ( soap was missing)…read more Food was good, it's good they make their own sauces as a professional way. Beef was soft and lamp wasn't smell! Falafel was as brown as a berry Service was not slow, it was ok. The guy who took our order, was helpful.

Had the chicken kabobs. The majority of the order was grocery store flat bread and factory sides.read more

absolutely amazing food, the owner is so kind, and the service was great! the restaurant is very…read moreclean and cozy, too. I will definitely return here!

This food is incredible - a must visit!! The ambience was amazing and the service was great.read more

July 2026: I recently went back to Namak to try their new Sunday brunch with a couple of friends…read moreand enjoyed it immensely. We were seated immediately and had outstanding service from start to finish. We all shared the pikilia (sampler of all five spreads), all of which were delicious with special kudos for the labne and the muhamarra. I got the Adana for my main dish, which was outstanding. The lamb was perfectly cooked and seasoned, the sumac onions provided delicious crunch and flavor, the rice was well-done, and the lavash was the perfect accompaniment for the lamb. I also got the Turkish coffee which was solid, and split the coffee cake with a friend. While the coffee cake was fine, it tasted more like a honey or spice cake instead of a coffee cake. I look forward to my next visit to Namak! July 2024: A great addition to the Adams Morgan dining scene! My friend and I recently went here for a weekend dinner and were seated immediately at our reservation time. It was extremely busy when we initially arrived; however, after an initial service snafu (which our server apologized for), we received outstanding service with our dishes coming out in a timely manner. Namak's ambiance is lovely, with blue-and-white tiling, lots of natural light, wood tables, and Greek, Turkish, and Persian decorations. Namak automatically includes a 20 percent service charge and clearly indicates this charge on their menu and receipt, which I appreciated. Namak also has plenty of vegetarian options. My friend and I split the four dishes listed below: Kuru Patlican Dolmasi: An OK dish with well-cooked rice but there was too much salt and there was minimal flavor other than the sauce (there needed to be more sauce). Ahtapot: A phenomenal dish, Michelin-star caliber in presentation and execution, and one of my five favorite dishes I have had at a restaurant this year. The octopus was prepared and grilled perfectly-the best octopus I have ever had. The carrot puree was aesthetically stunning and provided excellent sweetness and freshness, with the pickled onions adding acidity and crunch. The greens on top added further brightness and flavor to the dish. Finally, the blue tilework on the plate below capped off a beautiful array of colors for the dish. It is worth coming to Namak just for the Ahtapot-it was that good. Ispanakli Pide-Another delicious plate, with the pide excellently baked, the right amount of fresh spinach and dill, and the perfect amount of feta to complement the other ingredients. Roasted Cauliflower-While the cauliflower was perfectly cooked, it needed a bit less salt and far more tahini, za'atar, and pomegranate seeds. I would have paid $2-3 more for the dish to make it outstanding if there had been substantial tahini and pomegranate seeds at the bottom. My friend and I split the Anatolian cheesecake for dessert. While the sour cherry compote was delicious, I was disappointed that I couldn't taste the Turkish yogurt and Greek feta. I look forward to my next visit to Namak!

It's my fault for trying restaurants that serve food that isn't spicy and full of flavor. The…read moreingredients are fresh and the service is FANTASTIC. The food is so forgettable. The pita bread was the best thing in the meal. I think we got the muhammara spread. I can't remember. The zucchini fritters were dry, the spinach was cold, and the trout was bland. However, the decor is beautiful! The bar is very romantic! My favorite cuisines are West African, East African, Caribbean, Indian, and Thai, so take my review worth a grain of salt if you don't care for those cuisines.