Tanoor is one of the more pleasant surprises in my time in Seattle. I've always thought about the…read moreWestlake / SLU area as a food dessert. Filled with corporate slop bowls to fuel up tech bros, you won't find a decent meal anywhere on this side of the lake. But Tanoor is kind of like that special someone who has been there your whole life but you've always looked past for greener pastures. This restaurant was staring me right in the eyes for years, and I didn't realize how magnificent it was until today. When you walk in you are greeted by warm, fresh and fluffy pita. Guess what, IT COMES WITH THE MEAL! Everyone knows I'm a sucker for some free bread. But don't let these Lebanese pillows fill you up, the dip marathon has just begun. The menu here is unlike anything I've ever seen. You can get lost trying to figure out what to order for lunch, so I would advise consulting the waitstaff for guidance through this delightful maze. I just looked on their menu to figure out what the fries that I ate were called, and I can't find them for the life of me. But they had their own incredible dip completely covering them. At one point we had 4 different dips on the table, and I'm not sure how they got there. 1) The dip on the fries 2) Spicy hummus (not that spicy, incredibly tasty) 3) Za'tar that comes with the pita 4) Yogurt sauce that came with the Kabob combo Everything comes with something else here. And since I was having an electric conversation with my good friend, I sort of lost track of everything that we ordered. But if you love dipping things in other things as much as I do, you will love Tanoor!

The food here is pretty good. The fresh bread that is served at the table is the highlight. This…read morerestaurant has a modern vibe and is a nice dine in option in the area. I highly recommend the combo for two to three people as you get a variety of different appetizers and all of the main kabobs. However, a couple of things that really made this experience mediocre. First, the meat was overcooked even though I asked for medium rare. Most of the meat came out medium well. The rice was undercooked and hard when you bit into it. The server could have been more attentive.. didn't come back to check on us, even though the restaurant wasn't super busy. The biggest disappointment is that this establishment passes on a 5% fee to help pay for their staff's benefits. They stay it's optional and they can take it off but it's very distasteful. The owner should reconsider this and build this expense into the pricing of their menu. Otherwise their wait staff is going to feel slighted when customers leave less tip because of this additional fee. Overall, this is a solid place, but the experience was just average considering all aspects, and therefore the three star rating.

Amazing service and even better food. Lots of cultural decor. We went on a Saturday evening, we…read moredid not go to see the show so we sat on the door side. Once seated the chef came out to tell us the specials and when I mean specials, they will make it however you like. That is how special. You wanted the lamb meatballs in curry they will make it. This place is seriously a gem. They make you feel so welcome and you can tell they are so thankful that you came in. We had virgin mojitos, SO GOOD! We weren't super hungry so no starters this time. We both got the kofta. Probably the best kofta in the state! Just delicious. So much flavor in the entire dish. Pretty good serving size. I believe you could share it, but if you like to eat, you can totally just order for yourself. Again, food is delicious. Staff is so lovely. Would highly, highly recommend. Maybe we will go back and catch a show there some time. Either way, I cannot wait to go back.

Came here for a Flamenco performance. The place is cute with many tables, large space and a stage…read more Street parking only. The service was not attentive at all. I'm Not used to such coldness from the staff. The food was pretty good though. We ordered a combo platter of dips. They came with huge, delicious flatbreads. Tzatziki was really really good too. And we got a combination kebab. All the meats were really tasty and juicy. The rice, however, was tasteless and unseasoned. Sangria was delicious, not the usual kind that is wine heavy. This one was very light on alcohol and sparkling. Personally, I loved it but I can imagine someone who is a sangria connoisseur may be disappointed in lack of wine/alcohol in this. All in all, the service was lacking, but food was tasty.

ZAINA still is the CHAMP! Friends, stop cheating yourself…read moreand treat yourself to this LAMB GOOOODNESSSS! Seriously, you deserve this!

Disappointed. The red flag was walking in and not seeing…read moreany gyro or shawarma meat on the spit. When I asked, the lady said yes they are open and they have food. The meats taste like they are premade and pre packaged. It tastes ok but very sloppy. I suspect the slop is to mask the prepackaged meats. The lady was also extremely unfriendly. Service was non existent. The place was dirty, the counter had an opened half bag of chips, the shelves dirty with food bits, hair. Hygiene 2/10. Price 2/10 it's way overpriced one thing. The price discrepancy between website, yelp and in person pricing is not only unethical it's also un-Islamic. Islam forbids price deception. Overall I think this place needs serious overhaul. Maybe it was great in what, 2006? Now it's a yikes.

Three of us shared four dishes and one soft serve was the perfect amount of food…read more Everything was super yummy and fresh. Highly recommend the three dip (current seasons is beet and it's my fav) with the flat bread. The flat bread comes out steaming. Trumpet mushroom is Smokey and juicy. Lamb comes in braised form and kebab both really good The soft serve swirl has the perfect texture and flavor. Would come back again!

I organized a reunion for our group, the first time we'd all been together in over 10 years. We've…read moreall been through life experiences none of us expected, so this dinner meant a lot. I arrived 20 minutes before opening and was first in line. One friend joined me 10 minutes later. At 5pm it was just the two of us, so I asked for a table for 4 and explained that I'd happily order food and drinks for everyone immediately, even though the rest of the group was still fighting the weekday traffic. The hostess refused, so we stepped aside. 2 minutes later our 3rd friend arrived. I asked the group behind us if they minded us getting back in line. They laughed and said it was no problem because they had just had their 3rd person arrive as well. When I got back in line, the hostess deliberately skipped over me and called the next group instead. After seating them, I stopped her and asked for a table for 3. She asked if it would "really" be just 3. At that point I honestly didn't know. Our 4th friend was driving from Everett and had texted that she was stuck in standstill traffic. I said yes, seat the 3 of us. The hostess told us to wait while she seated yet another group, taking the last indoor table. We were then placed outside on a hot day. Despite how the evening started, I did exactly what I'd said I would. We ordered dinner for the entire group, including 2 bottles of wine to avoid inconveniencing them with making drinks. Then, incredibly, the hostess came back to our table and removed the 4th chair to make absolutely sure our last friend couldn't join us if she arrived. It felt petty, unnecessary, and frankly embarrassing. What should have been a joyful reunion became a stressful experience because of one person's rigid and unwelcoming attitude. The food was equally inconsistent. The labneh was extremely sour and came with cold, slightly stale pita. The squid & lamb were overly salty. The kohlrabi with peaches was so aggressively smoky that we left almost the entire dish untouched. The mushrooms were fine. The grilled pork was excellent and easily the highlight of the meal. The cod was just okay, and the desserts were average. We spent ~$500 for the meal. People don't spend this kind of money just for the food. The price reflects the entire experience, and that's where this restaurant failed. The service felt cold, impersonal, and overly focused on rules instead of hospitality. Rather than making guests feel welcome, the hostess made us feel like a problem she had to manage. I've had warmer, friendlier service at fast food restaurants. I won't be returning, and I took the time to write this review because no meal, especially one marking such a meaningful reunion, should be overshadowed by such an unnecessarily unpleasant welcome.

The best falafel ever! The Greek fries were so flavorful. It is definitely a repeat. The hummus was…read morecreamy and the salad was fresh

Welcoming atmosphere, delicious food, and great prices. This is definitely a gem in Seattle! We…read morewere one of the first guests of the lunch rush and the chef gave us a falafel ball to sample. It was crisp, juicy and so flavorful. This was true of everything we ordered as well! Cannot wait to come back, 10/10 would recommend :)

Solid gyro spot that happens to be 60ft from my place…read more The food was well seasoned and you could really taste the garlic pop (which I loved) The portion sizes were great as well. I had the Greek fries and shawarma and will definitely head back to try other items on the menu! Five stars

Horrible ambience, but excellent food! My husband and I got a Beef Shisk Kabob and a Gyro sandwich…read more It was the best we've ever had!! The Beef Shish Kabob was the tastiest wrap I had ever tried with incredibly fresh ingredients and lovely mix of spices! Highly recommend trying it! Just get takeout.. The ambience may disappoint you as it can use a good cleaning and a new set of furniture. But, all that aside, the food is amazing! Takes a bit long to prepare since it's a one man's shop. But, it's worth the wait!

Upon reading reviews about being takeout only, we went last night, ordered take out and decided to…read moretake it to the beach. Best date night! The portions are generous and Rula and George were unbelievably kind. You can truly taste the love in their food! Rula provided fantastic knowledge about the food, dietary restrictions, and details about how it's made. We definitely have a new go-to spot for take out! All the food was incredible, the kafta kabab was fresh and juicy! Rula explained that all gyro comes frozen and all restaurants in the area have the same source that they get it from but they season their specially--the seasoning on it was outstanding. The rice, hummus, and Babaghanouje was delicious. The surprise stand out was the salad dressing! I would buy bottles of it to put on everything if I could! It was SO good!!

The best food! Generous portions and great neighborhood restaurant. George and Rula remember your…read morenames and your orders. The food is always delicious. One entree is big enough for two people.We love this place and the owners

Yalla is a walk up window slinging unbelievably delicious Palestinian food. I went on a gorgeous…read moreSaturday just after 12PM and there was no line, but it looked like they were packing some take out orders. The signature saj bread is cooked fresh on a hot stone and is almost like a Middle Eastern flour tortilla with the way it's super thin and satisfyingly chewy bite. The only seating options are a few large benches on the sidewalk, but there's a poster saying you're welcome to sit at the neighboring bar which opens in the late afternoon provided you purchase a drink as well. Ended up sampling 3 of their wrap options and the Zaatar Wrap was deliciously nutty and fragrant, but texturally there was so many herbs that the center ate a little dry. The Lahme Khuruf (Lamb) was my favorite by far with super juicy ground meat with some tang from the labneh, sweetness, freshness from the tomato, and texture from the pine nuts. Absolute home run on this one! The Awarma and Cheese was a close second, but personally, the flavor profile was just a little less interesting than the lamb. Tip: grab some extra napkins as the wraps can fall apart a bit at the end!

Update: I left a comment on the Square receipt about never getting the hot sauce and the business…read moreowner responded within minutes and refunded. Great service and fast response! I got a build-my-own saj wrap with the mushroom base saj $6, sumac chicken $7, tomato $1.5, cucumber $1.5, pickled turnip $1, and a side of hot sauce $2. The saj bread itself tasted good, but got soaked through by the juice of the chicken and became very soggy. We walked to a park 10 minutes away to eat the wraps and the wraps were bending. The ingredients are fresh but nothing particularly stood out. I didn't quite taste the mushroom on the wrap, and on top of that, I got charged $2 for the hot sauce, but never tasted it in the wrap or found it on the side. My partner got the falafel saj wrap which was overall ddcent, but he also found the saj bread quite soggy, yet the falafels were on the dry side.

Came here for dinner this past Tuesday to celebrate a couple of friend's birthdays. One of my…read morefriends called a head for a reservation since there were five of us just in case for 6pm. Service was friendly and patient as we tried to make decisions and asked questions. I have a friend that kind handle chile spice due to medical condition they were very accommodating when it was needed by having certain sauces on the side. We shared a number of dishes and two bottles of wine. We started with the Hummus bil Lahm ou Snobar, my favorite dish of the evening a hummus with bubbling spiced lamb. Baba Ghanouj, Bisara Munir, Arnabeet, Alhalaioun and the chicken and beef Shish Taouk. Everything was delicious. Flavorful, the proteins were cooked perfectly nice and tender. One of our friends likes meat a lot and hadn't cause he thought it was a vegetarian restaurant. We had to have the green chile sauce on the side of the asparagus dish cause of my friend but that was ok we were putting it in other items we loved it so much. Also the whipped garlic that came with the chicken and beef was a big hit! We had never had Lebanese wine and enjoyed our selections. Love that it felt like a healthier meal with the vegetables and spreads. Didn't feel stuffed after but definitely satisfied. They even comped dessert for my friends birthday which I believe was an orange rose water pudding. Welcoming warm space. Parking is fairly easy on a Tuesday night. Looking forward to visiting again

Great intimate family-friendly restaurant with authentic Lebanese food. Street parking…read more My favorites ares the lamb hummus with pine nuts and the squash grounded dip. Both were very flavorful and well balanced. Love the different textures. The roasted broccoli was OK, it was on the less cooked side The entree skewers were pretty good too. Shoutout to the kind service that let me combine and do half beef and half chicken because at the point I was too full from all the appetizers I ordered but still wanted to try both. One thing I really loved about the skewer is the sauces that came on the side: one tahini, one garlic, and one tomato. Such delicious sauces! Entrees were a little pricey though. Last but not least my party enjoyed the special Lebanese wine.

We decided to try out a new restaurant on a whim and had an amazing dinner at Koshari tonight. They…read moreserve authentic Lebanese and Egyptian food. We got the lentil soup, Koshari bowl, falafel meal, and loubya bzeit. Everything was outstanding and very delicious. The owners also had incredible house made hot sauces and they were proud to share they were using authentic ingredients. The star of the show was Sahlab dessert beverage, which a milk drink made with delicate flavors of orange blossom water, rose water, and mastic, topped with cinnamon, coconut, and nuts. I'm so glad we gave this place a try and supported a family owned business. We'll be back for sure.

Koshari is an awesome spot in the neighborhood! It is located inside the Salt & Sugar cafe, and…read moreturns into the Koshari restaurant in the evening. My dad took my husband and I here as a thank you for cat sitting. He had been here before a few times, and said it was a must-try. We ordered family style, and shared the Koshari Bowl, Ful Medammas Meal, Lebanese Fattit Hummus, and hibiscus iced tea. Everything was absolutely delicious, reasonably priced, and very filling. There are plenty of tables to sit at or we witnessed several people order food to-go as well. We chatted with the owner and her family who were super friendly and kind.