The staff is friendly and professional. The restaurant is very clean. The basterma sandwich is worth trying. Mellow and aromatic, it's a tasty cured meat sandwich. My wife had the arayis and enjoyed it. She also had the spinach pie that she enjoyed. Though we will not order those items again, as we will try other items next time. We will have to order the delicious falafels every time we visit. They were a great deal at 8 for $5. Everything here seems like great prices. I'm bringing back family when they visit. read more

I love Al Raouche! Been going there even when they were on Railway Ave. Best Middle Eastern food! I passed by toda, and the sign was changed to Slap Burger! Hope they've moved into a new space. read more

I love this place. Real authentic middle eastern. Great service. The owner is a gentleman. This is my go-to place in Paterson.

Nice place, but the server got confused with our order and I think she didn't understand English very well. Overall good tasting except for the lahmbiajin (sorry may have the spelling wrong) which we left as it was not smelling right. read more

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Food portions are tiny for what you get. Al Rouche mixed meat platter was a disappointment. Almost 70% of the platter was rice. Also the sandwiches were TINY. And for all the food we got (4 wraps, one rouche platter), we only got one cup of garlic butter. This place has become a disappointment. I really hope they read this and pick it back up. read more

Al Raouche Restaurant - The Rouche Meat Mixed Platter - Middle Eastern Near Me - Paterson, New Jersey

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Delicious food, especially the tabouleh and grape leaves. The portions are generous. read more

This is my new fave middle eastern food in an area with a lot of ME options. I go for the vegan items the falafel platter with hummus& tabouli & today I will also enjoy the Mjadra special which comes with salad. I like the casualness of this place; you can eat in but these days still taking out. I love the ladies that take your order they are sweethearts & love the food too. It's rarely crowded at lunchtime and easy in and out. Quick too! ENJOY. read more

the best... seriously! the flavor is wow n the prices are even wower . i am greatful i found this place read more

Al Raouche Restaurant - Falafel Sandwich - Middle Eastern Near Me - Paterson, New Jersey

Uber eats Shawarma was small and soggy French fries were frozen and bland Flafal was also small Asked for extra garlic sauce and didn't get it read more

Second return, ordered the vegetarian platter and two kebabs... This place is fantastic. The veg platter was authentic, fresh and delicious, as were the Kebabs. Service is great, the owner Frank is a gracious host. I will be a regular. read more

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Dobbs and I started a halal tour of the area here. We tried the grape leaves, falafel, and lamb shawarma. The restaurant is a lot nicer on the inside than it looks on the outside. Our goal was to visit multiple restaurants and sample the falafel and the lamb shawarma. Falafel was pretty good, but not too different from any of the other falafel I've had in the area. The lamb shawarma tasted like beef. It was a let down, tasted like beefsteak. The potatos that came as sides were very good though. The grape leaves were better than the ones I had at Huzur. I'll have to try more things next time. read more

We're craving for shawarma so decided to stop by Al Raouche because they have parking, why is a bonus for Paterson. Unfortunately this is the only good thing I can say about this place. Inside the restaurant has a musty odor and flies, but because we were in time crunch we decided to order anyway. And food was awful. Half of the items from menu weren't available!!! Humus was stale and it was made before COVID. Shawarma was even worse, small dry sandwich that had no taste and looked like it was made by someone who had no clue what shawarma is. Bottom line definitely a place for o avoid. read more

Al Raouche Restaurant - Tasteless and dry shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Paterson, New Jersey

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This place sure knows how to feed a large hungover group of people. We wanted something traditional,authentic and different.. This place was incredible. Now let's talk about how 9 people were fed and everything we ordered,We all shared. I took the initiative to order for all of us. Lebanese breakfast usually includes tea, yes make sure your table gets this. Next was labne a thick yogurt cheese spread topped with olive oil and eaten with pita bread. Makenek with eggs, it's a Lebanese sausage. Foul or foule: I do not know the correct spelling but this is a must try, it's cooked fava beans served with oil, cumin, with chopped parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice,It is notably a staple food in the middle East and everyone eats it for breakfast with pita bread. Fatteh:is another traditional dish with fried pita bread, yogurt and garbanzo beans topped with olive oil and it was delightful. Also the cheese flatbread and tbyme flatbread is a must have. It was cut into fours and great for sharing.. Overall it's a nice place small not fancy but boy they can feed you well and the prices were so reasonable Service: was really slow but it didn't matter Coffee: awful so stick with tea, or get the turkish coffee it's very similar to espresso read more

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Excellent place with a wide variety! A small dinner looking place without frills and amazing food inside. The zaatar pie was excellent, about the size of a plate and served in 4 slices the mix of seasoning and olive oil is extremely tasty. The cold mezze sampler is a good mix to try hummus, tabbuleh, and babaganoush. The sandwiches or pita wraps are excellent and not too large. You can have some starters and get a sandwiches and it won't be too much. Mini cheese pies come in a set of 4 and are good for sharing. Highly recommend the desserts there is a good variety and the harisa and halewet el jeben good and the halewat el jeben was the favorite of our group. read more

Al Raouche Restaurant - Mini cheese pie - Middle Eastern Near Me - Paterson, New Jersey

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Order kebab plate and it was so dry and felt like a wood, it was clear that it wasn't fresh and it was reheated from a very old left over Never in my life have I ever experienced anything like this much of a low work ethics that they have no shame in wrapping left overs for fresh new orders Make sure your order is properly made if you order from there, they have no shame in tricking you read more

Okay so here's the thing, food was great and the atmosphere was great, owners are awesome as well but the thing I wish was different is the bread situation. Pita was pre made store bought pita that came in a bag and was at room temperature and no even fresh. Hummus and falafel and masabaha were great and tasted just like back home, I just had wished the pita was fresh to complete the experience. read more

After moving to this new larger space Al Raouche remains a stalwart in this Middle Eastern section of Paterson. Brimming with hookah bars, formal eateries and mom & pop shops their serving up some very authentic Mediterranean dishes with an emphasis on fresh, fast and affordable. Located on a busy intersection and around the corner from the Omar Mosque this place has plenty of foot traffic, with free parking available in a small lot and on the surrounding streets. Inside you'll find a casual, clean and comfortable seating area with large windows that allow daylight to fill the interior of this space. Service is top notch with the staff often touching your table, their knowledge of the menu is excellent. The kitchen is well organized with ticket times under ten minutes, food is plated well and served hot. All the salads are made with crisp vibrant produce using a mouth watering blend of herbs and a fresh lemon/olive oil dressing. If you like for an additional charge of $4 you can have chicken, shrimp, beef or lamb added. For hot and cold apps or mezza (small plates) the selection is very good and filled with delicious vegetarian offerings including all the things you would expect to find from hummus to makanek (middle-eastern sausage) with prices ranging from 4-10 dollars. The sandwiches are available on pita or shrak; which is a flat bread similar to a wrap. If you order the shrak a charge of $4 will be added to the price of the item as the flat bread is around 12 inches in diameter, this creates a large portion that could feed two. The meats are seasoned and cooked in the traditional manner along with the vegetarian offerings such as falafel, babaganouj and their delicious fried cauliflower all satisfy for under five bucks. On the list of entrees there's meat and fish platters, both served with your choice of rice, fries or broiled potatoes. Again all the mainstays are here and done quite well. The seafood selection is limited to shrimp and grilled seasonal whole fish, on the weekend deep fried whiting w/tahini and fried bread can be had. Have a look at the desert menu for some authentic "sweets" made in house. BSE2-61 read more

Al Raouche Restaurant - Mixed Shrak Sandwiches: Makanek - Spicy Soujouk - Shish Kebab - Middle Eastern Near Me - Paterson, New Jersey

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Basically, this is homespun food. My friend, Hend and I sat back, while delicious dish after another landed on our humble table. Here is a roundup of some things we tried: - Middle Eastern version of breakfast pizza called Manakish (pies). Delicious flatbread topped with your choice of either zaater (thyme), cheese, zaater with melted cheese, labneh (yogurt spread) or lahemajun (ground beef). Pair it with Arabic coffee, you're welcome. - Middle Eastern version of omelet/ pancake with onion and parsley (Iggy). It's so good you'll feel like you're coming home. - Foul Mesdames: stewed fava beans, covered in lemon, garlic & olive oil. To die for! - Eggs & meat ( soujouk ), I didn't care much for it, but Hend seemed to liked it. Three and half Yelps. read more

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I lived in Clifton for 12 years and every Sunday we used to get hommous and falafel from here! Then we moved an hour away and always craved it! Abu reda little joint is by far the best Mediterranean food in that area! I have never gone there and had a bad experience! While we ate the waitress sat on the table next to and entertained my 6 month old son so we could enjoy our breakfast! Does it get any better then that? On a serious note, anything you order you are surely likely to love it! And everything is my favorite. I'd start off with falafel, hommous topped with shawerma, and try the cheese pie! All so fresh, perfectly seasoned and just made with a lot of love! read more

Al Raouche Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Paterson, New Jersey

My wife liked the food but it was just fine for me. When I tried several other restaurants in the area, I support my wife's opinion as this is the best restaurant in the area nevertheless it's so small. read more

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We ordered (take out) fatteh, shawarma meat, shawarma chicken, znoud el sett, iraqi knefeh. I couldn't eat more than one bite of each. Too salty, soggy unauthentic taste. If there is zero star I would have chosen that. What a waste of a trip reviews are misleading. read more

Quality middle eastern food at a reasonable price. It is a large portion of food for the price. The meats are marinated well and cooked with the perfect amount of char. The staff including the owner was wonderful in making sure everything was okay while we waited for the food and made sure that the food was prepared and presented well. It is that attention to detail for the customers that sets this place apart from others. I didn't get a chance to try their baklava (which is one of my favorite sweet desserts) but it was pleasing to eye when I saw the table nearby having it. read more

The chicken ka bob was da bomb. Every bite had flavor which I love. Totally recommend! Good amount of food for price. Chicken was perfectly cooked and marinated. I also had the mango juice, sweet and refreshing. read more

Al Raouche Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Paterson, New Jersey

Quick service and delicious, healthy food! I love the vegetarian combo. Great for staying healthy.

Excellent food! Service is great and the owner is so nice! The juices and the mint lemonade are so good too! Yum!!! Love it!

Fresh, healthy, clean tasting food. Other similar restaurants of this type can make their food a little greasy, but not Al R. Good value in terms of portions as well. read more

Love this place. Good for a quick meal or a sit down family meal. Good Falafel sandwich-not dry nor too crunchy, with tahini sauce, pickles and tomatoes I believe. Shawarma is marinated well, meat or chicken. Babaganouj is tasty as a dip or smear. Delicious desserts such as warbat and baklava are always fresh read more

Al Raouche Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Paterson, New Jersey

Great food, terrible service. One time I waited by the door and all the staff saw me but nobody ever greeted me. I call to make an order and they hang up before I'm finished. I guess some people don't mind this treatment. I do. read more

In an area with so many incredible options for Turkish and Lebanese food, Al Raouche is a my go-to place for falafel and shawarma. That's not to say that their other food isn't great too, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Everything is incredibly cheap (actually I should say inexpensive rather than cheap, because there's nothing cheap about the quality or flavor of their food). They offer a selection of breads, ranging from traditional pocket pita and gyro style pita to whole wheat pita and my favorite, shrak bread, a thin Arabic flat bread that they wrap like a burrito and grill, so it gets a bit warm and crispy. The falafel sandwich is just $3.75 (same price for any bread choice), and the shawarma is just $5.00. How can you beat that? They'll also bring you extra tahini and hot sauce if you ask. At this point I should also mention how friendly and accommodating the staff is. They seem to treat all their customers with appreciation and respect, which, sadly, you don't see that much these days. The restaurant isn't huge, but it isn't small either. Happily, it always seems spotlessly clean. An extra bonus, they have a parking lot. It's not a big parking lot, so you have to just get lucky, but considering that most of the other food options on Main Ave. have no parking at all, it's a nice plus. I look forward to my next visit, and hopefully I can try some of the other delicious looking dishes I've seen coming out of their kitchen. read more

Yum! Whether you're getting takeout or sitting down, the food is fresh and pretty cheap. It's a family-run place.Their shawerma is a different kind of tasty- they put pickles along with everything else. I would recommending getting the shawerma with their shatta (hot sauce) in the sandwich or on the side- its an interesting combination! All other shawermas I've had were focused on the flavor of the meat, but this is a pleasantly different tangy take on it. Everything else is pretty good, it has your staple Arabic lunch/dinner items (safiha: meat pies, which is a thin bread topped with ground beef; kibbeh balls, hummus, falafel, etc). Great for a quick sit-down lunch or takeout. It is fairly small, but they'll push tables together to accommodate a larger group. Nothing fancy, casual, but the food is great! read more

A dear friend and I came here for lunch last week. He ordered way too much food and I took home the leftovers. When my husband was eating them later that night, he shook his head and said, "It's so unfair that we can't get food like this in Baltimore!" He's right. But until someone finally decides to make real Middle Eastern food at reasonable prices, we'll just have to keep returning to Paterson, and Al Rouche is the best in a sea of great options. (We've been here once before, but at another location; I wasn't clear whether they had moved or opened a second restaurant.) What we enjoyed: first the fattoush salad, crisp vegetables tossed in a lemony vinaigrette with crispy pieces of toasted pita. Then an array of dishes: creamy hummus, smoky baba ghanouj (how they turn an eggplant into such a thing of beauty, I'll never know,) crispy fried cauliflower and falafel with tahini sauce, spicy-sweet red pepper and walnut puree, slightly-bitter green olives and garlicky pickles, all with stacks of thin pita to wrap and scoop and enjoy. I drank tea with fresh mint to help settle my stomach after eating way, way too much. Note that all of these choices were totally vegan (we're in Orthodox Lent) and still, I didn't feel I had been deprived. On our previous visit we tried their kibbeh and labneh, which were also fantastic. Basically, I don't think there's anything they do that isn't terrific. Their prices are very reasonable and the staff is friendly and accommodating (my friend is visually impaired, and they were very kind in helping us to an easily-accessible table and bringing utensils and refills to make him more comfortable.) The interior is really nice, with beautifully tiled floors and walls, clean furnishings and a bright, welcoming atmosphere. I can't wait to return! read more

I am going to start off by saying I am not very familiar with this type of cuisine, however, I thought all of the food was delicious, as did my Dad and sister. We came in for lunch and were quickly seated to a table. Side note: while this restaurant may be on the smaller side, it has plenty of seating without feeling cramped. For starters you are greeted with some complimentary pickles and olives, yum. We also treated ourselves to homemade hummus, pita bread, a cheese pie and meat pie to start (forgive me because I don't know the proper names of these "pie" dishes). The homemade hummus was out of this world. Accompanied with the fresh (generous portion) of pita bread, an excellent start to our meal. The cheese and meat "pies" were served on a thin bread and both were tasty (although I preferred the meat pie over the cheese). We also got a parsley salad with finely diced tomatoes and onions, I think the proper name is "Tabbouli" salad. I've never had a salad like this one before but I definitely thought it was good and also healthy, which is always a plus! I would definitely say give this a try. On to my main dish, which was my favorite part of my meal, a lamb gyro. Holy cow, this had to of been the BEST gyro I've ever had (and I've had my fair share of gyros). There was a perfect meat to sauce ratio, it was a very generous portion. The size of it was perfect as well, it wasn't overbearingly big where it falls apart in your hand but it also was plentiful. I would absolutely suggest trying this during your visit. Overall my experience was pretty much perfect. In addition to the excellent food, the owner, Eli, was very personable and friendly. I would definitely come back here and if you're in the area, do not pass this place up! read more

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After visiting my in-laws, my family and I stopped here after reading the reviews on Yelp. The set up was a bit cafeteria-ish (the kind of place you would find in the middle-east) so i didn't know what to expect. Turns out were pleasantly surprised. To begin, we ordered fresh lemon juice and cocktail juice. The lemon juice wasn't great but the cocktail juice was delicious. it was made with carrot, strawberry banana and mango and my 10 month old couldn't get enough of it. For dinner, we ordered a mixed appetizer sampler witch consisted of tabbouli, hummus, baba ghanoush, and felafel. YUM As a main course we had a mixed kebab platter and beef shawarma. The shawarma was OUTSTANDING. This was probably the best shawarma I have had so far in the USA. Actually, even Egypt didn't have anything on this place's shawarma. My only regret about coming here was that i didn't take a shawarma to go. I would definitely come back. read more

Really great spot- away from the craziness and parking issues of Main Street and a strong competitor for Al-Basha. Knowing how crazy a Ramadan dinner would be at Al-Basha, I made reservations here although it was not necessary. It was empty apart from five tables that quickly trickled in afterwards. The emptiness is NOT an indicator or bad service or bad food- quite the contrary, service and food was great!!! Also, there was place to pray in the corners as we wishes for Maghrib during Ramadan, whereas Al-Basha leaves NO room anywhere to pray-- sooo cramped due to it's popularity and great food as well (I will say I rather this place based solely on service and attentiveness) The side of garlic potatoes was amazing- the mixed shawarma was great and did not half fat all over the place you needed to pick out and take off. The garlic sauce was standard (good) and appetizer platter was worth it. One thing we didn't love is the price of lemonade ($6 for a large), and the taste of the lentil soup. It was just okay. But, we recommend the kebab, rice with meat in it, chicken kebab, shrimp kebab, kibbeh, and the fattoush salad (one of the best I've had-beware if you're not into acidity). Definitely drop in- so SO tasty, priced reasonably if you do family style and not order a lot of fresh juices. read more

This place is cheap and delicious. They have a pretty big menu with alot of standard fare and some interesting items too (like brains and tongue) I got the spicy sausage sandwich on pita, great flavor and texture. And a slice of baklava, for about $6. I could have easily eaten another appetizer or another sandwich. I will definitely be back read more

I will miss the Getty Ave. Grill trash food but this is an acceptable replacement. They have REALLY cleaned up the look of the place. Fresh tiles and clean look. Food is good and prices are excellent. I haven't experimented much but they have interesting options I will try in the future. Quail, frog, tongue, brains, oh my. I like the veg combo appetizer, their babaganouj is great. And its a big portion. Can have it as a meal for yourself and still have left overs. Parking is on the scarce side. read more

I realized I had not reviewed this place to far. This is a simple restaurant. Nothing fancy. Just clean and quick service. The food is great and you cannot go wrong whatever you order. read more

When it's rare to find authentic middle eastern food, Al raouche has it all..and the best part of it? The great prices they have! In addition, their staff are the best. read more

That's the chicken shawarma I was looking for!!! Not a super-huge-put-everything-and-it's-mother-in shawarma. But a beautiful, thin, garlic-y, with pickled turnips, and delicious chicken and lettuce (should've been parsley, but still). ohh.. that and a can of vimto... what more could you want from life. Also, it was absurdly cheap, I ate two sandwiches and had a vimto, and it came out under $10?!? I'm convinced they must've forgotten one of my shawarmas, but the girl behind the counter didn't hear/ignored my "holy shit, how much does a shawarma cost?!" OH WELL, I'll be back! read more

I just checked this place out for the first time with my boyfriend and my mind is blown! We ordered so much food and as full as we were we wanted to keep eating. Everything was so fresh, so perfectly spiced and seasoned. The staff were friendly and menu items were very reasonably priced. The decor is tasteful too! It's been a couple of days since we ate there and I'm craving round two already. You can probably just go in and close your eyes and point at a random entree and you will enjoy it! They get it, they just get food. TRY THIS PLACE, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! read more