Shisha is a huge thing among the city's Arab expats, and their ubiquity in most of the Middle…read moreEastern restaurants in the city have led us youngsters to acquire the habit as well. I smoke heavily in college, and though I have long since quit and kicked the habit, I find that I still crave a cigarette every now and then. Though shisha doesn't really give me much of a boost, unlike nicotine, I find that it it is much better than actually lighting up a stick (though scientific studies suggest otherwise). At least it gives me something to do with my mouth when I'm not stuffing it with food or when i'm not talking my friends' ears off. Anyway, I find that the cheaper places to score a good load of hookah are the places that the Arabs frequent. They are often in the seedier areas of the backstreets of the red light districts, and true enough, one of those places is called Jerusalem, in Malate. I have also come here for the food, though I don't remember anything much standing out to me aside from the shakshuka, which is always a great favorite of mine. I have actually been here exactly three times, and one of those times was during a telecast of a World Cup game. They have a TV that is usually turned to some Arabic language newscast, but during the games, they would air and replay the games for everyone to see.

My family took us here to try the food. We got seated right away. The atmosphere was nice. The…read moreservice was very good. The food were delicious, sorry i did not get a chance to take pictures. They have parking spots but very tricky to get in and out. Will definitely come back.

Hossein's interior is gorgeous as well as apt for its motif, all dimly lit curtains tinged with a…read morewarm, sun-baked palette. I learned about Hossein through my best friend, who loved their food so much that she couldn't stand up after clearing her plates. Neither could I, and that's a good sign. First things first: one does not simply enter Hossein without trying their Roti Channai (P125). Served with a mild sauce mixed with Indian spices, the roti is soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. As for mains, I strongly recommend their Lamb Shish Kebab (P550) and their Raan Masala (P2780), the latter of which is leg of lamb cooked in a creamy and thick curry sauce, mixed with special herbs and spices. In my opinion, the Raan Masala is definitely the star of the menu. Even the sauce of the masala goes really well with the kebab. So much so that I ended up dipping my kebab in the sauce of the masala instead of the actual sauce of the kebab. All of this doesn't come with rice yet, so you'll definitely want to order a heaping of buttery-hot Biryani Rice (P180), good for two people. I used to have a "don't love it, don't hate it" attitude toward Persian cuisine, but because of Hossein, I am now stuck in the "will eat everything until I puke" phase. Easily the best (and priciest) Persian restaurant I've tried in Metro Manila.

Our favorite place for Shawarma (Middle Eastern dish). Place was upgraded and they now have a "fast…read morefood branch" nearby. Skip their "Shawarma Meals" fries included was very disappointing!

Nice restaurant to go to. They have a full menu to order from with reasonable price. The servers…read morecoordinate well with the customers. The restaurant makes you feel you are in the Arab peninsula part of Manila.

Very good Persian/Iranian restaurant. It is not Mediterranean but Middle East culture based foods…read more You can enjoy totally exotic flavour of Iran even you have never visited before. They offer to prepare special source with braked tomato. Food quality would be better than other middle eastern restaurants in Manila, and their advantage is to provide alcohols comparing to others. Good for business use, family, and friends lunch and dinner. At least P.1k per head if you order typical dishes with drinks.

Arya is a good choice for anyone craving some Persian food. Even if it's a bit expensive (average…read moreof Php 450 per person), you can really taste where your money is going. They don't shortchange you with the ingredients and the way their dishes are cooked. Also, ordering is pretty simple and "no fail". Have a variety of beef, chicken, and lamb Kebabs with Basmati Rice. The Kebabs are pretty big and the rice is a lot, so it's good for sharing. The vegetables on the side are also a refreshing palette cleanser. And don't forget to put a lot of the garlic yogurt sauce to make the meal just right!

A few of my cousins, friends and myself were on the hunt for Middle Eastern food and fun. We spent…read moreabout an hour driving around looking to land on a winning place, then we finally landed on this establishment called SSC (shawarma Snack Center)Parking was kinda limited since rememember, it's in the Philippines. Ground floor had a shopping complex and some small restaurants, then we walked up a flight of stairs coming to find out 2nd floor was a huge gamimg LAN center. Didn't expect how big this place was until I reached the top 3rd floor. It was an outdoor area and indoor in the middle where there you could dine and eat food, play board games or watch sports and movies on a big flat screen TV. Then theres an outdoor section where you can smoke your sheesha and have coversations with a group. They had a few authentic selections of middle eastern and asian foods like shawarmas, Biryani, hummus , mogoul and fruit smoothies and shakes. Food I can rate 7/10, service 8/10, setting 8/10. All in all experience was comfortable and I'd definitely come back to have another chill funday Sunday.

I love this place. I've been coming here for years and it has been consistently delicious…read moreall-throughout. The prices are very affordable, the servings are never disappointing and the service is so quick you don't have to wait too long to get your order. Sometimes what I do is call them when I'm on my way home from work and pick-up my order right when I reach BF. I always come here for their beef shawarma, chicken biryani and hummus. The hummus is a personal favorite of mine. The ingredients are blended so well with just the right amount of flavors, that I always get a second batch of pita bread without fail. Shawarma Snack Center has a nice rustic ambience to it too. It's simple and comes with outdated interiors that will make you believe that it's 1993 and you're dining in a tiny village in the Middle East. Definitely a gem in the south!

I'd passed this place without giving it a second thought. It looked like just another shawarma…read morespot. There were five million other shawarma spots and this place looked pretty small. Man, was I wrong. This wasn't just a shawarma place. It was a legit grill place. Shawarma, kebabs, chicken fillets, dapas... you name it. Impressive. And for a price that didn't go over 100php for most items. Even more impressive. What stunned me though was how much bigger it was on the inside. It added a lot to the ambiance of the place. There was lots of room and lots of seats, giving it a rather cozy feel. The food itself is pretty good! Not dry, tasty and that's without drenching it in sauce as is my usual modus when it comes to these wraps. Despite the price, it wasn't at all small and they didn't skimp on the fillings which is something that doesn't happen very often. So if you're looking for something light and filling but won't kill your wallet or make you feel like you didn't eat enough, this is where I'd suggest to go.

At first I was a little frustrated because Mandi Persian Grill replaced this cool café on that same…read moreplace. It was the only one with turtle pie then. It took me some time to warm up to it but my love for hummus has overcome this tampo, so I decided to try it out. Needless to say, it was on a whole different scale than the café it replaced, but I still like it because of my love for Middle Eastern food. PROS: You'd be surprised how roomy it actually is. On the ground level it would just be around 4 tables and you have to scoot to get to the counter and place your order. But downstairs, it's comfortably spacious; I love samplers! So of course I had their Mandip Trio. It was so fun to eat because I got to try the Moutabal and Keema too, which is quite good; I liked reading this little story on their menu on how Mandi got their name. CONS: Orders take a bit of time to prepare; We could use for more pita for the Trio. TL;DR: Authentic Persian food that's not just some random shawarma place. More Mandi!

Hands down my favorite place to eat in in Taft Avenue!…read more Ababu opened about a year ago and hasn't lost its momentum since, well at least for me. They serve Persian and Mediterranean foods which are two of my favorites! The best part? It's just a block away from my building so if you do visit, there's a possibility of you running into me there (don't forget to say hi!)! Ababu's food is very affordable but unlike most cheap eats, Ababu serves amazing food! Their Beef Kebab Rice Meal is my favorite! It consists of charbroiled ground beef with egg, corn, onions and tomatoes on rice. They also serve bottomless iced teas with the meals though I believe they use powdered iced tea. The only drawback is that the place can get really hot and a little smoky when they are cooking the meat and the poor air-conditioning sure doesn't help.

When, like my sister and me, Mediterranean food is your comfort food and you want to eat it in a…read moresimple, no-frills place like we do, head to Ababu Persian Kitchen. Good thing there's one located across my office! I love their Chicken Rice Meal, which, at Php 139, comes with grilled chicken breast, a cup of rice, a slice of butter, some corn, tomatoes, onions, and a sunny-side-up egg. A bit of warning, though: the grilled chicken is really just that. It's not grilled barbecue-style so it's sauce-free, which is good news for weight watchers. It's a heavy meal, enough to fuel you from lunch to dinner. In fact, it has become my go-to lunch for days when I practice hot yoga after office and afternoon snacks are a no-no. My sister, the shawarma lover, loves their Shawarma Rice--no surprise! Their meals include unlimited yogurt dressing (of course!) and unlimited iced tea! Don't be surprised when they offer you one pitcher though you're dining alone. Though certainly amusing, that pressured me to drink more iced tea than I normally consume!

This has become a regular stop when my wife and I are in Manila. The food is always good, and there…read moreis a wide selection to choose from. I see some other reviewers talking about service and cleanliness, but both have been good, in my experience. As for price, I am sure you can find a cheaper kebab place, but you won't find one this good.

The food took forever to come out and didn't taste very good. It was also expensive. Even better, I…read moreroasted for two days in bed with a fever and vomiting from food poisoning. World's worst restaurant! Bad service too