TLDR: Great Turkish food with standout chicken kebabs, flavorful rice, generous mezze portions, and…read morefriendly service. Bonus points for the relaxed patio and late-night Sunday hours. Taste of Istanbul was a delightful experience. I ordered the combination kebab platter to sample a bit of everything, and not a single item disappointed. The real standout was the chicken, it was cooked to perfection, incredibly juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Even the rice exceeded expectations, as it was well-seasoned and genuinely delicious rather than just a side dish. The service was attentive, with the staff offering thoughtful recommendations and ensuring we had everything we asked for. The ambiance is relaxed and inviting, and the outdoor seating makes it an especially enjoyable spot when the weather is nice. The mixed mezze platter was another highlight, offering generous portions that were easily enough to share among a few friends. The bread was fresh, warm, and crisp. It's also worth noting that they're open until midnight on Sundays, making Taste of Istanbul a fantastic option for a satisfying late-night meal.

The food was lacking the authentic Turkish flavors and atmosphere that I had anticipated. The menu…read morewas not as traditional as we had hoped. However, the service was exceptional. A hardworking young girl behind the counter efficiently took orders, served food, and cleared tables. I hope she knows her work is appreciated by customers and that she's running the place incredibly well on her own. It was frustrating to see others mingling with customers while she was so busy. The place filled up quickly during lunch, and things moved too slowly for some of us. I hope they can provide her with some assistance to help her manage the workload better.

Three stars equates to "A-OK" in my book, and that is exactly how I feel about my platter at…read moreShah's. I tried this place out for lunch on a rare outing without my wife and when the craving for cart style meat over rice struck. The restaurant was completely empty during peak lunch hours, which did not bode well. I nonetheless proceeded and ordered a combo chicken/lamb platter over rice to go. Shah's sauces are solid, and I appreciate that the white sauce is not gloppy or sweet like some other competitors' and that the red sauce is appropriately piquant. They also offer a mild but flavorful green sauce which adds some fresh notes. Those sauces are needed as the chicken, lamb, and rice are unremarkable. The chicken possessed a decent flavor from a spiced marinade, though the pieces ran a little dry. The lamb cubes tasted like generic gyro and carried little flavor besides salt. The rice itself lacked the fluffy yet al dente texture seen at the best halal places. The proteins did not taste fresh and were served from a steam table rather than off the griddle. Still, the overall eating experience felt reasonably enjoyable due to the flavor of the sauces carrying the weight of the platter. The guy who took and assembled my order was very nice, though forgot to include pita bread in my order. I paid about $13 for the meal, and the portion was generous. As such, Shah's is a competent but unremarkable halal platter spot. I would not go out of my way to eat here, but if it's the closest place to you for this type of food it's a fine option.

I was so excited when I saw this establishment opened as it is in the walking distance from my…read moreplace and the cuisine is a nice and much needed addition to the shopping plaza. The menu is what I would consider a pretty traditional Halal "food truck" menu (I'm from the NYC/NJ area and there are Halal food trucks on basically every other corner in the city) with a variety of platters (which come with your choice of protein, brown basmati rice and salad), gyros, salads and a few different side orders. I went with the chicken platter which was a healthy serving and I was also able to have additional toppings such as humus; onion and tomato salad and beans added to my liking in addition to selecting sauces to either be added on top of the platter or on the side. The platter was absolutely DELICIOUS! The chicken was cooked and spiced perfectly, the rice was flavorful and just the right texture and all my toppings were fresh! They have only been open for less than a week so they were still working the kinks out from a service and operations standpoint, however, everyone was friendly. I will definitely be adding this restaurant to my rotation for a quick lunch or dinner!

This is my go-to-spot for some good viet food! Broth is amazingly good. I love the variety they…read moreoffer! I have came here a handful of times and no dish has not disappointed! This place is located in where TeaDM is, just fyi. We're tried the Banh Mi (which comes in beef broth on the side), Garlic Steak on rice, Beef Pho. ALL GOOD. I just love this spot. hands down my favorite viet place. If you were to ask me "hey lets get Viet food", I will not hesitate and bring you here. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! such a hidden gem.

Bon Me Shack wasn't the easiest place to find, but it's definitely worth knowing about. It's tucked…read moreinside TeaDM, so don't waste time looking for a storefront, just head into TeaDM and you'll find the Bon Me Shack counter. Ordering is quick and easy through the iPad, and I went with the Beef Perfect Bowl over rice. The portion alone impressed me. It came piled high with grilled beef, fresh greens, rice, and even an egg roll, making it feel like a complete meal rather than just a rice bowl. The beef was flavorful, the vegetables added a nice freshness, and while I'm trying to cut back on carbs, I have to admit the sticky rice soaked up all the savory sauce and was hard to stop eating. The only thing I would do differently next time is ask for jalapeños or another spicy topping. I like my food with a little more heat, and I think that extra kick would have taken the bowl to the next level. There are a handful of tables if you want to eat there, but I grabbed mine to go. Hidden gem is an overused phrase, but in this case it actually fits. Generous portions, solid flavors, and reasonable prices for this day and age.

Really delicious tacos and burritos but I think the tacos are far superior to those of other…read moreplaces. I love the brisket burrito and that what I always get. I have never dined in though.

I'm back! Again, everything is fresh! From the taco, the burrito bowls, chips & salsa. We ordered…read moreit to go and within 10 minutes we had our food to go! The clerk was helpful and friendly. The restaurant is small but clean. If you want fresh tasting food for a reasonable price, stop in like I have. I've visited Reat

The food here was really amazing. I've been back quite a few times for their hearty bowls.read more

I don't usually leave negative reviews, but this was my second poor experience with the same…read moreserver, so I felt it was worth sharing. I'm a local customer and live just a minute away, so I've visited more than once. I came in for lunch today with my wife and our 1.5-year-old son. After placing our order and sitting down, the server loudly yelled from behind the counter for us to come get our water. It felt uncomfortable and unprofessional, especially with a young child. When I placed my order, I asked for extra white sauce, and I asked again when the food came out. Both times, the request was ignored. I also mentioned that we hadn't received our drinks, but instead of addressing it, the server again yelled for us to get the drinks ourselves from the cooler. The food itself was okay, but the bread was very poor--hard and barely edible. I even called the restaurant later in the evening to share my concerns, but was told the server was off at that time. Overall, very disappointing experience, mainly due to the customer service. I hope this feedback is taken seriously and leads to improvement.

This place is amazing. I thought I had good Turkish food when I tried some other Turkish places,…read morebut this was next level. It was packed but we found some nice people who offered to let us sit next to them. We got to the Kebab and pizza. Manager was also very kind and offered free sweets when we left. Coming back soon.

I came for a late lunch with my boyfriend and managed to snag a table. We ordered the Lahmacun…read more(round flatbread topped with seasoned minced meat, herbs, and spices, served with fresh tomato slices, greens, pickled onion, and a lemon wedge) and Mix Chicken & Doner Shawarma Pizza to share. It's still a great place to swing by for food. We didn't wait too long for food and they came out piping hot! Both items were great, although I preferred the Lahmacun a bit more due to the overall flavor profile and vegetables. The tea was a bit too bitter for me even with one pack of sugar. Although the space is on the smaller side, it was clean. There were lots of people in and out for both the food, bakery, and deli. However, it was served as a nice background noise without being disruptive. You can easily converse with someone unlike some places where it can get really loud. Can't wait to try more items on their menu and perhaps finally start making my way through their bakery items.

Still amazing service and the restaurant still have same feeling of a homey old school thai house…read more I do love that they added more option to the appetizer for lunch special. The stir fry drunken bamboo was good and flvorful with great crunch from the bamboo

It was ok, not great. Seems a bit expensive to me, including the lunch specials. Many places…read moreinclude a spring roll or soup with a lunch special but it seems like everything here is +1$ or more. Gets very expensive rather quickly for me. The food was just ok, basil fried rice was the better of our two dishes, but I found it to be lacking on the amount of chicken compared to what most places give you. The other dish, Pad Thai, seemed to be a bit off on flavor, an imbalance of flavors compared to what is typical in most Thai restaurants. Spring rolls and fried wontons were ok, but not sure if there were worth an extra $1 each given how small they were. The inside of the restaurant was fine, typical of many Thai restaurants. Service was good, waiters were pleasant. Would I return? - no, unfortunately this restaurant did not offer anything special to make me want to return.

The service was amazing! It does look like it's one guy working the front so give some grace with…read morewaiting. But we're not rushed diners so it was perfect for us. He was attentive to our toddler and made our meal easy. He caught on to what she wanted and had her preferences made earlier so she didn't have to wait. The food itself was also wonderful. The portions are good. We got the veggie combo (pumpkin, spinach, and eggplant) as well as a side of Sieb (apple). We also got muntoo and kebab gosfund. The meat was well done but not overcooked. It cut easily too! Everything was flavorful and the bread was delightful to scoop everything up with. We finished with the milk pudding which was a delightful dessert. He brought it out for our daughter and was again super sweet. The restaurant itself is relatively small - lots of tables and not too much walking room. There are long tables so it works for large parties as well. We went for an early dinner on a Monday so it was really quiet. I did see someone's walker in the restaurant but I wouldn't bring a stroller especially if it was busy.

Food, ambiance, and a smiling server; Niyaz the owner!…read more We make ZAMAROD a must-visit when we're in town. The Afghani food is incredible, with fresh herbs, spices, and vegetables. My favorite is the salmon kebab. Recently tried the rack of lamb, heavenly!!!! Enjoy

Everything about this place is good, the food, the price, the service, the taste, the portions, and…read morecleanliness. I visit this place often. I 100% rec it.

I've tried their hot chicken sandwiches at their Vienna location and loved it. Couldn't resist…read moretrying their "viral" TikTok Caesar wrap here and loved it. Chicken caesar wrap- chicken isn't spicy. Seasoned well. Salad was well dressed but not overdressed. Ate the second half the next day and it held up well. The tortilla doesn't get soggy overnight. Some bites were a little salty because cheese isn't evenly distributed. Same goes for chicken- the cross section photo I took looks like too much salad to chicken ratio, but the chicken ended up being on the bottom of the wraps. It comes with extra Caesar dressing but doesn't need it at all. Tortilla is excellent-- great chew. $10 for a giant wrap- great price. Snack wrap- 2 for $5 and it tastes closer to McDonald's OG snack wrap than McDonald's current snack wrap. Chicken is significantly better than McDonald's and great price point. 2 sandwiches with fries is $12.99. Great deal. I have the lowest heat tolerance but I can stand to eat extra hot (albeit sweating). Their Cole slaw on its own is dry but goes so well with sandwiches. The slaw has cilantro so it tastes herby and makes the sandwich more interesting. Also adds a nice crunch. Fries don't hold up well but reheat well and become crispy in an air fryer. Yellow sauce tastes like honey mustard. Big bird sauce tastes like diluted bbq mayo. Service and ambiance- fast casual, friendly.

I've been coming here for over 25 years, and it has never once disappointed. From the perfectly…read moregrilled kabobs to the fresh, fluffy naan and the flavorful sides everything is always consistent and absolutely delicious. The family who runs this place is incredibly generous and kind. You can feel the love and care they put into both the food and the service, and that's something you don't find everywhere. Top-tier service every single time. It's also heartwarming to see the new generation working here. It shows how much pride and dedication goes into keeping this tradition alive, and it honestly gives me hope that this place will still be here serving amazing food for another 25 years (and hopefully much longer). If you're looking for authentic, flavorful, and consistently great food, this is hands down the spot. Places like this are rare, and I'm grateful it's been a part of my life for so long.

The best central/south Asian food in the DMV…read more Get the Haleem, and the eggplant side.