We tried Rawa for the first time on Valentine's Day. The food, service and ambiance was excellent. My wife said the chicken wings were the best she's ever had. I had the lamb shank special and it was truly special. Fell right off the bone. My wife's family is from Lebanon and she was really impressed with the quality of the dips on the sampler. We can't wait to come back! read more

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It was my first time here. My better half has been here quite a few times in the past, and always spoke highly of it. Mediterranean is not my jive but it seemed like a good spot for a date night. Seemed. We were seated quickly, which was nice. It wasn't what I'd consider busy, but apparently it was busy for them on this particular night of service. Took about 15min from the time we were seated to have our order taken. Better half says it is usually more calming and intimate. Tonight absolutely was not that. It gives... Starbucks, if it served Mediterranean food... like, no coffee. With teacup candles. Real ones. (fire code???) I ordered the wings, with low expectations. Anyone that knows me and my heart also knows how I feel about a good wing. These wings were not that. They came out looking exactly how I anticipated them to based on what I saw in previous reviews (and the item description, which, shockingly, was painfully accurate) -- sad, and beige. First bite revealed various shades of pink, although the skin was seasoned nicely. I'm partial against this style of chicken wing so its hard for me to give it any credit... moving on. I also had the chicken kebab sandwich... which isn't really a sandwich. Its more of a ... gyro? I liked it. The chicken in the sandwich was really nice. Cooked well, definitely cooked better than the wings. Wish the cuts/pieces were smaller though. It was nice and hot, but also kind of wet, I guess from steam? It came wrapped in sort of a parchment paper, that was also wet. And the closer I got to the end, the more liquid dripped out from the bottom. Water mixed with tomato, other spices and whatnot... it wasn't pretty. I got less and less interested as I made progress. Better half got the Merguez Kebab Sandwich/gyro thing. Similar to my Chicken Kebab, the cuts of meat were huge however it was just hard to come to terms with the notion that they were each fully cooked through, and it was also... wet. More wet than my Chicken Kebab. She didn't finish it, and I don't blame her. The hummus was nice. The pita was hot and fresh. You could see some of the char from the skillet it was made in, which was nice. Unfortunate that either are individual at-cost appetizers (although looking at my receipt, I can infer that the first pita was included with the hummus as I was only charged for one and we had two). I don't think I will be returning there on my own volition. Maybe tonight was a bad night, and that happens sometimes. The staff were certainly nice, and considering it was a Saturday evening, the volume of patrons is worth appreciation. It wasn't rowdy, the music was nice, the ceiling fan blades passing over one of the ceiling lights drove me crazy a little bit, but it is a nice place. I'm just a little let down that this was how my Saturday night dinner went. I'm still hungry, dawg. There was also a woman in scrubs(?) or some sort of inpatient-wear that walked past the restaurant outside, locked eyes with the folks at a table, smiled and waved, and slowly meandered away until she came back to walk in the other direction. Not sure what that was about, but its typical New Haven shit. Stranger things have happened, lol! TLDR if you're not super picky/sensitive about your food and you're a big (gotta be big) fan of Mediterranean Fusion food, I absolutely recommend RAWA. Otherwise... hard pass -- for me, at least. Respectfully. read more

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place - Chicken Wings - Pizza Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Unique experience! This restaurant is past the Yale Bowl in a resident area of New Haven we have never been to. Lots of seating available inside and there's a DJ and belly dancing on some evenings. The food was incredibly flavored and great portions. The pizza was surprisingly packed with chicken and pine nuts. A very interesting and delicious combo we never knew we wanted. Drinks were also a different experience with saffron mixed in. Can't wait to return and this time to catch the after hour scene! Looks like a good time and great for large groups. read more

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A couple of weeks back, I returned to Rawa for the first time in a couple of years. I don't live in the area, but I've been a few times before and I love the food and the chill, cool atmosphere. While the food was as good as I remember it, my experience wasn't great. I arrived shortly after opening on a Sunday and I was the only customer. The lunch was off to a good start. My server was friendly and helpful, and then another employee arrived who seemed like she might have been a manager of some type. She became involved with working with a different person to check the sound system. Over the course of about 10 minutes, they frequently changed the volume and what was playing on the stereo. At times, it was unbearably loud. At first, I didn't say anything, because I assumed it was just going to be a minute or so. But it didn't stop, and after 10 minutes, I finally spoke up and said that their testing the stereo was affecting my enjoyment of my lunch. They stopped testing the stereo after I said something. I had been looking forward to my meal there for a couple of days, and I did not enjoy my experience. A nice restaurant like Rawa should not put a customer in the position of having to advocate for a reasonable atmosphere. I just saw Instagram content that leads me to believe that Rawa is going in a new creative direction. The event manager spoke of upcoming events like a yoga experience and a couple of other things. I'm sure there will be people who may enjoy this new direction, but that's not what I've enjoyed about Rawa in my prior visits. In any event, if you go to Rawa, you should be aware that it may not be how you remember. I'm downgrading my rating to 3 Stars in light of my experience. read more

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Rawa is a Mediterranean fusion restaurant that opened in New Haven, Connecticut in May 2017. It was founded by business partners Salam Al-Rawi and Fayez Al Hammadi. Al-Rawi is originally from Baghdad, Iraq. In the late 1970s, when Saddam Hussein's regime was particularly repressive, Al-Rawi decided to flee. He forged a stamp on his expired passport, hopped on a plane, and left the country. He could have ended up dead. He later worked at a number of successful restaurants in New York City. Hammadi is originally from Syria and co-owns Mosaic Nautural (a mosaic and tile art business) with his brothers. One of his other talents is cooking. Al-Rawi and Hammadi decided to partner up and found a space in New Haven's Westville neighborhood that had previously been home to Stone Hearth. At Rawa, the two have crafted a menu that features traditional Middle Eastern mezze platters (such as hummus, baba ghanouj, muhammara, labne), salads, soups, kebabs, falafel, biryani dishes, and even Mediterranean-inspired pizza served on pita bread crust. I recently attended Rawa's 8-Year Anniversary Celebration. This was my first visit to Rawa since their first year open and I was happy to be back. The place was all decked out with colorful decor. My group was treated to endless plates of various mezze platters, salads, falafel, biryani dishes, and Rawa's unique Middle Eastern approach to pizza. The bar tenders were also busy all night crafting delicious cocktails for the event. Some of the ones I enjoyed include the "Saffroni" (Hendricks gin, elderflower, ginger, saffron), the "Blood Orange Old Fashion" (bourbon, blood orange liqueur, bitters), and the "Up & Down Old Fashion" (bourbon, bitters). Attendees of the celebration were also treated to live entertainment with music by NYC-based Middle Eastern fusion band "Baklava Express" and a belly dance performance by Kelvia Mitri-Meda. I had an excellent time and I was so full by the end. If you love authentic Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food then look no further than Rawa! read more

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The BEST hummus I've ever had! It had been about a year between trips to New Haven, and it's the first place I wanted to eat when I arrived. And with that homemade pita? Come on... read more

2nd time visiting and wanted to comment on the chicken birani. I'm not a big fan of birani and this was the best I ever had, we took it home and my son asked to bring it for school lunch the next day. Tried the rawa pizza special which was great as well as dips and kebabs. Really friendly service and casual atmosphere read more

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My siblings came to visit so we came here for dinner. We made a reservation and were seated quickly upon arrival. We got a bottle of wine and the sampler plate as an appetizer, which included baba ghanouj, muhamarra, nivik, and labne. The labne was our favorite. For entrees, we got the lamb kebab, merguez, chicken biryani and chicken kebab. Everything was good. For dessert we tried the baklava, basbousa, muhalabia and another dessert I don't recall the name of. It was fun to try them all. We had a fun night. read more

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Had a wonderful dinner here this past evening! We ordered the hummus and pita to start, and there was plenty to share for two. Theirs is done perfectly with some tomatoes and chickpeas and a high quality olive oil. The pita is scorching hot and meltingly lovely! The lamb kebab had just the right amount of spicy "kick" to it, complemented well with the seasoned basmati rice. The sauce was flavorful, and I enjoyed this different take on lamb, usually doused in yogurt sauce by other establishments. The Falafel was well balanced and crispy, served piping-hot, with a superbly-executed salad. I believe we'll be returning to try the shrimp biriyani and some of the more adventurous dips in the future! read more

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place - Lamb Kebab - Pizza Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Chill vibes on a rainy Saturday early afternoon. Our server Emily was great, she made some pretty good cocktails as well! Everyone at the table enjoyed their food, from the chicken biriyani to lamb skewers to lamb chops and pizza. It was all savory and flavorful. read more

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Have had the hummus, babaganouj, moussaka, falafel, and leg of lamb sandwich, all delivered. All absolutely delicious.

We tried three dishes. They were all wonderful and the bread was magical. It came like a cloud.

I went to Rawa with my aunt for dinner a couple weeks ago and I'm really satisfied with my experience. I didn't know what to expect, but the food was extremely fresh and it was a great atmosphere. I got falafel with pita bread and hummus. The falafel came out very hot and was so tasty. The salad on the side was also very good. My aunt got the green salad with grilled chicken and was very happy with her meal. The service was a little slow, but it was very busy and it didn't bother me. Will definitely be returning soon, can't wait to try more dishes here! Hopefully they have the rice pudding next time. read more

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Amazing restaurant. Food is incredible & it has a cute ambiance with lots of unique art. They were extremely short staffed & our waitress not only had to attend to every table in the room taking orders, but she was the hostess, food runner, & bartender too. She did it all & it was a busy restaurant. She was pleasant & never appeared stressed despite the chaos & doing everything herself. That alone made me love this restaurant more. The dip sampler is to die for & so were the lamb kabobs, falafel & homemade pita. I wish I lived closer I'd be a regular here. read more

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place - Lamb Kebab - Pizza Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Wow. I've been here several times and not disappointed once. Today , almost gave them a lower review due to the time the food took to come out in an almost empty restaurant. Had the good sense to wait till the food comes out to add to the review and not let me being hangry be a factor. Absolutely amazing. What's crazy is the food is extremely healthy . Healthy food is not supposed to be tasty , filling or satisfying. But the food was dynamite. I've tried several dishes, but there are just a few standouts that I think are a must try . All of the Mezz are delicious . The pita .. get one : and the soup. Oh my the stars. The lentil soup is so rich and sinful. Last time I was here I actually went to the kitchen and had to ask the chef if he was putting heavy cream, butter, etc. in the lentil soup. No .. they are not. And the chicken soup is ridiculous good. Then get the grilled chicken kebab with the lentils. Happy happy belly . It's obvious why it takes a little time to come out. They are making it fresh and not reheated stuff that's sitting around. Worth the 20 + min drive everyday . And when I mentioned how happy I was despite a little wait they bought out some Baklava on the house. That was very sweet ( not the baklava but the jester) and not expected. This is how you run a restaurant. A little good will goes very very far. read more

I've wanted to try this place for so long, it's a Mediterranean spot with different options like Moroccan/Turkish/ Syrian/ Lebanese and even Pakistani. We tried the lamb kebab with rice and the chicken kebab with rice and so good! The meat freshly cooked and so soft. The rise also was divine, I loved the flavor in it. We also tried a chicken soup and it was packed with flavor and soft chicken and lots of onions and garlic yum! They gave a free dessert on Valentine's day which was nice, only thing was it took time for our server to get to us , must have been short staffed but everything took a while. It wasnt to busy either. Loved the quality of the food next time I will try their dips! read more

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The espresso cocktail was delicious. My girlfriend was quite insistent it would be too much caffeine for me, that yet remains to be seen. The Depths were delicious. Though the amount of pita provided was paltry. Only two pitas for four dips? I think I deserve one pita per dip. The hummus dip was exceptional, the other dips were forgettable. I felt like the entree was very soupy and oily. I think it also would have been improved by being paired with pita. More pita please. Overall it was okay. A bit expensive for the quality. read more

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Great spot for a wide variety of tastes and appetites. We had a delightful evening chatting in a booth over nice beer and wine plus appetizers for all and entrees for some. It worked out great in the large and airy dining room. read more

I wasn't sure what to think, this was my first time visiting. I know they've been there for a while. I liked the crust of the pizza, I'm happy they had margarita. All in all an ok experience. read more

This place is such a gem. I loved it so much. It was nice an quiet and looked very clean. I loved the art decor on the walls and it gave the feels of Mediterranean without trying to hard. Service was amazing food was delicious and the portions were huge. We also got desert but i forgot to take a picture of that. Get the baklava and ask them to warm it up just a little bit, it will change your life! No complaints here! read more

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What a treat. This restaurant is in the neighborhood of my son's apartment. For weeks he had been saying, "We should go"! I am so glad we did and can't wait to go back. It is a very casual and funky space. The kitchen is open, you can see the chefs working and cooking from where you sit. There are cool murals and paintings on the walls that give it a very Greenwich Village vibe. The staff was VERY friendly and knowledgeable and gave great counsel about their menu that let us make perfect choices! We started with a sampler of dips, choosing the hummus, avocado, pepper and walnut, and lentil dips. Each of them was outstanding. Interestingly, the avocado was my son's fave, my hubby's fave was the pepper and walnut, and I was all about the hummus. Each one was better than the next. And they came with giant, fresh tear-apart pitas. DEFINITELY order extras with your sampler platter. For meals, we also did a lot of sharing but our favorite of the three dishes we ordered was the chicken with lentils. The chicken was flavorful and cooked to perfection and the lentil dish it was served on what out of this world. We also got the green pizza which had an awesome curry flavor and was even better when we reheated the leftovers the next day. Same was true of the tabouleh, meaning even better on day two! Make plans to go to Rawa, you will really enjoy it! PS -- oh, and the portions are generous. read more

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Delicious food, great service and a very comfy atmosphere if you want to stay and dine in! Zero chance you will be disappointed.

Fantastic!! Baba ganoush is incredible, haven't had it better anywhere else. Ambiance is great balance between relaxed and energizing.

Oh my, how embarrassing. I posted a review here for another location. I like Rawa and the food good and cooked to order, but it took some time..and I was amazed for lunch we were the only ones in here! Chicken was cooked just right and moist and tasty, rice was a tad starchy and bland. My colleagues moussaka was a tad overdone with cheese on top burnt. Convenient to the school I teach at and will try again. read more

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place - A colleague brought me here...checking it out! - Pizza Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Amazing!!! Fresh house-made Mediterranean fusion food. Everything is great. Of the several times that I've been here, there is nothing that i haven't liked. There are some items that i enjoyed more than others. For example, I only liked the seafood pizza, but i Loved the Mamyaldi pizza. Nothing hadever ever been bad. And the Avocado dip is a favorite for me. It's a must have menu item. I also like that the chef changes and adjusts the menu according to how items sell. Plus the chef doesn't seem afraid to try new things! The atmosphere is nice. Appropriate for date night, or being out with family/friends. And The service was great every time. This is one of my new favorite places. It impressed me because everything is freshly made, which is difficult to find. Hopefully through the years they will keep the high integrity and the pride put into their food!!! read more

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Always a wonderful experience here. I have been eating here on a regular basis for years. The food and service are excellent. I have brought countless people to this restaurant and not a single complaint. I was there when they had 2 large parties of women "of a certain age," all of whom had special orders and requests. Every single person was really impressed and immediately began to talk about what they will order the next time. I wholeheartedly disagree with the bad reviews and urge you to check it out for yourself. If you go on a weekend evening, or with a large party, be sure to make a reservation. read more

Delivery review. Ordered falafel platter and hummus dip. Falafel was fresh, flavorful, probably better than its competitors in town. Disappointing and surprising that the platter comes with no pita. The hummus was also fresh, not noteworthy, and this dip came with 1 pita. The pita here is freshly made, which is unique, and it is enjoyable, so it's a pity there isn't enough. I ordered extra pita ($1.50) and received 1 additional pita. Overall, Tawa has tasty falafel and freshly made food, but definitely at a price premium for what they deliver. read more

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The food here is REALLY good - we have the 4 sampler dip - hummus and avocado particularly good The staff was friendly and very hard working. The decor was very pleasing and the prices are fair Definitely a keeper read more

The pizza...New Haven at its best! I'm supposed to write more but the pizza is simply the bomb. read more

It's extremely rare that I rate any restaurant 5 stars. Rawa has been on list since a long time but it just got delayed until today finally when I decided to do a delivery order for lunch. I have to say, their interesting reviews about a vegan pizza (with the delicious looking picture) hooked me into it while I was browsing through vegetarian friendly delivery places near Hamden. I ordered a falafel platter, Momyaldi vegan pizza and basbousa. Falafel platter includes 6 falafels, tahini sauce, a Mediterranean salad and a side of pita. Momyaldi Pizza has vegan crust with caramelized egg plant and tomatoes. Basbousa is a semolina cake that I have been wanting to try since I saw an impressive picture that I came across in a food blog, I can't recall any other middle eastern place serving basbousa. Now, what impressed me the most is that Rawa is a middle eastern restaurant and the food in such places is usually all about all meat based dishes. Now this place having a vegan pizza (with out any vegan cheese) impressed me. I liked the pizza so much that I ate almost an entire pizza all by myself (there are only 2 small slices remaining as leftover). Besides, my family likes falafels and in almost all other places around New haven where I tried falafels, the pita that came along with had a supper eggy smell that turns me off. Needless to say the falafels were flavorful. The salad had more oil than what we would have liked. Basbousa tastes exactly like how I have imagined. They also gave us a slice of baklava and it was much better than what we have tried at other Mediterranean places. I was not able to place the order through yelp as I was getting an error. So I had called the restaurant directly and placed my delivery order. I think the owner/manager picked my call and was very friendly and was answering my questions patiently. It took almost 1 hour for the food to get delivered. And they charge $6 for delivery fees. Initially I felt it was little expensive but after having the food I feel that the total money you spend is totally worth it. The guy who delivered seems to be the owner and he refused to accept tips very politely. Overall, I can see my experience has been more than satisfactory. read more

The best middle eastern food in CT!!!! Fresh and delicious. I tasted all the dishes and everything is just so good. A celebration of flavors. Thanks read more

We love this place!! Food is always very fresh and the waitresses are lovely. Try the lamb pizzas

We took a gamble on this place since I was coming in from the city and we needed something good to eat before heading off further into Connecticut, and the dearth of reviews had us a bit worried. Knowing what we know how, I'm glad we came. Rawa has a large space that would comfortably accommodate a large party - they have both booth seating and table seating. The place was very chique and modern looking, with hints of the Near-East - ie. the Moroccan tajine ceramics used for decoration. My partner and I got booth seating and were recommended a few things, but ultimately went with the Hummus, Falafel, and Momyaldi. Although we were starving, we found this amount to be perfect for the both of us. The hummus came rather quickly and came traditionally with pita on the side, with a pool of olive oil in the middle. The hummus was perfectly blended and smooth, but could have been a bit more runny for my taste. The Falafel and Momyaldi (lamb with tomatoes and onions) pizza/flatbread mains came at once, and we dug in. The flatbread was just like NYC style pizza, but with quality ingredients - you could still taste the gaminess of the lamb and the sweetness of the tomatoes, and with the onions baked on top, it made for an amazing amalgam, The falafel came with the tsatsiki sauce and a small side salad made of cucumber, tomato and parsley - I love love loved this. The texture of the falafel was great - not a fried crisp like most places will make it, but the inside was a bit too smooth without having much flavour to make up for it. I couldn't really taste much distinction inside of it, but otherwise it was good. Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Rawa and will come back to try out more of their fare. read more

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This restaurant is a hidden gem in New Haven! The food and service is welcoming and excellent. We've been there multiple times and the food and drinks are ALWAYS top notch! It is our go-to place whenever we're in the area . The food is truly authentic (I lived in the region for many years) and it reminds me of the beautiful hospitality, humility, and brilliance of the people of this part of the world. Bravo! read more

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Fantastic food either dining in or taking out. Would strongly recommend that you do the pita and hummus regardless of your meal intentions. Service was great and the ambiance was great to have conversation. read more

I've eaten at a lot of places in New Haven (fancy, casual, pizza, etc) and Rawa is my favorite. Everything I get is just so dang good.

This place is awesome. Been here a few times and always have had excellent food. Lamb chops, Muhammara, moussaka were standouts. The pizza is different and very good, like a thin flatbread. The staff/owners are also incredibly sweet and aim to please. Go here! read more

Highly recommend! Need to try some other dishes but I always crave the shrimp salad that it's so tough not to order it. So good and fresh and flavor is perfect. read more

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place - Garden Salad with Shrimp - Pizza Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Great food. I had the chicken kebab. Service was great. Very good setting to enjoy yourself alone or with company.

The best restaurant in Westville. Food is beyond flavorful, service is awesome and the drinks are delicious. Already planning our next set of reservations. You guys are awesome !! read more