4.5 stars. Alihan's Mediterranean Cuisine opened in 2013 and serves Turkish cuisine for lunch,…read moredinner, and special events. The menu lists many meat, seafood, and vegetarian options, and the chefs can accommodate customers on gluten-free and vegan diets. Examples of menu items are lentil soup, babaghanoush, falafel, shepherd salad, lamb chops, many kebabs, sea bass, sautés, house-made desserts such as baklava, and non-alcoholic beverages. My husband and I ate one lunch here. Indoor and covered outdoor seating was available. The employees promptly greeted and seated us, and I appreciated that they recommended specific menu items to help me choose. After a reasonable wait, the foods were brought to our table. Here are my ratings for what we ordered: Grilled Shrimp - 5 stars - Several large, juicy shrimp were on skewers and had been perfectly cooked. Sides were mixed vegetables and a mix of rice and bulgur. Chicken Shish Kebab - 4 stars - The chunks of chicken were large and juicy and had a mild seasoning. On the side was rice pilav. Turkish Tea - 4.5 stars - This black tea was a good size and was served hot. Packets of sweeteners were available. The total price was $55 plus tax and tip.

Service was super friendly. I did not like my salad (Shepherd Salad) and they offered to make me…read moreanother salad. They were so nice. Ambience is fine. Clean and tidy. Falafel appetizer was very, very hard and chewy. Even with a serrated knife it was difficult to cut! Shepherd Salad was fresh but was mostly red and green bell peppers. Very little tomato or cucumber or onion which I was expecting. Not their fault but mine for not knowing about this salad. Again they were super nice and offered to take it back. Donor Kebab was over cooked. Dry. Chewy. Tzatziki sauce was fine. I ordered two extra mini-cups of tzatziki to help me finish the donor kebab. (Extra $1). Bread was very good. I ordered the Turkish Tea but it never came : (

Amel's is an institution. There is no other way to put it. We have literally gone here since we…read morewere small children and the food is so consistent it's almost alarming. My aunt from New Jersey constantly talks about the lobster of the angels pasta dish which is so delicious some have likened it to a holy experience. Definitely don't miss the spanakopita either! It comes fresh out of the oven and is flaky and dreamy.

I've been going to Amel's for years. The food is always fantastic. Some of the best Mediterranean…read morefood in the city in my opinion. The staff is always kind and attentive even when they are extremely busy which tends to be very often. It's not the newest or most modern looking place but that is how you know it's good!

Really enjoyed the food, overall. We ordered hummus to begin and found it only included pita bread;…read morewe were told you can add vegetables for an additional $4, which we declined. For our main entrees we ordered Chicken Adana and Lamb Adana; we split both meats and it was unanimous that the Lamb Adana was far superior. The Lamb was well seasoned and charred. The house salad (cucumbers, tomatoes and seasoning with a vinegar dressing was delicious. Service was swift and cordial. No complaints about our server. They have beautiful stained glass globes around. The eating area is small but comfortable and we're in and out in an hour.

Great Mediterranean food right here in Shadyside! Quick,…read morefriendly service. Came for dinner on a Wednesday night. Not very busy at first but about half full when we left. Appetizer: Hummus with pita is good but not great. Split a Lamb Adana and a Chicken Adana. Both are good but we liked the lamb better. These are very filling and we wouldn't want the portions to be any bigger. Love the colorful sconces and chandelier.

Fantastic service and staff, food and apps came to the table pretty fast. Everything we ordered was…read moregreat and staff very accommodating.

Absolutely delish food! Whenever I'm asked about a hidden gem this is the place I take everyone! A…read moresatisfying meal with good service and it's incredibly clean. If I'm looking for a quick bite it's perfect to stop in and order. Thank you for a good meal without fail:)

Deceptive menu pics and descriptions + nothing Turkish here and it is unreasonably expensive for…read morewhat you get: --Unlike the menu claims, what they serve as Adana Kebab is NOT lamb + flavor was not remotely Turkish. Not authentic at all. -- What they call Turkish rice can't even be called decent rice -- Persian menu items however were good -- Lentil soup was a good soup but it was not an authentic lentil soup at all. Don't expect the traditional flavor -- Unlike the pics, salad mix in your Adana will arrive in a tiny, disposable clear plastic -- You will eat at tables covered with sticky, clear nylon table "cloths" -- Your water will be served in disposable plastic cups -- Your food will be served in acrylic-plastic cups, including the hot soup -- Now the value: Soup is $10, Adana is $22, Kobideh is $25, a cup of Cay / hot tea is $3.50 (almost all Persian/Turkish restaurants serve this as a complimentary item -- Lastly they will charge you an extra 3% for paying by card Decision is yours... We will not go there again.

Nice find. Some items on the menu were better than others, but the overall quality was very good…read more We ordered takeout, and the online ordering process was fairly straightforward (though it didn't accept PayPal or Apple Pay). The space is tiny and unassuming, and the restaurant seems to be a family run operation. The interior is much more nicely kept than you might guess based on the outside of the building. The staff were very friendly, and all of our food was well packaged. I strongly suggest taking a look at the "Persian Cuisine" section of the menu; in many cases, that section is more interesting than the Turkish grill. In terms of food, things ranged from excellent to pretty good. The hummus was good and nicely textured, but not exceptional. The kashke ve bademjan was excellent, particularly when paired with the nicely toasted flatbread it arrived with. The Mediterranean salad and Tabouli salad were both nicely done, with a nice level of lemon acidity and some shredded cheese on the side. The veggie kebap was fine, but generally flat in flavor: it really needed some of the sides and some hot sauce to fill things out. The red lentil soup was simple with a subtle spicing but ultimately deeply flavorful. The ash reshteh (noodle soup with beans and spinach) was generally good but would have benefited from toppings that would have probably been provided in a dine-in environment. All told, this was a nice little establishment with some excellent Mediterranean and Persian style cuisine. They seem to churn out some high quality food from what seems like a very small kitchen. I could imagine eating in or ordering takeout, but note that the interior space is fairly small with a limited capacity.

A friend and I stopped in here for hookah on a Sunday evening. This spot is open late, which is…read moregreat for Pittsburgh. They are a restaurant in the front and hookah in the back. However, you can still order food in the hookah area. We ordered a hookah and then ordered some hummus, veggies, and drinks (non alcoholic) a little later. The vibe is chill. The service is great and the hummus and drinks were delicious! I'll definitely be stopping back in here soon. It's right in Lawrenceville too, so it's in a great location.

Very happy with my decision, and I enjoyed waiting in the restaurant. It has a comfortable, homey…read morevibe! The food is amazing. The eggplant special was loved by my partner. The waitress was very nice and communicated the menu well. Thank you, Dijlah Restaurant and Cafe team for making this amazing place possible for us to enjoy!

Excellent service, great food, and a very kind host! Definitely will be coming back here soon!read more

Good stuff. Restaurant needs to be a little bit cleaner. Near the door there were "blow ins" from…read morethe street (cigarette butts, leafs) .. and we were seated there. They had somehow made it around the corner and under our table.... Enjoyed the Malbec. Nice to see a Mediterranean place offering wine. The "mezze" plate was a meal in and of itself. If you want a quick snack or light lunch with a partner, I recommend ordering that alone! It's all you need for a nice meal. We also came back and tried the lamb, very nice! I got the Beyti and it was very good, though I wished it had come with a salad. My wife did not like her lamb shish as much as my meal, but I think overall we liked both.

One of the best meals I have had in my life! Came in here…read morewith my daughter when looking at Pitt, and stopped in on a whim...and glad I did. We ordered 4 different Mezze to share, and each one was fantastic. We ate the Baba Ganough, the Medumas (walnut hummus), spanakopita, and Fig & Feta Manaeesh (fantastic). We finished it off with some pistachio baklava and an interesting conversation with the women who started the restaurant. It is no surprise this restaurant has been around for over 50 years. Do yourself a favor and eat here, you won't regret it.

A great Syrian restaurant located in the heart of Pittsburgh. We got to meet one of the owners when…read morewe dined in for Sunday brunch, and she was so sweet. This is a family establishment that's been open since the 70s (pretty incredible)!! The food and service were great too. They were extremely kid friendly with our infant. For Sunday brunch they have a prix fix menu with a variety of options from a traditional Syrian breakfast (with potatoes and egg scramble) to a hearty tomato shakshuka. They also have super unique cocktails like a fig martini. They also have different types of mezze, and the labnee dip was great. I can't wait to come back to try dinner!