A friend and I stopped in here for hookah on a Sunday evening. This spot is open late, which is great for Pittsburgh. They are a restaurant in the front and hookah in the back. However, you can still order food in the hookah area. We ordered a hookah and then ordered some hummus, veggies, and drinks (non alcoholic) a little later. The vibe is chill. The service is great and the hummus and drinks were delicious! I'll definitely be stopping back in here soon. It's right in Lawrenceville too, so it's in a great location. read more

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Very happy with my decision, and I enjoyed waiting in the restaurant. It has a comfortable, homey vibe! The food is amazing. The eggplant special was loved by my partner. The waitress was very nice and communicated the menu well. Thank you, Dijlah Restaurant and Cafe team for making this amazing place possible for us to enjoy! read more

Quality of food has gone drastically down over the years. I can't speak for the hookah bar scene as I don't smoke but fro the news and looks of it, the place seems to draw trouble and it has been closed for few months now. Until the owner addresses the quality of service and menu I'd avoid coming here. read more

What a bizarre experience trying to eat here today. We arrived at 2 pm, well after the posted opening time of 1:30. No one to greet us, completely empty restaurant. The sign said "Seat Yourself" so we did. And waited. And waited. More than 10 minutes later, a server shows up, gives us water, and says dismissively, "We're not really open" and walks away before we can even say anything. We got up and left. Clearly they didn't want our business. Won't come here again. read more

We enjoyed a nice hookah at Dijlah. The ambiance was perfect for our after dinner sesh. We sat on the patio, music playing, large televisions playing the games. We had some drinks, but really want to try the food when we return to Pittsburgh. Open late, which was refreshing! read more

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Didn't get to experience the hookah, but the food was quite good. I tried the chicken tikka kebab skewer (3), an Iraqi kebab, 2 spinach and feta pies, ossmalleya, and baklava. When I first entered the restaurant, I noticed that it was decorated nicely but there was no on there. I got my takeout order in a fair amount of time, though. The first item I tried was the chicken and Iraqi kebabs. The chicken was a bit overcooked and a little too charred for my taste. However, it was still flavorful and pretty tasty. The Iraqi kebab (chicken) reminded me of sausage for some reason. It had almost a processed meat texture to it, so I wasn't the biggest fan. Try the non-chicken Iraqi kebab instead. I was very pleasantly surprised by the pies. They were huge, and each single pie came cut into two smaller pies. The feta was clearly high quality and the breading was done well, too. They stuffed it full of spinach, but it wasn't overpowering the cheese. Just a hint of onion as well. The desserts were fairly good, and a great bang for your buck. I'm pretty sure both the ossmalleya and the baklava is not made in house since I saw him taking out a dessert box when preparing my order. Still, I enjoyed the baklava. Maybe just a bit more syrup but otherwise great. Ossmalleya is quite unique: nice pistachio inside, some syrup (not enough though), crispy topping, and a hint of lemon. Overall, there aren't many Iraqi places in western Pennsylvania, so this place is worth a try. The prices are very reasonable and you get a fair portion of food (huge portion for the pies). read more

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Great service and wonderful food. Everything was very flavorful and fresh. The menu is vegetarian friendly with lots of options to choose from. I picked the Dijlah Falafil Saj that was delicious, and shared the appetizer plate which featured Babba Gannoush, Tabbouleh, Hum mus, and Stuffed Grape Leaves. I also tasted the Lentil Soup, which was excellent. There were 2 servers working at the time and they both checked in with us regularly. The tea is very elegantly served. Note that BYOB is not an option at Dijlah. The portions were so generous we had no space left for dessert. read more

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Wonderful restaurant and lounge with incredibly kind staff. The dishes on the menu are diverse, well-balanced, and served in generous quantities with your choice of rice or fries as the main fiber/carb. Ample selection of imported non-alcoholic beverages including Turkish malt sodas and classic soft drinks such as Vimto. The restaurant and lounge are two different worlds, both worth exploring. The restaurant portion is your typical nice restaurant with ambient music playing in the background, a large water bottle, and a relaxing environment. The lounge area has more of a nightclub vibe with illuminated plastic tables and numerous telephone charging stations on the majlis. There is also a DJ booth but I'm not sure how often it sees any use. Restaurant portion is recommended if you are trying to impress a date, or if you have visiting relatives you are trying to give a good impression of the city. Prices are just on the edge of spendy, but the meals served are worth every single copper penny. The lounge area is more an area to kick off your sandals and casually chill out with friends on a night out. While a lot of the focus is on hookah, there is plenty to eat and drink if you don't smoke, and this is a great place to go if you don't drink alcohol or need somewhere to spend time while on a tolerance break. Love everything about this place. Highly recommended! l Recommended food/drink combo: Dijlah cocktail (mocktail), Mix Grill read more

I found this restaurant through searching on Google for Iraqi/Gulf food and we decided to try it out...I'm glad we did! Very nice authentic arabic food. Lovely seating area with decorations. Not a grand luxurious setting but with an authentic lovely touch of decorations that reflects their homeland. The rice and meat was very delicious and halal. The tea was also super (not easy to find brewed tea in Pittsburgh). The service was very good thank you Ali for taking care of us. We also ordered catering for the next day and everything was great. read more

Just delicious food. Stopped in after wrestling as they were only one a few spot open at that time that wasn't a bar. So glad we did! Big fan of this style of food and was blown away. It doesn't break the bank either. Went back again today to try something I didn't last night and it was just as good. This will be a regular place on going for this style of food. read more

Came for a Tuesday dinner with my husband. Great food and deserts! Best Turkish coffee in town. Very attentive and knowledgeable server. Definitely will be back! P.S. Get Kanafa for desert. You won't regret it! read more

Great food and hookahs I brought my own beers but I respect that they even allow that read more

Dijlah Hookah Lounge - Hookah Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Why don't more people know about this place? Dijlah is amazing. We had the lamb shank and the Iraqi kebab (opted for fries instead of rice). The lamb was incredibly tender and had the perfect amount of fat. The generous amount of rice that came with it was fantastically seasoned. We thought the portion of meat was going to be larger, but the quality more than made up for it. The Iraqi kebab was also a great choice and was prepared perfectly. I really wanted the fries because I'm in love with fries and they looked good from the photos on Yelp. They did not disappoint. It was a spacious dining area with seats and colorful decor along the walls. There was something quite charming about the atmosphere. From the patterned pillows to the very visible ceiling plugs, we felt like we were eating in a friend's living room. (Even the bathroom felt very home-like.) Boyfriend said this is the best food he's had in Pittsburgh. It was the best meal I've had since coming back after three months in NYC. Dijlah has replaced our go-to Middle Eastern restaurant. Cannot wait to be back! Taste | 5 Atmosphere | 4 Presentation | 3 Service | 3 OVERALL | 4 read more

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My husband and I order Dijlah through GrubHub quite often and we are never disappointed! Easily one of our favorite Middle Eastern restaurants in the city. Everything I have tasted from this place is melt in your mouth delicious. I personally love the chicken shawarma saj sandwich. My husband really likes the meat shawarma plate. I am always stealing some of the delicious rice when he orders that! Plenty of tasty vegetarian options as well. The falafel wrap is a must try for everyone. For ordering delivery, they have some of the best fries (and you can't beat the price). Perfectly crispy and they never arrive soggy when ordering out. After you try the fries, you have to try the Sigara Borek. Both the feta and potato versions are great. I love this place and never hesitate ordering from them. You must try it! read more

I was very surprised to find such authentic Iraqi food at a restaurant that bills itself as a hookah lounge first and foremost. Quite excellent food and friendly service. Very laid-back environment. The food is much more home-cooked style than restaurant style, which I appreciate. Definitely looking forward to coming again. read more

I took one star off not because the waiter got my order wrong (ordered chicken, got a regular, which is a mixed of beef and lamb I believed), I actually enjoyed it a lot. It was a Sunday evening and I believed we were the only customers there. So I was kind of surprised that they would make such mistake. But hey, people make mistakes and I reviewed restaurant based on my enjoyment of the food more than anything else. And the kebab was delicious, soft, well-seasoned, juicy, not too lean not too fat, grilled to perfection. It was on the salty side if eaten alone but you got the yogurt dipping sauce to balance the saltiness off. The portion is also satisfying. I couldn't finish the rice but it was some nice and fluffy rice. I took the star of because my friend who got the mixed grill plate said that her other non-kebab meat was probably over cooked and hard to chew. So I guess that's something to avoid? We chose this place only because it was across the row house cinema and it was the only Iraq restaurant I knew in this area. Maybe I wouldn't travel all the way here to get a bite, but next time if I'm going to movies or hanging out in lawrenceville I may visit again. read more

Dijlah Hookah Lounge - Mix Grill - Hookah Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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I kind of knew what this was from the start. The atmosphere was dingy, hole in the wall type. The restaurant is nice though this review only reflects the hookah part not the restaurant. read more

I've loved Dijlah for years and regret just now sharing my thoughts about them. I got a wonderful, tasty meal from them last night and just have to share. I'm really glad that they can keep serving during the pandemic. My kebabs and rice were surprisingly moist and still at the right doneness even though I got carry-out. And my salad was also crisp, fresh, and very tasty! I'll definitely be getting food from them again soon. read more

The restaurant was recommended by some friends so decided to try with them on a Saturday evening. It was a straightforward order of the large combination appetizers with the 5 person meal. Although we ordered at the same time with our friends who had the same orders, their appetizers arrived sooner and ours didn't show up. When our meal arrived it was missing the bread and fries. Here is the breakdown: Cleanliness: 1/5 plates were dirty and water cups as well. Both plates and cups were plastic! Service: 1/5, chaotic and disorganized. The appetizers arrived after the main plate which I refused and the bread and fries never came. Food: 2/5, the chicken and meat cubes were well marinated, the shish kebab, falafel and rice were blunt, shesh kebab hard to chew and overcooked. Will I go back and recommend to a friend? Absolutely not. The waitress offered to give us the large combination appetizers to go and take off the bill, this even made me more upset (I don't accept charity) and refused her offer. read more

THE BEST HUMMUS YOU'LL FIND. at least in pittsburgh. The lady who I assume cooks and also sometimes ring up at the counter is so sweet! she makes me feel happy every time i get to see her in her shop. I've tried the iraqi kebab and lamb dishes, all were good! the meats are well seasoned. and unlike most other mediterranean places here, they're not scorched and cooked until every bit of juice leave the meat. Again, cannot stress enough about trying the hummus. I HATED premade hummus and thought thats how they all taste, but boi not all hummuses were made equal. Also, try their mint lemonade for a refreshing summer treat. it is a bit on the expensive side for a drink ($5~6) but just look at the amount of mint they put in there, and the Freshest lime taste. they use good ingredients here yall! The only thing is that service is a bit slow. It took what felt like 45m for the food to be brought to us. other than that 10/10!! read more

I came here for hookah last week and really enjoyed it. There is a parking lot a few steps away that had several available spots due to it being late in the evening. The inside is laid back and cozy, with comfortable seating and room to relax. It's not crowded or stuffy in there. They had a nice selection of hookah flavors at standard prices. They also had a nice selection of hot and cold beverages. I noticed that we walked through a restaurant area to get to the hookah section, but I am unsure how late the kitchen is open as we were not hungry. I will definitely be back for hookah. A solid option in this area! read more

I am a rookie with the hookah..went late night on a Saturday..there wasn't much crowd..tried Blueberry Mint and it was good, went to a happy high zone just with few puffs I guess I liked the food more, I could write a love letter to the chef for chicken tikka and sheesh kabobs -Falafel though was not on point. Ambience could be better..music was good! And yeah the owners were polite and nice! read more

I was in the Pittsburgh area for business and decided to grab a bite at Dijlah. I definitely recommend the falafel appetizer, it was very good and filling. I opted to try the mixed grill platter, it was good but nothing too special. I wouldn't recommend the tabbouli since mine was a bit dry. The decor of the main dining area was nice with different antiques and an Iraqi feel to the place, and the service was good. I wanted to try their hookah as well but you can't smoke hookah in the main dining area so I had to move to the back area of the restaurant. It was a little smokey in there, I'd give the hookah 3/5 stars. read more

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Kebabs and toubelah here are everything. Simply everything. The food is just intoxicatingly delicious. Always so much food which is great because I love being able to have leftovers the second day. Also the fact that they're on Grubhub makes life so much better. Everyone there is super cool and friendly. read more

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Updated review of 4 stars: We thought we would give this restaurants another try. The Restaurant management reached out to me in a message on Yelp apologizing for mixing up our order with someone else's and refunded to our card. I ordered the same Iraqi kebab today, it was really good, just a tad bit on the salty side. My boyfriend liked the meat shawana wrap he ordered. Previous review of 1 star: My boyfriend and I stopped in for some late night food since they were still open, however, they only had carry out at the time we came in which was after 1AM. We liked the atmosphere but we are very disappointed at the quality of food. We ordered the Iraqi Kebab, the food was ready in less than 5 minutes. When we got home, the food was cold and the sandwich was soggy, there were only a small portion of rice which seemed like left over rice. This was our first visit, which is not a good first impression at all. read more

Dijlah Hookah Lounge - Iraqi Kebab - Hookah Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

If you are looking for authentic middle eastern food, this iraqi restaurant is excellent. I have been there a few times and tried a few different things on their menu. Last time in there we had lentil soup, chicken kabobs, and lamb shank were very good. The lamb shank was incredibly tender and tasty. I love that they have real bread, not that BS Americanized style of pita bread. We also had the babaganoush and hummus. I love the way they make their baba, I think it has a lot of Tahini mixed in with it. Tried their baklava this last time too, loved it! Thin and tender. All in all, a great place.for authentic middle eastern food. read more

Place is empty on a Tuesday night and we still ended up waiting over an hour for our food. Couple next to us got up and left because they were waiting to long for food. Girlfriend got a Falafel wrap which came out 10 mins after my my shwarama which was absolutely disgusting. Chicken and rice on any NY street corner has more flavor and is more tender than this stuff. read more

We made our first trip to Dijlah tonight and it was delicious. Two of us had chicken shawarma and I had a combo plate of chicken shawarma and an Iraqi kebab. Both were delicious, portions were giant (and therefore very reasonably priced), and our server was super nice and efficient. Hummus was good and our server kept the pita coming when we ran out. Turkish coffee was just okay. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and will be back. read more

Dijlah Hookah Lounge - Shawarma/Iraqi kebab - Hookah Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Following the departure of Istanbul from Lawrenceville, another Middle-Eastern restaurant has taken its place, and has done so admirably as evidenced by a pre-gig meal here recently. Frustrated by their hours and days of operation as I was by its predecessor, I did my homework and persisted until I was reimbursed handsomely with a lush Arabic meal after being greeted by locked doors and darkened windows on several occasions. An adorable cherub of an infant watched this bruising, black-clad, bald-headed heavy metal warrior/bon viviant intently as he noshed on Sigara Borek, mercilessly masticated some Shawarma, and regaled in a honeyed, flaky brick of Baklava underneath billowy ceiling curtains on a comfortable, vibrant couch. The Sigara Borek consisted of a quaternion of deep-fried scrolls filled with feta, potato, and parsely. Within the brittle, ochroid pastry shell, the brackish feta and the starch would attempt to overthrow each other while the humble parsley balanced them out, acting as a Libra to a Leo and a Taurus in divorce court. A "Meat Shawarma" sandwich made up my main course (shawarma can also be had as a platter). Swaddled in pita bread which in turn was wrapped in bakery tissue, the gyro of sorts was stuffed with shaved cuts of steeped beef tenderloin and complimented by onions, tomatoes, parsley, and sweet/sour pickles (!) with a tahini sauce I swore was tzatziki due to its creaminess served on the side. The meat, whatever concoction it was marinated in, was uncompromisingly ambrosial, and the sandwich itself was brilliantly layered. The toasted, the savory, the tangy, the buttery, and the mildly bitter presented themselves in pageantic fashion with every juicy chomp. The baklava was as chewy, nutty, and sticky as a Snicker bar with an edible, paper casing, making it a primer on this kind of pastry. If only the helping had been a bit larger... A green waitress made a valiant effort to provide good service, succeeding despite her inexperience with this manner of cuisine; no definite, deal-dropping snags were encountered as I was seated and served promptly. With a reasonable and exotic bill of fare combined with lavish yet cozy surroundings, I see no genuine reason why Dijlah won't be yet another Lawrenceville smash. That is, if the people of LoLa give Dijlah a chance to charm them, and they most certainly should and will. P.S. I peeked behind a curtain in the back while I was waiting for someone to vacate the men's restroom and noticed not only a hookah bar but a dancefloor (!) as well. It looks like another nighttime hotspot is in the making. read more

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I got a Groupon for lunch from 11:30AM to 2:30 pm. They were not open. There was a lot of mail stuffed in their mail box as if they had not been there for a while. A merchant on the other side of the street said that he thinks that they are closed. Their phone number has a generic computer voice answering and will not allow you to leave a message. read more

This is a great place for a quick bite and you can't beat the price! The service was great food was excellent. I loved everything we had and the serving portion was huge! One entree would be able to feed two person. Come here when you are ready to eat! read more

Dijlah Hookah Lounge - Lamb - Hookah Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Been coming here for like a year and half now. I like the owner (I think he is the owner :)) Super polite and generous. They hired this dude that was super lazy but now he's gone lol You can order food (separate menu from the front restaurant) and kick back and relax/study. It can get loud at times tho. Free WiFi. Dim lit :) Come check it out! read more

Honestly, I'm in love with this place. The hookah is pretty good, good Atmosphere with a quiet songs, price is good, the guys who work there are friendly and respectful, I recommend you to go there. read more

Delicious delicious. Fresh squeezed juices: get one. The mint lemonade?! Yasssssssss. I love this place because it's so consistent. Every time I go the food is great and the place is clean. I usually get the Iraqi kebob meal. So much food for a great price and it's cooked. Perfectly! Highly recommend read more

Dijlah Hookah Lounge - Iraqi Kebob take out! - Hookah Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We were trying to find a local spot with hookah and food, at the same time. It was hard to find in Pittsburgh it was either hookah or food well not even food you had tea or something like that. So when we found it we were happy. However you couldnt have hookah and food until after 930. The reason? I believe because it was Ramadan. So there is a dining area and a back portion with a projector and a hookah area. The seating is traditional floor or low seating in the back portion. So we get here a little after 9 and we still have to wait until 930 for hookah, which is fine. We order some food to hold us over. We ordered the Iraqi kabob, french fries, a mint lemonade and a mango strawberry smoothie. The food was ok, not the best ive had. Oh yea most of the food comes with rice but in the back room where the hookah is there is no rice allowed. im guessing it because of rice and the carpet? The food was about a B- which isnt bad. I ordered grilled onions for an extra dollar and I got a half of onion, yes an entire half that had been on the grill long enough to get grill marks but not to be cooked. We ordered a hookah in a pineapple they were out so we opted for a orange. There was one guy making all of the hookahs so it took a while for it to be made and brought out to us. Once it came it was good no complaints. The prices for the food and hookah were on point. Its lower then what we would pay in Milwaukee. Of the hookah spots in Pittsburgh this is the one that i would choose to go to if ever in town again. read more

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This is quickly becoming a new go to place for some delicious Mediterranean takeout! I've ordered from here twice and have been very impressed both times. The service has been friendly and they have the food ready really quickly for takeout (within 10 to 15 minutes). The first time, I ordered the Iraqi kabob platter with rice and salad, and my boyfriend had the chicken shawarma platter. We also split some baba ganoush with pita. The portions were HUGE and the flavors were really good. I personally preferred the chicken shawarma, but both really delicious. The second time, I tried the chicken shawarma wrap, which came with a side of delicious crispy fries. This was such a steal! The wrap was huge and had their yummy garlic sauce in it, and they gave plenty of fries on the side. I would definitely recommend this place for a quick, cheap, and delicious meal! read more

Went for dinner. Great selection of unique foods, nice atmosphere and very separate from the hookah lounge in the back.

While my girlfriend was working the night shift (not just a stripper, a nurse ;)) I figured I'd smoke some hookah and experience some Middle Eastern culture. I found a Groupon on Dijlah and got a killer deal on hookah, baklava and tea. Everything was delicious! If you're looking for a taste of Middle Eastern culture, this place has Arabic channels that play music and television not overly loud and comfortable seating for groups as large as 8. Definitely a spot I will come back to! read more

This place has the best shawarma I have had so far in Pittsburgh! Authentic Iraqi shawarma! Also the price is VERY reasonable compared to other restaurants with much smaller portions. I did find the Tabbouleh to be a bit pricey for the small portion, however it is very good and I would say it's still worth it. I've already ordered over 10 times from this place, so can't complain! read more

This restaurant has a really unique and communal feel that makes it somewhat like a lounge in addition to the restaurant. I'm sure the colorful pillowed benches along the walls have something to do with it, in addition to the hanging cloths on the ceiling (look up!). Far in the back, there seemed to be a karaoke area that is popular late at nights, though I didn't step foot in there. Judging by the number of people who were just around to eat or kick it around midnight on a Friday, it was obvious that this place was legit. In terms of food, the portions are huge and everything is grilled perfectly. The pita is a tad crispy and the yellow rice actually had a nice savory taste to it. All the meats were tasty, but favorite was definitely the Iraqi kebab. Lots of spices and flavor, all coming in three large skewers of meat. I was also a fan of the chicken and beef in the Dijlah sampler meal. Lastly they have a nice list of different teas. Didn't order any this time, though we did get to try the Ahmed tea that came with a check-in. Very good, and just might get a full cup next time. read more

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