Nothing but good things to say about this restaurant! It feels like it's a bit of a treasure known only to locals yet it's big enough to pack a big event. My main rant is about the pricing - $6-9 for an incredibly flavor packed large salad with noticeably fresh ingredients?! Incredible. We also got pita bread and the dip trio (feta cheese, baba ghanouj, tabouleh). Everything was excellent and the servers were super kind! read more

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Very disappointing. Where are the Lebanese Sitti? Food was just average. Not well seasoned at all. Not enough servers to help on this very busy mid week visit. Our server was very apologetic for the slow food service & did his very best but it wasn't enough for us to want to come back. Total experience was a bummer. read more

Delicious food. Just loved it and eating outside on the back patio. Our server was amazing but it took quite awhile for our meal to arrive. We were there at an off rush hour time so maybe that is why it was delayed. We tried the vegan sampler and it was outstanding. Gave us a lot to taste and all of the samples were full of flavor. Couldn't have been happier with this dish and introduction to their food. We both ordered dishes for our main meal. Mine was a vegetable curry with basmati rice. It was good but not great. Just didn't pack the punch flavor wise as I was hoping. My friend loved her salmon dish and said the meal was done perfectly. She especially commented on the noodle/rice combo it was served on. For a first time visit for both of us we know we will return to try more of their offerings. Oh portions are good size, too. read more

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After walking by Sitti a few months ago and checking out their menu I knew I had to return and I am so glad I did! Sitti has a warm and relaxing atmosphere as soon as you step in the door. It is larger than it looks from the outside with a long bar to the right, a community table in the middle, and several small tables on the far left. I picked a single table to the left with a bench and sat down. It took a little while for someone to acknowledge me, but finally a waiter came over and brought me a water. I got up and asked another waiter for the wifi password. He was kind and happily gave it to me and I sat down for a very long time until the original waiter greeted me. I asked him about the three course menu for restaurant week and he gently explained to me that it was not available during lunch. So, going on his advice I decided to get the avocado hummus and the shrimp kabobs. The hummus was so amazing! Creamy, thick, and just a hint of spice. It made all my senses tingle. I had to stop myself from dipping any more pita bread into that or the olive oil and sesame seed dip that came with the bread! Wow! Now the shrimp kabobs were okay. The shrimp came on top of basmati rice with onions, half a tomato, peppers, and a spicy sauce. The sauce and onions were actually the best part of the dish, but overall it fell a little flat. I think I was expecting a little bit more in the way of seasoning and spices, and it just was not there. Plus the waiter never came back to check on me or refill my water--and it wasn't that busy. But, I know with everything we are experiencing now I am being patient. So, would I go back? The jury is still out. For $30 for lunch plus tip, ouch, I feel like I could've gotten more. read more

Sitti - Shrimp kabobs - Lebanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Ok so I forgot what the thing is that i got but it was a vegetable thing and like, it was so vinegar-ey that i was like... hmmm. You know? The beef salad thing my dad got and he said it was good. My mom got some salmon thing and also said it was good. Just be prepared for like an amount of vinegar that might be unpleasant on the vegetable things. But like it was cool otherwise like nice inside there and the service was good. Just a lot of vinegar. Which if you like that, i respect you. read more

Sitti - Sitti Salad w Beef Kabob* - Lebanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I had the chicken kabobs with the vegetables. it was amazing friendly staff and service was fast . the restaurant has a cozy feel it was lunch time so it was a little crowded overall a great dining experience. read more

We dined her for dinner prior to going to first Friday. Our server came over when it was just me at our table, dropped our waters and didn't even acknowledge my existence - even though I was prepared and ready to order us a bottle of wine. It took a while for him to return to take our drink orders and he just seemed bothered to be there most of the evening. The appetizers were definitely the best part... the fresh pita served was great, the baba ghanouj was incredibly flavorful, the grape leaves were awesome and the kibbee was one of our favorite things we had all night. We ordered a myriad of entrees including the chicken artichoke, the mixed grill and the lamb chops. The chicken artichoke was the best of the three but had an overwhelming amount of lemon. My husbands mixed grill was okay - the steak had no flavor, the chicken was dry but the kafta was delicious. Our friends lamb chops were also just okay, unfortunately. They were quite bland and very chewy. The baklava was also very heavy on the honey but still somehow very dry. The vibe of the restaurant was great but the service and food definitely has room for improvement. read more

HOMOPHOBIA The food was mediocre. Staff are unprofessional and made us feel uncomfortable for showing an appropriate level of PDA. I don't even know where to start. Our waiter was alright, he did his job but also seemed to have no energy left for our table. Our food was mediocre; rice was dry, meat was dry. On top of that, my friends (a lesbian couple) were extremely uncomfortable at the end after they shared a simple kiss, to which the cooks would not stop staring and chuckling to themselves afterwards. I would skip this place and go to one of the better local mediterranean restaurants. Homophobia aside, the ambiance was horrible. read more

Love their food and their outside patio! Portions are plentiful and drinks are amazing! Great location and apmple parking

"Delicious Middle Eastern Food in Downtown Raleigh" Came here on a summer Thursday evening at 7pm. We had a reservation (group of 3), but it would've been fine to have shown up without one. There's a large bar to the right and general tables off to the left. We were seated right away. The setting was fine... some framed photos of people that were taken a very long time ago on the walls, and comfortably lit (I did appreciate the large windows in the front). Our server was excellent-- she provided great advice, she checked on us after each course was served, and she was generally helpful without being at all intrusive. We started with a vegetarian appetizer tray (falafel, cheese rolls, hummus, baba ghannouj, fattoush salad, stuffed grape leaves). I then had the shrimp kabob for my main, and I finished with a bit of berry sorbet for dessert. The food was SCRUMPTIOUS! The stuffed grape leaves had a pickled flavor that was wonderful. The hummus & baba ghannouj were delicious, and falafel was good. One small awkwardness to the appetizer tray-- it gave "two" of each item (e.g., stuffed grape leaves, falafel), so that made it a little hard to share with a group of 3, and some of those seemed silly (e.g., giving more than 2 falafel would not break the bank). As far as main dish, my shrimp was amazing. I don't know what it was marinated or seasoned with but the flavor was amazing-- tiny hint of spiciness with excellent flavor. I liked the mango salsa and rice that came with it too. And the berry sorbet had whole berries mixed in as well as being delicious. I was STUFFED by the end of the evening. The price was a little higher than I may have preferred, but given the quality and service as well as the central downtown Raleigh location, I won't fault them. Overall, I'd give this 4.5 stars, but I'll round up given how happy I was with the good quality and service. Would happily go back. read more

Very cute place! I chose to go here for my birthday dinner with friends and they were able to make a reservation the day of (given it was just a weekday). Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations food-wise. The staff is friendly! However the service did get a bit slow once we sat down, despite the restaurant not being very busy. The food itself was extremely average and honestly did not taste very authentic nor high quality. The worst experience we had was with the pizzette. The menu said it included pesto, but we tasted absolutely no pesto on this. The pizzette was DROWNED in balsamic to the point where the entire thing was soggy from it. It absolutely ruined the taste and the entire thing was inedible. Other items like falafel, chicken, lamb, etc were okay, but just did not blow us away and I would not ever get them again. Is it very nice that there is complimentary pita bread and oil though! I wish this included hummus as well. The overall restaurant has a nice ambiance and look, but I would say it's not really the place to go if you want a really good food experience. read more

Sitti - Lebanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I have been hearing rave reviews for Sitti for a while so I decided to finally check them out this weekend during the downtown Raleigh restaurant week. The business is located downtown so depending on when you dine in parking may be a little difficult. Luckily I was able to find free street parking right away since it was the weekend. I made a reservation & was seated right away. The restaurant had a nice ambience and had several tables in the dining area along with a bar. I believe that there is also seating downstairs as people were ushered to that area as well. The barcode for the paperless menu was on my table when I was seated. After a few minutes my server came over. She was nice but wasn't really enthusiastic or talkative. She took my drink order right away & I also told her what I wanted. She then brought over complementary pita bread. The bread was soft and tasted good. My appetizer was brought out quickly. I ordered the salmon kibbee which is basically fried salmon croquettes. It was served on a bed of greens with a watery mint yogurt sauce and pistachios. The salmon wasn't bad but I thought it would be better & more flavorful. It tasted like something was missing from the dish. I chose the lamb ragout for my entree. The lamb was braised in red wine and was served with vegetables over goat cheese polenta with a tabbouleh on top. The lamb was very tender and the polenta was creamy and very tasty. There was a large portion of the lamb. But I wanted more of the cooked vegetables on the dish. I also felt like the tabbouleh was out of place on this dish. My favorite part of the meal was the pumpkin cheesecake. The cheesecake was drizzled with caramel & topped with whipped cream and had a ginger cookie crust. The cheesecake was creamy and flavorful. After my meal my server gave me my bill with a barcode that I could scan to pay my bill online. I would come back & try other food options. read more

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The food. Its our third time. We love the space, service atmosphere and food! We are coming here for our anniversary and birthday next! read more

Really rough dining experience for us. We were very excited due to the high reviews, but our experience did not match up. Our server was disinterested at best and gave me the wrong salad. My shawarma was bland and overcooked. The only good part of the meal was the pita. We found the price to be steep for what we ate. Disappointing. read more

I am an absolute fool, and totally forgot to take photos of our entrées. However, there is a delightful photo of the mini vegetarian tasting platter, which deserves all the praise. If you are looking to try and sample the different cold and hot plates, you NEED to order this one!!! (I was able to sub the baba ghanouj for the feta cheese due to food allergy) We ate here in the early afternoon, and it was empty, which was great for our timing. Ambience, service, and most importantly, food were absolutely wonderful. I am Middle Eastern, and was able to appreciate their dishes. We also also ordered the chicken kebab, and chicken artichoke (which came in the form of pizza); both were great choices. Would highly recommend this place and totally come back. read more

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Service was indifferent at best. The interior is a classic Raleigh space, nice accents on the wall--images of Lebanon. But, the interior needs sprucing up. The food though, is excellent. The vegan platter is a collection of many tasty middle Eastern delights. I'm a fan of this food, and this was about the best of all these items I've had. The chicken with artichoke was also very good. Tender chicken with a flavorful sauce and tasty artichokes and capers in it. Definitely worth going back to, I hope they can work on the service aspect. read more

The food was absolutely delicious! The service was great, everyone who worked there was open and friendly and the atmosphere was very nice. I would become a regular, but I was only in town for a meeting. Definitely next time! read more

Attended a group dinner for 30 people. It was held in a private room in the basement. The food was buffet style.I would rate this 3.5 stars and am sure it would be 4 if the food was made to order versus buffet style. Enjoyed the hummus, beef kabobs, and, of course, the baklava. The main restaurant was full at both 6pm when arriving and 8pm when leaving. read more

Sitti has lovely food. Their sitti sampler is wonderful. I love their sauces and hummus. The windows are wonderful. Parking isn't ideal but that's alright. It is street parking and can be a bit iffy read more

Food and drinks were great!! This place did not disappoint!! They have a great menu and great sample choices as well.

I hadn't been to Sitti since the pandemic started but decided to go there over the weekend. It was always really busy when I had been there before but this time just two tables had guests. The waiter also gave me an issue about wanting a regular menu rather than scanning a QR code. I was told there were not any regular menus but 30 seconds later he grabbed one from the hostess stand. The rest of the table used this menu as well. I went with the beef kabob and that came with rice and yogurt. I enjoyed this part of the meal and my rating would have been higher if I had not ordered dessert. I got the baklava and was told it was being heated up. Two at the table ordered this so we knew something was wrong when neither of us could get a fork into it. I noticed parts were cold and other parts warm but as we got to the middle of it, it was still frozen. It did not taste very good at all. We each got two pieces so I was going to take my second piece home to defrost but I left it at the restaurant as I tend to leave without the to go boxes. But the second piece likely wasn't any better. Maybe I will try this place again in a few months and skip the dessert. read more

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Sitti has a wonderful environment, excellent service, but I wasn't a complete fan of the food. I ordered the Sitti sampler so I could try a little bit of everything since it was my first time trying Lebanese food. I thoroughly enjoyed 2 of the 6 items on my sampler, but didn't finish the other 4. The restaurant itself was fantastic, so I may just not be a fan of this style of food. Definitely give it a try if you're adventurous or are looking for a nice place for dinner in Raleigh. read more

Sitti - Sitti Sampler - Lebanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Whenever we come to Sitti, it's always an incredible experience to the palate The kibbi hot appetizer is full of flavor and the roasted pine nuts add a nice touch. The beef and lamb shawarma was so tender and flavorful and the rice was so fluffy and light. The lebneh has a nice tang to it and the tahini sauce had a nice consistency to dip meat into. If you like garlic, the garlic paste is creamy and just enough garlic flavor. Very authentic food and attentive service. Very clean restaurant and it felt very safe during covid. read more

Sitti - Kibbutz mikli with jallab drink - Lebanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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If you are in downtown Raleigh, Sitti is an absolute must. The ambiance is fantastic, and the food is better! I've always experienced great service, and the cocktails are fantastic. Sitti is one of my favorite "go to" restaurants in Raleigh. read more

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I hadn't visited Sitti in years, but it was a pleasant return. We opted for a Lebanese wine, crisp and light, though I can't recall the name. The dip trio was a hit--each one delicious in its own right. The chicken kabobs with garlic whip stole the show, so tasty and moist. The entire evening was bomb with friendly service. Just don't be clumsy like me and slide on the refurbished wooden floors in your cute heels. read more

Sitti - Mouhamra, Feta Cheese Dip, Hummus - Lebanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

My guy surprised me with dinner, in downtown Raleigh, on one of the few days off together. Sitti is on my list, and we opted for an early dinner to avoid rush hour traffic. We started with the feta salad, chunks of feta in a light spicy dressing, served with pita. I had the chicken artichoke, grilled chicken tossed with the right amount of spice and chopped artichokes aside a bed of basmati rice (or was it jasmine?) Either way it was delicious. My guy had the beef kabobs and enjoyed them thoroughly. Fresh made pita is amazing. The atmosphere was quiet, but tables begin to fill as we left. Overall, it was good and I'd eat here again, as there were other menu items that piqued my interest. read more

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Came here for a date night last week and it didn't disappoint. For starters it's in a nice location downtown and the restaurant is large, clean and service was good. The menu is larger that on your average Lebanese / Mediterranean restaurant so there were many options. They bring you fresh pita so be sure to order at least one dip. The baba ganoush was very good. Tried the pumpkin hummus and it was ok ( I guess I just like regular hummus better ). Tried another dip as well, can't remember the name though but it was very good ( the red one on my picture ). Ordered the feta and orange salad and it was amazingly good ! We also got a salmon dish which was ok and the mixed kabob grill that was also just ok. Because the main dishes were just ok for us that's why I took one star away from my review. Everything else was really good including the whipped garlic sauce that they brought and the Ashta dessert at the end. Price was ok ( not cheap but not super expensive either ). I will probably go back at some point to try something else. read more

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More like a 4.5/5 but hey! A little pricey and portions could be bigger but very good food. Drinks are solid. Kids meal has salmon which is amazing. I love the vibe of the place too. When I went it took a little long to get server for ordering and checking out and all that though. Otherwise, I'd recommend, yeah. read more

Delicious! This was our first time trying Sitti and it was really great quality food. We were not disappointed. The pita and olive oil was yummy; nice and warm. My husband got the chicken shawarma and he loved it. I tried a few bites and it was really perfect. I loved the combination of flavors with the grilled tomato, garlic yogurt, and pickles. My stepdaughter enjoyed the kid's beef plate. I'd love to come back again. read more

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I had high expectations coming into this restaurant experience, and I walked away a bit disappointed. The flavors were overall lacking. The chicken was a bit dry. The hummus was nothing notable. And I wouldn't recommend the cookie dessert. Our food didn't come out hot, and if I'm being frank, it didn't taste fresh. I've heard lunch may be better so I'm gonna give it another chance, but I can't yet say if this deserves to be labeled shwae. read more

Really enjoyed our evening visit to Sitti. We were a party of six with a reservation. The restaurant has a really pleasant and inviting vibe. It's a bit noisy but in a good way. The menu is extensive and makes it hard to choose, but everything we tried was excellent. Highly recommend the samplers. Wait staff was remarkably professional and good at what they do. read more

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Pretty impressed with the food at Sitti. Really loved the warm, freshly baked pita bread. It was so good that we definitely filled up on bread before the entrees. My favorite cold mezze was the baba ghanoush; it was sweet, savory, and perfect for dipping. They will also give you fresh vegetables to dip with if you ask! We got a plate of bell peppers, cucumbers, and carrots. My favorite part of the meal was definitely the curry with lamb. The curry was slightly sweeter because of the vegetables, almost like Thai curry. The lamb was perfectly braised inside the sauce. The only disappointing things were the drinks. I ordered a gin spritz that tasted like cough syrup. I only took a few sips of it and left it at the table. Overall, food and atmosphere gets it 4 stars, -1 star for the disappointing cocktails. read more

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The food is not half bad but I'll never go there again. I'm not sure what's changed, but recently every time we've gone, the wait has been ridiculous. The first time we had an issue, we were sat at the table for 40 minutes without even receiving water. The manager comped our meal which made up for it. Today we decided to give Sitti one more chance, but this time we sat for 25 minutes without even receiving water. Another couple arrived after us, ate, and left before we received our entrees. On top of that, we ordered steak tartare but they ran out of pita bread so it sat at room temperature for about an hour until they brought our bread. Just not a great experience. It's a shame because I used to go there all the time. read more

Terrible first experience for my friends and I. We sat 15 minutes before our waiter came. He finally introduced himself and said he'd be right back. We told him that's fine because we were ready to order. After another 15min and seeing him literally just walking around we finally made eye contact and we gestured him over. He came and took our orders. The food took a little while and mine came out cold. The manager came over and replaced it with a hot plate that was the same thing I ordered but looked totally different in portion size and presentation. I'm almost wondering if the first plate I got was someone's old plate they sent back. I ordered chicken artichoke and it was not good. The spritzer drink was good but had a little aftertaste. We waited again to get our waiters attention to ask for the bill. He took forever so we had to get the manager again to ask where he was because it had been over 20 MINUTES and one of my friends husband was outside waiting to pick her up. He finally came back with the checks and 3 out of 4 were wrong. The manager said he'd fix it. They stayed at the register and that took 15-20 minutes. I've never seen anything so ridiculous in my life! The manager didn't even come back and apologize! He's just as bad as the waiter. We just found out they charged one of my friends for someone else's bill. They did refund it later but never told her they made the mistake. They charged her for an amount significantly over her bill. As you know pending charges come out immediately but take up to 3 days to be credited back. We will not be back. The manager handled this situation poorly and didn't seem to care. I'd think twice about visiting Sitti unless you like poor service, bland food, and have an extra 2 hours to waste sitting and waiting. read more

Sitti - Chicken Artichoke - Lebanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

As a Chicagoan, it was a treat to have my coworker recommend an absolutely amazing Lebanese restaurant! Decisions decisions on the menu, and everything was flavorful from start to finish! The goat cheese peppers & shrimp kabobs were delicious, as was the Ashta dessert! A quiet unassuming locale, but a nice vibe that feels like home. Highly recommend taking a chance on Sitti! read more

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A nice restaurant near the capitol building in downtown Raleigh, Sitti offers lebanese cuisine and an assortment of drinks. The location was clean and well-designed, and the service was excellent. A bit of a louder and more festive environment than other restaurants, similar to a bar. We came for dinner on a Tuesday night. It was well-attended but not so packed that you couldn't get a table without a reservation. I imagine weekends are busier. All in all, it was an enjoyable dining environment. I would agree with other reviews here that the food was a bit of a hit or miss. The complimentary warm pita bread was great. For appetizers, we ordered the goat cheese stuffed peppers (excellent) and chicken shawarma (chicken was very moist but almost looked boiled rather than roasted, not much browning and I really couldn't taste much in the way of spices). For entrees, we got the samkeh harra (pan-seared salmon) and kafta kabob. The salmon was well cooked and tender, but a bit underseasoned for my preferences. The kafta kabob really had minimal seasoning and was quite bland, probably my least favorite of the bunch. We've only come once so this is a review for a small subset of their offerings. For those who wish to try lebanese food in downtown Raleigh, might be worthwhile to try other dishes. read more

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Let me say that I've been coming here since they opened and it has been one of my go to places. Tonight I went and not TO go there again. They used to serve a two piece Halumi cheese dish which was so good. Now they brought a small piece of cheese with one dates sliced up. The Kibe was greasy. My chicken kabob was quite reduced-even the onions and tomatoes that come with it were deducted from the dish. It all felt as if quantity and quality were dissolved. Raleigh already has a demeaning food scene where if you want something good you have to pay much more than it is worth and now the favorite places have fallen. read more

Delightful food, but awful service. I love Sitti food, but I will never order their takeout again the wait was ridiculous and the host didn't even check if my food was ready until after they had told me to wait 20 minutes for food that had been sitting out since before I got there. By the time I got my food it was cold and I had wasted most of my lunch break waiting. It is a wonderful place for a dining in experience but horrible for takeout. read more

Sitti - Sun-Dried Tomato Pizzette - Lebanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We went to Sitti last night for our anniversary dinner and it was the one thing in our day that was disappointing. We love Mediterranean food because it's always so full of flavor with herbs, spices etc. So experiencing bland food at a restaurant that has a rating of 4.5 was unexpected. It took a while for the appetizers to come out but when they did we enjoyed most of them - the falafel, mouhamra, feta cheese dip, goat cheese salad, tonic punch were good. The fried cauliflower was just ok. Their version of baba ghanouj wasn't my favorite but it may just be a difference in how different regions make it. The entrees we got were disappointing - the salmon had no flavor/ seasoning outside of the sauce on top of it. The kale tasted like it was blanched and absolutely nothing else added, not even salt. It definitely didn't have garlic like my waitress said. I ordered the eggplant kabob and it wasn't until a few mins after my dish was brought out without the main item that I was informed that they ran out of eggplant. The mujaddara rice seemed over cooked. It may have been an off night for them but we won't be back. There are several other Mediterranean restaurants in the triangle that haven't disappointed. read more

I should have read my review from a year ago. I came at opening but it was very busy. I ordered the artichoke chicken, which I kid you not arrived along with my appetizer not more than 5 minutes after my order. Um, is there a microwave back there? I was really hungry. The baba ghanouj was good. The chicken sat in my stomach like a rock. The service was good but the waiter was trying to take orders from two tables at the same time. I did leave a good tip. I don't think I'll go back. read more