Sassool has delicious Lebanese classics. I don't usually crave Lebanese food, but when I do,…read moreSassool always hits the spot. I usually do the Pick 4 plate, which is a great deal at $12.99! It comes with 2 pieces of pita bread. Baba Ghanouj: smokey and full of flavor Hummus: a delicious classic, probably my favorite classic hummus Mediterranean Chicken Salad: I just tried this for the first time and I loved it! It had a mild and sweet flavor. I've been coming to Sassool since I was a kid and if I lived closer, I would come more often.

I could probably live off the food from Sassool for the rest of my life. I love this restaurant- it…read moreis extremely spacious with a mini grocery store inside, so much seating, and a giant menu of food to choose from and fresh sides in the window you can pick out. I often get the same few sides- fava bean salad and mjadarah (amazing rice and onion dish), with the chicken pasta or vegetable lasagna. It hits the spot EVERY time. Not to mention the food is so fresh, tastes homemade, and is healthy. There's a meal for every dietary preference here. The meals are also cheap and you can do pick 2/3/4 meals which allow you to try so many of the delicious sides. The service is nice and easy, and lines always go quick.

When my son asked where I'd like to go on my birthday, my answer was immediately Ajja! Just walking…read moreinto the space is like being transported to an oasis! The food is delicious and unique. Every dish a perfect blend of flavors and textures. It was potentially rainy, so we enjoyed the lovely enclosed patio and took a stroll around the outdoor area after dinner to take in the view of the Raleigh skyline. Every dish I've had was amazing, and this visit was beyond my high expectations. A fun fresh cocktail menu, and we loved the dips trio! Our mains were beautiful, and although we were stuffed, we had to share a dessert! We ordered enough for a party of 4 and enjoyed every bite! This is my favorite special occasion spot, but it's also got a nice casual vibe, because truly, the food is the main event! Already looking forward to my next meal at Ajja. If 6 stars was an option...

Literally such a cute place! The decor and atmosphere of the restaurant is perfect for a date night…read moreor catching up with friends. It's a small plate layout setup , so we split everything. My friend is a vegetarian and I appreciated the amount of vegetarian friendly options on the menu. We started with the eggplant ezme, I dont recommend. It tasted like a bland salsa. We also ordered the fried halloumi, late spring salad, and charred cabbage and broccoli. The halloumi was delicious, the grape compote was the perfect pairing for the cheese. The charred broccoli and cabbage was a nice balance of crunch and flavor.

One of our most exciting and flavorful dining experience in months. Our downtown Raleigh dining…read morescene has amazing options, and Madre has stayed under our radar for no particular reason. We dined at their lovely bar back in the first months of their opening, and it was good. We had met the general manager, Red, and were impressed with the flavors of our one appetizer, Calabrian Chicken, yet we never rushed back. Now, we feel compelled to return ASAP to enjoy these exceptional flavors, fabulous teamwork system of service, and a comfortable chic atmosphere. The place was happening at 5:45 pm on our recent dining night out with friends. Grateful to have a reservation we were seated at a very comfortable banquette type of seating. It felt like dining in a friend's home. Our server, William, is excellent at his job. Very efficient, great input on food choices, and quite personable. The meal started off with a burst of flavor as we enjoyed their fairly new offering of a ceviche called Eye of the Tiger that featured a sauce you can never get enough of. Wish their bread service was a bit more inspired, but the Le Farm bread did soak up some of the various sauces sent out from a very inspired kitchen team. Food runners help make certain the tapas come out fresh and hot when needed. They are a friendly group of hospitality workers who seem to genuinely enjoy their work and treat their guests with sincere appreciation. It all starts at the top, and GM Red is a personable and sound leader. We loved the Chef's pasta, our octopus dish was stellar, the Calabrian Chicken almost stole the show, but the unctuous flavors on the plate of the Seared Halloumi was hands down my favorite. I love how this culinary team can crank out such outstanding flavors table to table and patron to patron without missing a beat. The energy in the room must feed their souls & for that we are grateful. Lastly I wish to mention the thoughtfully curated wine list where my husband discovered a treasure of a wine from the Familia Torres brand. It was exquisite and paired perfectly with Madre's flavors. Our friend who frequent their bar often rave about their Mezcal margarita! Another visit. See you soon Madre familia!

This used to be one of my 3 go-to first date restaurants, but I've had to cut it from the list…read moreafter realizing it makes literally everyone in the place seem irresistibly sexy, and that is not wise. Truly, though, I'm here often and love it - my dear friend and I are both heavy-duty allergy kids and the Madre squad is exquisite at managing cross-contamination and adapting plates to be accommodating. If you have nothing else, order the cauliflower with the green goddess dressing. Maybe order that two or three times, actually. The salchipapas are probably my favorite app in Raleigh. Also, the owners are both super cute, and the Bryan Costello design is magnifique. I would hire that man to redo my entire home to feel like Madre.

We used Neomande for a catered event . The food was out of this world but the service was even…read morebetter! Alex knocked it out of the ballpark. We would come back just to see her- she helped us with every detail and made everything so easy! Thank you Alex!

Excellent food, excellent service. Alex is such a friendly employee that goes above and beyond!read more

Went to lunch here on a weekday. The restaurant wasn't crowded which allowed for great…read moreconversation with friends. Our waiter was super attentive. Food was delivered pretty quickly. The Phoenician Caesar Salad was amazing! My colleague also loved her sampler. And to add to the great dining experience, the restaurant was beautifully decorated for the holidays too!

Easily booked for dinner same day on a holiday Monday and had a great meal here. I tried:…read more + Baba ghanouj + mouhamra + feta cheese dip + Chicken artichoke pizette + kibbee nayyeh + chicken shwarma + Baklava + Chocolate torte Highlights were the baba ghanouj and pizette. Also really liked the chicken shawarma. Baklava was good, too. Only miss was the beef tartare - wouldn't get that again. 4.5 stars.

Absolutely incredible flavors from the heart of Turkey. We walked in at 3:15 pm on a Thursday…read moreafternoon for an early dinner before we went to the Chinese Lantern event, We were greeted warmly by the host and seated at a comfortable table. Our server was so gracious and brought us delicious warm bread and a dipping sauce that exceeded all others. Our order was placed and we loved the shrimp appetizer and lamb grilled entree. The flavors out of this kitchen are authentic and flavorful. We will return many times for the great service and fabulous flavors!

I recently ate at Bosphorous and overall it was a decent experience. The staff was friendly and…read morewelcoming, and the food was really good. The chicken shish kabob and lamb kabob were both flavorful and cooked well. Those were definitely the highlights of the meal. The disappointing part was that they were already out of the Doner plate by 2:30 p.m., even though we came for dinner service. It was frustrating because that's one of the main dishes people go there for. What really stopped me from giving this place a higher rating was the condition of the men's bathroom. It was pretty gross, with visible mold and a wet towel on the floor that looked like it was there because of a leaking toilet. A lot of people say the bathroom reflects how clean the restaurant is overall, and honestly that crossed my mind while eating there. The food and service were good, but the restaurant really needs to improve the cleanliness and do a better job keeping popular menu items available.

Taverna was on of my best meals of 2025. Great honest food, great atmosphere and great people. Did…read moreI mention reasonable prices (not cheap but fair). Ask to sit upstairs on the roof (enclosed in glass for cold days). Biggest hit for appetizer was stuffed eggplant, but the grape leaves and trio of spreads and pita were also solid choices. I ordered the lamb burger with village Greek salad - great meal. If I lived in the area, This would be a staple. Gardner

The rooftop patio is the reason to come here. It has that breezy Mediterranean vibe that makes for…read morea really nice place to sit outside, have a drink, and enjoy the weather. We started with the saganaki and hummus, then decided to go all in and order the Grecian Feast for two. In hindsight, that was a lot of food after already getting starters. Definitely come hungry or plan to split the feast with 3. The platter itself is huge and comes with a dip, rice, salad and your choice of meats and/or seafood. The highlights for us were the spicy feta and the salmon, both of which had great flavor. The lowlight was the chicken, which was way overcooked and ended up tough and pretty tasteless. Service unfortunately dragged the experience down quite a bit. It felt like we waited about 15 minutes before anyone came by with menus, then another 15 minutes before our drink orders were taken. Once we finally ordered everything, the food actually came out fairly quickly. But by the end of the meal we were basically hunting for our server. At one point we both separately went to the bathroom (including a trip to the one downstairs) and still had not seen our server to try to get the check. Overall, come for the rooftop atmosphere, but I would recommend ordering all of your drinks and food at once so you can just sit back and enjoy the patio without waiting around for service.

I absolutely love eating the fresh salads and sides at Sassool! It can get pretty busy during…read morelunchtime, so plan ahead if you're in a rush--but that just shows how good the food is. I usually order the two chicken skewer kabobs with rice, a super salad, and the jalapeño cilantro hummus. The hummus is *so* good that I often grab a small container to take with me when I travel. Everything tastes incredibly fresh, and you can really tell they use quality ingredients, especially with olive oil as a base. They offer both fresh pita and gluten-free pita, which is great for anyone with dietary restrictions. Honestly, I could make a meal just out of all the sides--they're that good. The menu is consistently solid, and I feel like you really can't go wrong with anything you order. It's a perfect spot for a low-key lunch or dinner. Also worth noting: on Tuesdays, kids eat free with a paying adult, which is a great bonus for families. Highly recommend!

The ambiance is nice and welcoming. This is an order and pay restaurant where you place your order…read moreat the counter, receive your food, and can sit anywhere you'd like. The portions are very generous, so if you can't finish your meal, it's easy to take the leftovers home. They conveniently provide to-go containers and bags for customers. One thing I found a bit challenging was the ordering process. There is a huge selection of food, which can be overwhelming for first-time visitors. I would have appreciated a little more guidance from the staff when making my choices, as I think it would have helped me order more confidently. Overall, it's a good place with plenty of options and great portion sizes.

Food is always tasty and wait isn't long whenever I come in, seriously recommend trying this place…read moreout!!!

I stopped in here for a quick lunch after shopping. I ordered their chicken shawarma and grape…read moreleaves combo with a drink. The shawarma is very different than what I'm used to in Michigan, but it was delicious and packed with chicken. The grape leaves were good and the tea was nice and strong. The guys working were very friendly. I will definitely stop here again.

Stopped by Al Baraka and honestly this might be one of my new favorite spots. I ordered the chicken…read moreshawarma sandwich meal, and everything hit the spot. The chicken was tender, flavorful, and seasoned really well without being too heavy. The sandwich tasted fresh, had a great balance of texture, and was super satisfying. What I liked most is that it doesn't feel like a chain or a place trying too hard. It feels like a real local gem. If you're looking for a Mediterranean restaurant in Raleigh with flavorful food and a more authentic feel, this place is definitely worth trying. I'd absolutely order the chicken shawarma sandwich meal again.

Randomly found this place one day, and my life definitely changed. Hands down, they have the best…read moreBeef Shawarma sandwich. At first, I went with Chicken Shawarma because I'm a chicken girlie. But I ended to eating half of my husband's Beef Shawarma sandwich. So I recommend you getting that to begin with if you are into beef. By the register, they also have a lot of premade/assembled dishes to purchase. The grocery section is small, but has a lot of fun things to look and buy. I love getting their tin fish and chocolate as a treat during my visit!