The portion size i received was enough for 3 meals! For starters they had a complimentary pickled medley dish, with turnips, beets, and cabbage, with a side of pepperoncini. The pickled cabbage reminded me a bit of kimchi but with a Middle-Eastern flair....not bad! Looking thru the menu i was trying to find a nice hearty dish, so i decided to go with the Stuffed Lamb which was described in the menu as "stuffed baby lamb with rice, served with laban (yogurt) or salad". Sounded good, so i went with it....but, it def wasn't 'stuffed' lamb. Instead it was lamb on top of a bed of rice with a side fattoush salad. Nonetheless, it was still an incredible dish. A HUGE serving, and the lamb was cooked perfectly! Melted like butter! And the wide range of spices used to season the lamb was heavenly! The only complaint i had was the service. My waitress, Samira, wasn't the most helpful, and i saw the chef more out in the dining area talking with customers and seeing how everyone's food was more so than the waitress?!?! Anyhoo, it was nice to see the chef out mingling with customers! : ) read more

This was one of my favorite Middle Eastern restaurants when I lived in Dearborn so long ago, and I'm excited to say that it's as good now as it ever was. It's a neighborhood place - very relaxed and reasonably priced, with solid, flavorful food. On my last visit, I had the baba gannoush, vegetarian grape leaves and a raspberry smoothie. The baba was just right - the perfect level of garlic and tahini, neither of which overwhelmed the eggplant (yes, I could taste the eggplant! ). The warm veggie grapes leaves, filled with fluffy long grain rice, were the perfect comfort food on a chilly night (and didn't just taste like vinegar, either). Have to admit the smoothie wasn't very raspberry-ish, but it was fresh, honey-sweet, banana thickened and beautiful. I'm a sucker for cozy, red booths, which account for most of the seating. It's a family sorta place, but it's a good for a date, too. I'm also a sucker for automatic pita and pickles. The pita loaves come to you warm and whole (not quartered and bagged). Their turnips are the best I've had. Order some hummus and baba and you have substantial appetizers. Finally, I have to add that, even though I just tasted a bit of it, my husband's fried kebbeh was the best lamb I've ever had. I'm not saying it was the highest quality meat. But I usually hate lamb and I loved this! It was something about the ground meat, mixed with the spices. Can't wait to order it next time. And then, for my next trick... raw kebbeh! read more

I wanted to like this place more than I did. The food we got was mixed, some good some not great. The beef/lamb shawarma was pretty tasty, would get again. The hummus to start was also good, but I wish the bread had been served warm. The chicken shawarma was dry and not very tasty. Wouldn't get again. Also, the lentil soup didn't really do it for me. There are other places in the area that have much better lentil soup. The service here was really good, very fast. read more

3.25 Stars So I was told that Al-Ameer made some of the best Shawarmas in existence and I was really excited about it. I ordered one chicken and one lamb shawarma. Both were very good and I was with a party of 8 who also ordered the shawarma. You know that feeling where after you've enjoyed a meal with your friends you all end up looking at one another and are instantly able to read their expressions? That was us and each of us were eager to say it first until I stepped up. These Shawarmas were good - but kind of mediocre. We all agreed and we have all had the pleasure of eating at one of our favorites: Muncheez in Washington, DC which still the resounding king of shawarmas. Still though - what spoiled it for me was when a group of people said how amazing it is. Had they not said anything, the bar would have been lowered. Al-Ameer is an institution in Dearborn and has been around for a very long time and is always packed to the brims so be ready to expect very long lines and very long waits to get seated. Still, despite all this, the food comes out reasonable fast and the service is very friendly. I still recommend it for a number of reasons: While the food isn't as earth-shattering as I expected it to be, it is still very good, and great for a family situation where you have many diners in the party. The prices are cheap and will not send you to the poor house if you pick up the entire tab. And you'll look like a stud too. read more

My, how the mighty have fallen. I had the "opportunity" to lunch here and came away very disappointed. I met some coworkers for lunch with a retiree who loves this place. The first thing I noticed was that the place was empty. When a restaurant as well regarded as Al-Ameer is empty at lunch, questions are raised. I ordered a Kafta lunch special with hummus and a salad. The price: $8.95+tax. which is pretty pricey for the area. I was expecting a Lebanese salad, but what I received was nearly all lettuce, with noting other than lemon juice based dressing. Not good. When my kafta and hummus arrived, I was surprised at how small the portions were. That would have been ok if the quality was there, but alas, it was not. The meat was very dry and chewy, and the hummus was very basic, much like the Basha stuff you can get at Kroger. Perhaps the worst item of all was a very poor, bitter garlic sauce that was not edible. It saddens me that Al-Ameer has dropped so much. After all they are one of the relatively few places that serves homemade bread. That fact gives them one additional star. Expensive, and not very tasty. Skip this place and hit Hamido or Tuhamas. Your wallet and tummy will thank you for it. read more

I have been eating here off and on for 20+ years and always my choice for Mediterranean. I pass by a dozen other restaurants to come here. The food was delicious. read more

Al-Ameer - Middle Eastern Near Me - Dearborn, Michigan

The venue itself is quite deplorable, I saw numerous things in the restaurant that were very poorly managed. Bathrooms were a mess, and immediately outside the bathroom there were broken tiles and dirty floor and mops. I ordered a takeout sandwich and meal. The shawarma was not made properly, lots of greasy fatty pieces and I specifically asked them to give some garlic sauce and it was a completely dry sandwich. The entree I ordered was dry as well, no sauces with it and the meat was burnt and shoved with the skewer into the container. I didn't have a good experience at all with the food. read more

I'm a falafel and baba ghanoug fanatic, so I was super excited to try both at Al-Ameer! The falafel was quite good (although the patties were a little small compared to some others I've had...) but very reasonably priced. You can even order a dozen or half-dozen for carry out. Yum! The baba ghanoug was nothing special, but the side portion was generous. The mini pitas that came on the house were what really BLEW ME AWAY, as was our friendly waitress Sue who gave us great service :) She brought fattoush salad on the house and a whole bag of fresh pitas to take home with us when we told her how much we loved them! As a side note, my coworker highly recommends the kafka (sp?), since she ordered it again on her second trip here! read more

Excellent quality, taste and service. It was a pleaSant surprise. Fresh pitas were out of this world.

3.5 Delicious flavoring .... very fresh..... meat a little dry . Baba ganouj was a little too smokey tasting and tabouli could use a little more bulgar. Great place for families and good times together . Will be back . Not too much to complain about ! Was a fun time ! read more

This a great place to eat I have eaten there several times they won the James beard cooking award and two people from the cooking channel visited them on there TV show Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain they loved the place read more

Al-Ameer lives up to the hype. This is by far the best middle eastern restaurant I have been to outside of the Middle East. I'd recommend going with a group of at least four, and getting both the appetizer platter and the Al-Ameer dinner platter. If you're not quite that hungry, don't miss out on the hummus, baba ganoush, chicken shawarma, or falafel. read more

Al-Ameer ranked high on my list of places to eat at while visiting Michigan as I had heard plenty of good things about it. As a fan of Middle Eastern food I couldn't pass up the opportunity to eat food in the most densely populated Middle Eastern area in the US. I started out with the Mezza (8 different appetizers) platter which was excellent, though the portions for two is enough for 4, especially if you planning on having an entree. For an entree I enjoyed the Shwarma platter which was tender and flavorful. Overall, I was not blown away by the food, but I sure left happy and well fed. read more

Comfortable place! The food wasn't to die for, but it was good. DON'T order the grape leaves! Too fake!! People are very nice.

This review goes out to my Dad, thanks a lot Pops for this referral! My dad peeped by recent work travel to Motor City on Facebook and called to rave about this place where he once had amazing Lebanese food in the middle of the night. He assured me that it was worth the out-of-my-way drive to Dearborn and he was way too right. I started off with a basic carrot smoothie/juice drink and ordered the baked Kibbi and chicken schwarma. I didn't know about the portion sizes and when my food came the older gentlemen at the table next to me asked if they could join me for lunch. Mama doesn't share fellas, BACK UP. Al-Ameer has the absolute best chicken schwarma I have ever, ever tasted and I grew up with a Lebanese man. I don't know what they are doing to the chicken but it's addictive. Thanks you to the TSA agents at the airport for letting me get through security with SEVERAL to go boxes and I am sorry to all my fellow passengers that I am sure I made very jealous. read more

This is one of the best meals I've had. Ever! The only reason I gave it 4 stars was the service. **However this is a place where families come to eat, socialize etc. So relax, enjoy your food, have some conversation and stay a bit. Let the pickeled vegetables and pita/oil prime your palate. We need not hurry this meal. We had a platter with a bit of everything and a bunch of sides, salad, pickeled vegetables, and each had a raw juice cocktail. If for no other reason go for the cocktail. I will take you there myself - you have to try one. *Tip - when your main entree arrives, ask for anything you may want in the next 15 min, and ask for your bill, then you can enjoy and also not feel as though you wait for the check. read more

This is probably one of the best Mediterranean meals I've ever had! The taste of it all was extremely satisfying. I would recommend anyone to try this place out. I had the combo platter which bring the best of everything. The best overall is the bread!! read more

First time here tonight with my family for my sister's birthday. I'm a huge fan of Middle Eastern food and this place hit the spot! We ordered the family tray, which is supposed to feed 4-6. We had a party of 5, and the tray could easily feed 2-3 more people. The food was delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed the salad, chicken shawarma, lamb kabobs, beef kabobs, and falafel. I will definitely return if I'm in the area again. read more

Really good food used to come Here daily when I worked in the area they have AMAZING fateh and it's always so Fresh with nice pieces of meat goes perfect for breakfast for 2-3 and their entrees are amazing as well everything is always fresh cause they are so busy one of the best in Dearborn read more

So I was on my way back home from Toronto, and got a little hungry so I stopped in Dearborn for a quick meal. I have heard from many people that Al-Ameer is one of the better Middle Eastern restaurants in Dearborn. So I get there and the place has a great atmosphere, and restaurant is clean, and the staff is very attentive. I ordered the Beef Shawarma, and it was delicious. Overall it was a great experience. read more

Al Ameer.. I miss you and your succulent meaty meals. Oh my. I don't think I have ever ordered something here I did not like. The hummus and little pitas are so good, I could make a meal out of these alone. The hummus is creamy and perfectly balanced. Not gritty, not too citrusy or too tahini-y as you find at other, inferior places. Their falafel is the bomb. It is well-seasoned, crispy yet fluffy and plain delightful. Chicken shawarma is always juicy, never gristly and consistantly good. The kafta is juicy, whereas it is easy for this dish to turn out dry - it never is here. I have a huge dislike for most rice and I usually avoid it like the plague, but not so much here. I actually like their rice, it is not dry at all and has good overall flavor. Writing this review got me hungry, I am pretty sure we will swing by here again in the very near future as it is hard to stay away. read more

Huge portion, delicious food, really nice people. Hassan, the owner's son was so hospitable, he gave us a large humus at no charge when he learned we were going to a funeral. Will be back. read more

Al-Ameer is the restaurant that led to my love of Middle-Eastern food... when I heard my best friend Anthony Bourdain visited this spot, I realized that this place is a true winner. They had a recent upgrade so the interior is a bit newer but let's focus on the highlight of Al-Ameer: their bomb food! Their pita bread is far and away my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ever. It comes to you warm and poofed up like a balloon of pillowy, doughy heaven. Top it with their hummus and garlic sauce and you're not only in heaven but also helping your heart kick a little stronger. I love the days when they have actual pickled beets but there have been many days when my excitement turns to disappointment. The fact that pickled beets are not consistent is my only complaint of this place. Best lentil soup, best fattoush salad, and best chicken schwarmas I have had. I even think their fries and pepsi tastes better there.... Their service is attentive but not really "friendly" but I prefer that since I'm usually frantically filling a pita bread with some mixture of food. read more

Been going to this place for years. I usually stop here on my way to and from Toronto for shawarmas, my road trip snack and crack.The meat shawarma is awesome and priced just right. 4 stars because as someone else said , the garlic sauce is on the weak side. read more

Dearborn has so many middle eastern restaurants, especially Lebanese. Food - taste ok, huge portion size. You have to try a few times to figure out what dishes are made to your liking. I find their meat shwarma on the sour and salty side for my taste. Service - quick and quite attentive Environ - nice decor, comfortable booth chairs, good for large groups or small parties Overall, it's a nice place to go if you are in the area. They also have another store at Ford and Middlebelt, but this one has better ambiance. read more

I went there around noon craving an authentic Falafel. I ordered Super Deluxe sandwich (Falafel with hummus and tabbouli) for $3.75. The sandwich was so bad. The pita bread wasn't fresh at all, the hummus was tasteless, and the tabbouli was dry. For me, it wasn't like what I expected from an authentic restaurant at all. Their so called fresh raw juice was disgusting as well. I tried the Fruit Cocktail which was close to a smoothie than a fresh juice. read more

Per the managers request I again tried (to love) Al-Ameer. We went on a Muslim holiday and the place was jammed with families which was great to see. Tried a different selection of things from the last time - hummus, shawarma (of course) and m'jadara. Then I went immediately to a different restaurant for a carry out for the weekend. The subsequent week I tried a third restaurant. Of the three, Al-Ameer was my third favorite. Good: Nice place for a family meal, quick service, like the wait staff. Eh: Food. It is still not my favorite - very under seasoned and again it was alright...but not terrific. Bad: Parking can be a pain, but if you know that going in, you can get over it quickly. Sorry I still am not overwhelmed with this place. read more

I didn't know that Bourdain had visited this place until my friend told me that as we sat down. Most of the time, she said the place is packed, but we got there at 11am on a Sunday morning when there were loads of other events going on, so we were seated immediately and served impeccably. Man, I love my Middle Eastern food, and I've had quite a bit, but none as good as this. The pita bread is a textural heaven while their hummus makes me want to hurt someone. And the falafel! The falafel was just the perfect temperature with the perfect fried:soft consistency. I can see what Bourdain was doing here. Loved it! Our waiter was also a super friendly guy who recommended some great stuff. read more

Best Middle Eastern food I've eaten-as advertised. Got the family plate & had leftovers. Amazing service; very attentive. Only complaint is poor signage in the parking lot - its ONE WAY! read more

Al-Ameer wasn't the worst, but it certainly wasn't the best. The highlights were the hummus with lamb and the mini pita rounds. The lowlights were the baked eggplant salad (served cold and very lemony, just not what I expected) and the rice, which was reminiscent of Uncle Ben's but with little brown noodles intermixed. The shish kafta sandwich was just ok, but severely lacking in moistness -- some hummus would've been good in there. Service was good until after we got our food. We were sitting there ready to leave for a good 20 minutes, but it was impossible to flag down our waitress, despite the fact that the place was maybe half-full of customers. read more

It's not often that I call out and say Diner Drive-in's and Dives is wrong... but come on this time it's obvious, the competition is just too steep. To me Dearborn is ruled by two giants in Middle Eastern cooking Ollie's and La Pita. Before you say I am too critical I have to give Al Ameer some props, I feel that they are better priced than their competition and do make an amazing Shwarma. So why don't I think they are the best? Middle Eastern cooking comes down to one core element for me, the garlic sauce. Every self-respecting Middle Eastern restaurant in the Detroit area has their own version of the ever popular garlic sauce condiment, different consistencies and potencies abound. Sadly Al Ameer's falls on the wrong side of the spectrum for me, the consistency is like ranch and the potency is weak compared to garlicier version, I'm sure the uninitiated newbs like it but once you have real thick and strong garlic sauce you don't go back. If that sounds obsessive, well yes I'll admit I am a bit obsessed with garlic sauce. read more

If 10 stars were an option, Al-Ameer would get 11. If we're in Dearborn, I'm going to ask to eat at Al-Ameer. There is no other option in my mind. If we have family or friends visiting from out of state, we're taking them here. It is by far my favorite for middle Eastern in metro Detroit (or anywhere that I've tried outside of Michigan). Their service is amazing, it's always clean, their staff is friendly and efficient. Though I love chicken, I'm a huge fan of their falafel side and lentil soup. I usually just make a meal out of a side of falafel, garlic sauce, and lentil soup. It's perfect comfort food. I have done the legwork on trying to find something a little closer to my home/work that is as good as Al-Ameer, but I haven't been able to come close. I've tried other locations as well, they all good, this is just the one we go to the most because my boyfriend works nearby. He generally gets a fattoush salad - also delicious from the bites I've stolen. read more

I really like this place, Having been living in this area for a number of years I have become more and more used to Middle eastern cuisine. I am in fact a little bit pick about the type of falafel that I get, because sometimes it can end up tasting like cardboard hockey pucks. This place didn't have that issue. Service - The service was very friendly, and they were willing to help with whatever questions we might have. I pretty much knew what I wanted. Food - The food was very good, the falafels were cooked right, the vegetables were done right, I liked the Hummus Ambiance - It's a very nice place to eat, it has that typical middle eastern type feel. Also A dead give away that an ethnic food place is good, is when you look around and you see people of that ethnicity eating there. You can tell you are getting authenticity and good food. Al ameer had this. I would definitely go back **vegetarian options available** read more

OK, as others have pointed out, there are about 500 options for good food in this neighborhood. What keeps me going back to Al-Ameer is the great service. I've never had a waiter or waitress who wasn't fantastically kind and patient, especially since I often come here with a friend who dreams up kooky custom orders. They always make her what she wants, and laugh about it with us. In fact, several of the staff recognize us the minute we walk in. Protip: Park along the back of the building, it's much easier than trying to get one of the side spots, where takeout orders are coming and going. read more

Excellent Middle-Eastern food. Great bread, grilled meat, hummus, and garlic yogurt sauce.

Where do I begin? Ive been eating at Al Ameer for 20 years....... The food is consistently spectacular....Everything thing is delicious and fresh. You can taste the quality and careful preparation that goes into every bite. I know every restauant in dearborn, Al Ameer is my favorite. The place is clean and ive been in there kitchen that is spotless..... You will not be dissapointed. read more

One of the best Middle Eastern Restaurants in Michigan! Make sure you try the hummus Beirut and the lamb stew. Those two are not to be missed! If you're in a hurry grab a shawarma sandwich, they are so good read more

Al-Ameer - Hummus Beirut with a little jalapeño kick! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Dearborn, Michigan

We visited Detroit recently, and knew we had to get some Middle Eastern food while we were in Dearborn for the Henry Ford museum. We met a friend at Al-Ameer and he suggested sharing the appetizer platter. This came with labneh, hummus, baba ganoush, kibbeh, tabbouleh, fatoosh, chicken wings (?), stuffed grape leaves, falafel, and several baskets of freshly baked pita bread. We also got the sausage sampler. This was more than enough food for 3 of us at lunch. Very friendly waitress, and the restaurant was pretty easy to find. Fiancé and I got some of the blended juices. They were good, but not mind-blowing. I would love to come back here again next time I visit the area! read more

While I wouldn't consider it the best Middle Eastern in metro Detroit, it is excellent food, far better than their spelling (check out the "chick pees" on the menu. Mmm.). The menu is huge. The servings are huge. The family platters are ESPECIALLY huge. My craving for its lentil soup as I write about this place is huge. Crushed ice in the sodas? Huge. The service can be a bit spotty, and not everything I've tried on the menu has been grade-A. But the odds of you walking away disappointed are about as small as me putting anything called a chick "pee" in my mouth. read more

While in the area, decided to do Middle Eastern cuisine at one of the well respected purveyors in Dearborn. This was my first visit to Al-Ameer but I've got to say...I was quite impressed. Started with the plate of Hummus, Baba Ghanoush and lamb stuffed grape leaves. All authentic and all very good. For our shared entrée, we grabbed the Lamb Kabob plate. I know we kind of surprised our waiter by ordering the lamb medium rare - for some reason, I don't think they get many requests for medium rare. Nevertheless, he produced a kabob with perfectly cooked lamb just the way we like it. Solid Middle Eastern cuisine at fair prices and good service. Four stars all day long for Al-Ameer. read more