Rumi's Kitchen DC was an absolute standout and one of my favorite meals in DC. The flavors were…read moreoutstanding, and what impressed me most was how beautifully they let the meat shine without overwhelming it with spices or sauces. Even the vegetarians in our group were raving about the food. We ordered the lamb merguez, mushroom hummus, eggplant appetizer, and a family-style spread of soltani kebab, lamb kebab, and chicken barg. Everything was packed with flavor and beautifully prepared. The portions are HUGE, so definitely plan to share. I also loved the fresh sabzi served with pita--it was such a simple but delicious addition. The mocktails were excellent as well and paired beautifully with the food. Service was outstanding. We were a large group, and the team took excellent care of us with quick, attentive, and friendly service throughout. The ambience is fantastic, with a rustic, warm vibe that makes the restaurant feel both lively and inviting. Between the incredible food, generous portions, and excellent service, Rumi's Kitchen is an easy recommendation and a place I'd happily return to.

When my wife and I lived in Atlanta, Rumi's first location in Sandy Springs represented our…read morefavorite restaurant in the metro area. It has since expanded into other markets. A recent visit to DC with some dear friends provided the perfect opportunity to check out their branch here and assess how it compares to the original. Happily, I found the food here essentially equivalent to what I sampled at the Atlanta locations, that is, excellent. We started with the sabzi and bread service, which pairs Rumi's excellent and freshly baked Persian style naan with fresh herbs and feta cheese, which makes for a light and refreshing start to the meal. Our appetizers comprised the lamb hummus, the fatoush salad, kashk-bademjan eggplant dip, and the duo of yogurts. All were great, with the classic, creamy eggplant and the tangy, cooling yogurt duo standing out for me personally. We ordered three entrees, including the lamb kebab, beef soltani combination, and the duck fesenjan stew. All the kebabs possessed a juicy texture, great seasoning, and had an excellent cook. The duck had a tangy sweet flavor profile that may not be for everyone but was nonetheless satisfying with rice. Speaking of the rices, the fluffy grains complimented all of our dishes well and we particularly enjoyed the dill-fava bean as well as the lentil-raisin renditions. Do note that portions here are generous, and splitting entrees is suggested especially if you opt for a decent number of appetizers as we did. Special mention should be made of the cocktails at Rumi's. While I personally did not have a mixed drink, my friends all raved about the flavor profiles of their libations and found them refreshing and balanced relative to others we had in the city. Service here meets the high standard I experienced at the Atlanta locations, and our waitress was helpful and attentive. The space itself is bright and strikes a great balance between rustic Persian accents and more modern, swanky touches. Overall, Rumi's offers a well rounded Persian dining experience with great food, drinks, service, and ambiance which is hard to beat. It's well worth a visit for any fan of Middle Eastern flavors, and my wife and I are already planning our next meal here.

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.

Needed a quick bite in the area and came here. Located in a bustling area with plenty to see and…read moredo. Small shop with indoor and outdoor seating. Quick service and okay food. I asked the cashier I'll have the most popular, best item and also asked which meat is better and more flavorful. Per their recommendation, I got the Beef Döner Sandwich. The meat was dry and lacked seasoning. I wasn't impressed by the toppings and it had very little sauce and average bread you could get at a store. Their fries were also generic, lacking flavor, and subpar. It did the job since I needed food in my system, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. There are better places in the DMV area for this or similar types of food.

I get it. I get the hype. I get the inclusion in the Michelin guide. The line, the close the door…read morepolicy, the area where parties packed like little sausages waiting for a table, or their order to be called, it was all worth it. If I'm honest, they had me at French techniques and middle eastern flavors but it helped that a friend's friend recommended Yellow, and the Union area in general. To be honest, I almost skipped it entirely after seeing the line, but I'm glad I stuck it out. Although I couldn't make out the menu until my time to order I was proud of what I ended up with- the halawa honey, a smooth balanced coffee for the coffee lover seeking a sweet treat, and the smoked amba chicken pita. I now feel inclined to go back and try everything on the menu. From this brief introduction alone, I feel Confident that anyone who bear the line will be rewarded.

Saw this restaurant pop up on "Somebody Feed Phil" so I had to check them out since we were close…read moreto a location. Since it was later in the day, they were out of some of their baked goods items. So we grabbed the bbq lamb shoulder wood-fired pita sandwich and shatta batata tots to share. The sandwich was big in size, so you can easily share it. My daughter and I shared it and we both liked how filling it was and the ingredients were fresh. The lamb was super tender and the combination of flavors were amazing. The tots were also seasoned well. It also came with a tasty creamy dipping sauce. I did wished they were cut in layers like a hasselback potato like I saw on the show. I thing texturally it would have been more interesting than the current tots which had chunky pieces of potato in squares. For the drinks my sister got the coconut cardamom and I got the peanut dalgona. The peanut dalgona drink is the drink to get. I loved the flavor profile and the creamy topping. The place was busy. At the end of the day reservations aren't required. It's sit where ever available. Overall we had a great time. We would come back again.

Good kabobs. Can get busy at lunchtime, but worth it. Enjoy the nice tribal and city rugs on the…read morewalls while you wait. Quite pretty.

Always a hit, I normally get the lamb, bc it's very ladleful, however getting the combo is always a…read moregood choice to have as well.my only complaint, is it can be a little slow to get the food out, especially when you have several people in a group, but overall, the flavor, and amount of food is great. And the Naan they provide is ginormous and always hot and fresh. Also a little on the pricey end, but what isn't these days to be honest.

best karahi i have in my life! awesome food!…read morevery authentic! open 24 hours.. very busy and noisy..

Bomb asf! Get the chicken. Boneless bc why do we want bone in this ain't wingstop? Get extra green…read moresauce trust me. Get the onions and jalapeños too trust me too.

This is my go to takeout spot for lunch when I'm in the office. The food is great, price is…read morereasonable and delivery is always on time. We also cater for work from here on occasion and they have great options for catering!

Today I'm having what I think is probably my very last meal at Moby Dick after 17 years as a loyal…read morecustomer. And I'm hoping someone at corporate Customer Service might see this. I used to eat Moby Dick literally 4 to 6 times a week , occasionally seven days straight, so that my expenses were so high I asked my tax accountant if I could deduct anything because of Moby Dick. Today, with the food quality low and the prices at Moby Dick easily 50 60 70% higher than I remember them in 2019, I just don't see the dividend of going there anymore after today. And here in this picture attached is my angry and disappointed final moment as a customer at Moby Dick. I specifically asked for kebab kubide with kabob juicy and tomatoes Well done , with rice , so I can feed it to a toddler. I come home and the whole thing is burnt and dry. The girl apparently heard tomatoes well done, and just labeled The whole dish is going to be well done. OK innocent mistake. But It probably happens 30% of the time these days at Moby Dick no matter which branch I visit, where they make some kind of a mistake about the order. In this case, a store manager could only offer to refund me the cost of the kebab when I asked him to please "fix my problem", which was that I need some kind of a dinner for a toddler delivered to me today , because I can't step out again and purchase takeout that she will eat and I don't have time or energy to cook from scratch. I wanted him to fix the problem please by sending the replacement meal via a delivery service like Uber Eats. And he refused. And he didn't offer to pay for my cost of ordering Uber Eats with the delivery fee and the tip and such. Non-parents might think I'm overreacting, you have a right to feel that way. But if you're the parent of a 2 1/2 year-old who will only eat Moby Dick kebab and rice or beef Bolognese and absolutely nothing else, you understand my situation maybe... I knew that I was spending probably $2700 a year on Moby Dick, multiple by my 17 years in Washington , that's a whopping $46,000; less , actually , considering their food quality went down in 2020 and I don't go there as much now. Let's just call it 35,000? How much money do you have to spend at a kebab takeout kiosk to matter as a customer? Long story short, there are these epiphany moments as a customer where you have the last straw. I've felt it with Amazon, I certainly feel it with my home insurance companies and my healthcare companies, etc. There are these epiphany moments when you realize the Customer relationship is completely over. So, good bye Moby Dick. Thanks for the memories.

Genuinely beautiful. The food was amazing. Service was attentive and friendly. I thoroughly enjoyed…read morethis. Star of the show was definitely the lamb tagine. However, the halloumi and scallop were impeccable as well I will be back for Many more visits as my wallet allows.

Holy Toledo! You can't get much better than this. Maydan offers delicious middle eastern food set…read morein two different dining rooms, both unique, cozy, and beautiful. We dined on the Medina side. The room was wonderfully decorated, styled like a royal palace in a desert oasis. Only complaint -- the room was too cold (coming from someone who loves frigid temperatures). The other indoor seating option, which appears to be their main room, surrounds the central pit. The restaurant host (or manager) was incredibly kind and gave us a tour. I think the other seating option was better. Regardless, the food was top notch! We got their Tawle (tasting menu) with wine pairings. We also opted for their lamb shoulder. It was well worth the upgrade! Juicy, charred, and well seasoned. There were so many leftovers, too. I can't wait to return!

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!

As one of the longer running Andres restaurants, Zaytinya flew under me and my wife's radar as we…read moreexplored more trendy Mediterranean restaurants in the city. Though we typically look askance upon restaurants serving multiple ethnic cuisines, we nonetheless decided to try Zaytinya for dinner on the strength of friends' recommendations and when in need of a relatively last minute dinner reservation. The lively space is large and boasts bright white and marine blue accents characteristic of the Greek islands. While fancy enough for a date night, the place can get loud, so intimate evenings may be best had elsewhere. Zaytinya's large menu offers bites from Greece, Turkey, and the Levant. The meal begins with complimentary pita bread served with olive oil and pomegranate molasses. When fresh, the bread is soft and makes for pleasant munching. When it cools down a little it becomes a little hard and leathery, so be sure to eat it expediently. We started off with two Greek-inspired dips: the taramosalata and the tyrokafteri. Both tasted akin to what we have received at actual Greek restaurants, and subsequently hit the mark. Our zaatar pide arrived shortly thereafter. The dough on the flatbread was soft and we enjoyed the bites with egg and cheese. The zaatar itself ran more bitter rather than zesty, so while overall a decent bite I would skip it next time in favor of a different pide. Our imam biyaldi brought meltingly tender eggplant seasoned with warm spices, olive oil, and pine nuts. The dish tasted comforting and rustic. Our protein mezzes comprised the octopus Santorini, lamb kleftiko, and adana kebab. The octopus offered a generous portion of tender tentacles upon a schmear of creamy Greek style fava puree. The flavors and cook on the dish were good, though I could've used an acidic or herby element to bring a little brightness. The lamb kleftiko was the evening's uncontested favorite. Rather than the traditional parchment cooked preparation, the meat here is encased in homemade phyllo pastry and is set atop a rich tzatziki sauce. This made for a really delicious bite marrying juicy, tender lamb, crisp pastry, and cooling yogurt. Skip the adana kebab. The spicing on the skewer was adequate, but the somewhat bouncy texture of the meat and skimpy portion size made it a dud. Service ran smoothly but perfunctorily. We noted we were celebrating an anniversary on our reservation, but no mention was made. Our waiter didn't really explain the menu or offer suggestions for dishes. He did course the meal at a comfortable pace and the staff made sure we had plenty of fresh bread, and no errors were made. Our bill totaled $150 pre tip for six mezze and two drinks, which we found very fair for the quantity and quality of food. Overall, I can see why this restaurant has stood the test of time. While initially skeptical, we found most of the small plates here of a decent quality and taste and the menu appealing enough to return. Zaytinya thus gets four stars for solid Eastern Mediterranean fare at reasonable prices in lively surrounds.

This is the best Afghan/Middle Eastern fast food restaurant in Washington, DC. The restaurant is…read morevery clean, respectful, and welcoming. The staff are incredibly kind and friendly, and the food is absolutely delicious and mind-blowing. If you're looking for a great place to enjoy a meal with family or friends, you must visit this restaurant. Highly recommended!

This spot was a pleasant surprise. Most late-night spots are loud and overcrowded, but this one had…read moreplenty of space and a relaxed vibe. The staff were amazing and made the experience even better. I had the gyro and fries, and both were outstanding. The fries had a seasoned coating that made them next level, and the gyro was packed with flavor. For a meal at 2 a.m., it exceeded all expectations. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in DC.

Great persian food and probably the best kabab Kubideh in town. Very friendly and helpful staff. I…read morenormally go there on the weekends and have never been dissatisfied with the food or the staff. If you are craving middle eastern food, Amoo kabab is your place.

I had the LAMB CHIMICHURI with KUBIDEH which was a customized SULTANI and it was AMAZING something…read moreI would definitely try again the FOOD, the SERVICE, and AMBIANCE, is definitely unmatched and the owner is very HUMBLE so are the workers very nice and easy to talk to I definitely do recommend this SPOT