This place has a small, but private, parking lot. I ordered takeout at the counter during lunch time on a weekday. At the very back page of the menu was the daily special, which includes some sort of protein in a bed of rice (no sides) for about $9.00. I think the food was worth the value. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare, so order ahead if you want to get in and out. The ambience is very casual and the place looks like it has aged, but in a good way. Feels like it's been around forever whether that's the case or not. I would return to try some other items as the food was fresh and delicious even as a takeout. read more

Habibi Grill - Lunch special takeout - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Service: they are nice and fairly quick with service. No qualms there. :) Ambiance: not a first date place. It is more geared towards mom and pop family service style. Food: what we got was okay. They were flavorful and will fill you up. The meat is tender and rice is perfectly cooked. However, the food always came out luke warm to cold, rather than nice and hot. I can understand that we eat with our hands here too. But the food should still be hot. Overall: it's okay, I would come again and ask for them to make mine hotter and not cooled down though :) read more

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Awesome place. Great food..Great ambience, great service.. Love the 8.99$ menu. My favorite is chicken mandi. Always fresh..always delicious. Parking is always a issue thou. read more

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Wonderful food, faster service in 2026 Great lamb mansaf on the weekend and soup. Wasn't the biggest on ice cream but such a wonderful restaurant to eat at! read more

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I can't express in words how much I loved their food. Their lamb mandi is truly out of the worlds. The lamb was unbelievably tender and juicy and the rice was scrumptiously flavorful. The portions are generous and they have a wide variety of sides to go with the dish. I want to come back to Raleigh, just to try their food again read more

Habibi Grill - Lamb Mandy - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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The food gad a very classic and authentic taste. Portion size was generous. The service was quick and explained well. A little small but there is an attached grocery store right next door. read more

I thoroughly enjoyed the food at this restaurant! We sat outside on the deck and enjoyed the ambiance out there. The waiter/cashier was so nice. He was extremely busy but he did take the time out to make sure that our needs were met. I had a chicken and beef skewer with the Mandy rice....oh so good! The portions were amazing. I had plenty of leftovers. The food was well seasoned and had much flavor. I definitely recommend this restaurant for a casual dining experience. read more

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I enjoy Habibi Grill. The lamb and the chicken here is delicious. The soup is very good. I am not a fan of the falafel here at all. No amount of taziki will change my mind. Overall, a solid food option. The staff here are kind and welcome. The space is clean and spacious. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. read more

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I got the chicken kefta lunch deal! A good amount of tasty food for a reasonable price read more

Habibi Grill - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Great little restaurant with a mix of middle eastern dishes. Family run, they were short staffed when we visited but doing a great job. The dishes are reasonably priced and generously portioned, with each platter coming with soup (varies by the day but they had lamb or lentil for our visit) and your choice of 2 sides. The meat dishes don't automatically come with rice, so I'd recommend adding Mandy Rice as a side to at least one. The portion of rice served is so large that you can then split it between multiple platters if you're ordering more than 1 or sharing, rather than ordering rice as a side for every platter- then you can order more sides! We shared two platters, deciding to keep a Yemeni theme for the night: chicken Mandy and lahan haneeth (lamb). For sides we had 1 order of Mandy rice, the sambosas, hummus and baba ganoush, and we both chose the lamb soup as our soup option. All of the food was very good. The chicken Mandy is normally a tad bit spicier, but since it wasn't a fully Yemeni restaurant it made sense that this would be a bit milder; the sauce was still very flavorful. Both meats (the chicken and the lamb) were perfectly cooked, the chicken being moist and flavorful and the lamb so tender. The dishes had so much meat we took home more than half! The house made hummus and baba ganoush were delicious. We wanted to have the grape leaves as well, but couldn't eat any more. We saw another table order the lamb mansef and it looked incredible. We don't come to Raleigh often, but if we do again this is going to become a staple :) read more

Habibi Grill - 1/2 Chicken Mandy - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Best place for some chicken and rice foods very delicious especially for their chicken.

The food is good. Friendly staff. Eat in or take away. Really good representation of ethnic food. Hummus. Yum. Kabobs. Delicious. Recommend the beef strongly. Great side dishes. Tried it all. No regrets. read more

Our experience at Habibi Grill was one of the best in the area! We stumbled in here with only a few minutes before needing to head to our next destination, and we couldn't be more grateful that we did! We were treated to a complementary lentil soup to begin our meal, and the flavor was spectacular! We got a veggie platter and a shrimp platter, both of which we are already excited to have as leftovers. We definitely will be coming again! read more

Today's experience was very disappointing. The food lacked flavor, and there was an excessive amount of sauce leaking from the sandwich. Unfortunately, I also found a hair in the sauce, which was very upsetting. We specifically came for the shawarma on a weekend after calling ahead to confirm that it was available. When we arrived, we were surprised to learn that there were issues and that shawarma was not available. We traveled a long distance to come here, so this resulted in wasted time and effort. That said, I would like to mention that the girls at the front were very kind, polite, and professional, and their attitude was appreciated. Because of this experience, I do not plan to visit again. I hope this feedback is taken seriously to improve food quality and communication in the future. read more

The food was freaking phenomenal. Super authentic place with very flavorful food with great textures (tender smokey meats and mouth watering dishes all around). We ordered the chicken platter and the mixed grill platter of steak and lamb. Both were incredible. Loved the soups, super flavorful. The chicken soup has little pasta stars and tastes kinda lemony and blew my mind. Green lentil soup was fantastic as well. Falafel delicious crispy and steamy. All the food tasted super fresh. So good. Hummus and baba ghanoush come with pita bread. Those were super good too. And the hot sauce that came out with the grilled platters was awesome and tasty too! Running out of adjectives haha it was good! Flavorful with a kick and went nicely with the Mandy rice (rice cooked with lamb broth). The only downside is the parking lot can get packed. We actually tried eating here last night and couldn't get a parking spot. The lot and the lot for the market next door were completely full. Also, the service moves at a glacial pace (don't come here if you're in a rush). I ordered hot tea at the start and didn't receive it until the end of the meal with our falafel and before we got the check. The food seems to come out in a somewhat random order? And kinda dirty as mentioned in other reviews (cigarette butts etc). All the reviews I read before coming here have been accurate: painfully slow service and kinda dirty (we sat on the outdoor patio). I called beforehand to check if they allow dogs because of the outdoor seating and the woman on the phone was kinda ambiguous and weird about it, asking if the dog was small and saying that they had other customers (we have a Saint Bernard) implying without saying it that customers would be uncomfortable with big dogs but I think she was probably projecting because nobody cared. In the end she admitted that they had a table available and said she would prepare it for us (the patio was empty besides one table). It's definitely kinda dirty but I also think that there's maybe not enough wait staff to handle the customer load. The review is basically just for the food. You get a ton of it, it's all incredible, and so worth the wait. Definitely will return again! Next time we'll try the desserts! read more

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Update: I found out despite speaking with the manager and not getting my food after ordering online they still charged me the $80.50. I sent an email but no response. read more

Habibi Grill - Beef Tikka - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Service was slow. But when she came , we knew what we wanted to order. Ordered simple drink order and 1@ minutes later no drinks yet. The food took quite a bit of time to get. Probably 20-25 minutes. There was 1 hostess also acting as cashier, table cleaner, order taker and sometimes helps in the kitchen. Understaffed. Lentil soup. Very good flavour but not hot Shish taouk, tikka beef, lamb kabob hummus baba Ghanoush were all 5 stars. Really good flavours, big Portions. Ambiance was ok. Would I come back for the food ? For sure. read more

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Great food, nice people, ehh ambiance. Really really good food--middle eastern bar b que--lamb beef chicken cooked on wood read more

We got the chicken and steak kebab and lamb platters-food was very well seasoned, great portion sizes, and good service! The beef sambosa were delicious. read more

Easter dinner led to a shortage of some items but what we ended up with was fantastic. The grape leaves and baba ghanoush was delicious to start. We each tried the chicken kabob, beef kabob and chicken sandwich. Perfectly seasoned in each bite. Service was fast considering the place was packed inside and out. It was a bit warm inside, likely due to the number of people. This also led to a fairly high volume of voices. Definitely will be returning. read more

If you want great Middle Eastern food with generous portions in a casual atmosphere, this is it! Habibi Grill is centrally located off of 440 & Western Blvd in Raleigh. The dining area is very informal. Service provided by our server was very attentive despite being obviously understaffed. The food here is the stand out. We all ordered the mixed grill platters. All platters come with soup and 2 sides. What we didn't expect was the quality and quantity of food. Usually a side of hummus is a tiny scoop on the side of your plate. This was appetizer sized portions for all the sides! See my pics...it was a lot of food! The food overall was excellent and well flavored. The kebabs had the wonderful grill flavor that only charcoal grilling can create. If you're in the mood for Middle Eastern food, you can't go wrong with Habibi Grill! read more

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It is a very nice experience. The food is really good all the time, and the prices are unbelievable for the amount of food. Maybe it is not the best place with respect to cleanliness and friendliness, but if you care mostly about the food, this is the place for you. read more

This restaurant seems to forget that customer service is something that applies in the food industry. Spend your money somewhere they actually want you to. Front of house dude is a main reason I will never recommend this place to anyone even though the food is ok. read more

Food is always sooo good. They have the best tabbouleh and baba ghanoush. I love coming here! Also their garlic sauce is soo good on everything. I haven't had anything I don't like here read more

This place is my NEW FAVORITE SPOT! I know Western Boulevard and Raleigh in general has a good amount of kebab places but I'm shocked to have never heard of this place. I actually found it while yelp searching "lamb shank" and this is what popped up so I decided to try. They have indoor and outdoor seating and everything is served on plastic silverware and styrofoam plates because of COVID I think. Their food is extremely good, super flavorful, fresh, and hot. After eating here the first time we went back twice in that week because it was so good. The prices are good and the portions are big and each plate comes with rice and another side. Sides include extra rice, fries hummus, falafel, etc. We tried all the sides and liked them all. While we were waiting for our food which took about 15-20 minutes they also gave us complimentary lamb soup and lentil soup which was great! Love this spot. read more

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Fast service, delicious food, travels well, favorite mediterranean spot in town! I recommend this place for anyone looking for authentic mediterranean food. Will definitely be going back every week for the foreseeable future! read more

Habibi Grill - Maskhan pie - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Great find and quality food. If you've never tried Middle Eastern cuisine, I highly recommend trying this spot! You will be trying very authentic Middle Eastern dishes and spices. When you're sitting and waiting for your order at Habibi Grill, you forget you're in Raleigh. The authentic, cultural experience is everything! From the ambience, smells of food cooking from the indoor grill, the music, the conversations around you ... It's all amazing! For those planning to go for the first time, the staff are very helpful. They will help you with the menu or if you have questions about the food. The restaurant itself is very clean and well maintained. Then, it's time to take your order. It's like you're the only one in the restaurant. The time and attention given by the staff are like no other. From the descriptions given of the menu, items, how they are prepared, the recommendations ... the details. If you're someone who enjoys these kinds of details and attention, your taste buds will appreciate it. The flavours, tastes, and spices are all so delicious! I ordered from their Chicken Platters. I had the 1/2 Grilled Chicken, which comes with two sides. My sides were White Rice and Baba Ganoush. For my drink, I went with Barbican [Barbican is a brand of non-alcoholic malt drinks] For appetizers, we had Falafels. My girlfriend had the Chicken Kabob and her two sides were Mandy Rice and Tzatziki Salad. For drinks, she had Mint Lemonade. It's very much like a slushy with Fresh Mint, Lemon, sugar, and pulverized ice. Not tart or sweet, but a great palate cleanser. Overall, we left full and satisfied; the portions are great. I highly recommend trying Habibi Grill. read more

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Food was really good, I'm giving 3star only coz of the food. I was soooo disappointed with the service. No one was there to assist customers. This place has soooo much potential, they really need to work on their customer service. read more

Habibi Grill - Mandi Rice with Mix Grilled 3 Skewers (Chicken Kaba, Beef Kabab & Lamb Kabab) - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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How is this place getting such great stars?? I just got my Shish Tawook sandwich and the chicken was raw! And the pita was falling apart with rotten lettuce clinging for dear life. read more

Habibi Grill - Raw chicken!! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Habibi Grille is an absolute delight for anyone seeking a taste of authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. I personally ordered the lamb mandy and I loved it. The lamb was tender and cooked perfect for me. The lamb fell off the bone. The mandy rice was bursting with rich flavors!! The menu offers a wide array of Middle Eastern dishes. For a delicious journey through Middle Eastern flavors, Habibi Grille is an absolute must-visit. read more

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Food was great! Flavor was awesome need more natural juices to complement food instead of sodas.

Absolutely Amazing!!!! The Aroma and taste of the spice blends and chargrill my new favorite place. read more

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Our family enjoys meeting for dinner at Habibi. We all love the flavor of Chicken Mandy and Lamb Mandy. The portions are so generous. Every dish we have tried has been wonderful. This local family-owned restaurant is a hidden gem in Raleigh, NC. (Near NCSU!) A+ service. They also do a massive to-go business inc. large trays for parties. They have a covered deck for warmer weather outdoor dining. read more

Food is fantastic, cooked perfectly with amazing flavors all leading to great dishes. The chicken was packed with flavor and fell off the bone, and we were able to portion it successfully with just our spoons. The interior is nice with a fun theme and decor although a couple of the tables do wobble quite a bit which can be frustrating. The service is friendly but can at times be a bit lackluster. Additionally, the prices are very reasonable especially for the fairly generous portions. Would definitely recommend. read more

The place is a little run down and needs some cleanup. If you stick with the chicken and Kafta, you will be pleased. They are good, not the best, but good enough. One of the few in the area that serve Arabic food close to the authentic one. Be prepared for a long wait :) read more

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There are two ways to enjoy Habibi grill. And if you don't do neither, you are gonna have some bad experience. 1. Order take out and wait for a good bit while doing other stuff to distract yourself. Then enjoy the wonderful almost freshness of the habibi grill. Or 2. Bring couple of friends and entertain yourself dining in, without alcohol or fancy ambient. It's just not that kind of place Now that you understand this place is gonna take some time to cook your food, let me tell you all the deliciousness it offers Fresh off, get all the side you possibly can. Hummus. Tabouli. Baba ganoush. Grape leaves. All of them are well seasoned, fresh, and compliments all other food. Then, go for the meat. I recommend lamb mandy. And you do not get any Mandy without mandy rice. Let me repeat, GET THE MANDY RICE. Don't cheap out for a dollar and get the white rice. This will make or break your dish. At last, they have a very economic lunch menu which I haven't yet to try. But the price is very reasonable read more

Habibi Grill - All the goodies - Middle Eastern Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Awesome place. The only true shawarma is town, though it's only available over the weekends. They cook the meat on an open fire, on a rotating spit. The way shawarma was meant to be made! The lamb haneeth, mandi, and moza are really special tool. Melt in your mouth goodness. Service can be erratic, and this place can really get packed. Between the to-go orders, and a packed house prepare yourself for a loud evening. Which, in fact is awesome if you're bringing kids along! read more

This place is wonderful. I have currently ordered 2 times and will continue to order here over and over. My next goal is to eat in at this place because the atmosphere is wonderful also. I remember ordering pick up and waiting outside and the amount of traffic in and out this place shows you how great their food is. I am glad to find a great authentic Mediterranean food spot with great prices and great service. read more

Ordered two lunch specials and a coffee! + shish tawook - the rice and caramelized onions were wonderfully seasoned, and paired really well with the cubes of chicken that might otherwise have been a bit bland without them. + chicken mandy - a bit dried out, both skin and meat. The skin looked like it was seasoned, but actually ended up being underseasoned + turkish coffee - great aroma and I liked how this was served black, rather than being pre-sweetened, etc. Overall this was a great place to try, during covid takeout. Wish the meat portions or sides options were a bit better for the lunch specials, but it's a decent value nonetheless. Will revisit to try some of their other dishes! read more

I'd heard good things about the food but I can't tell you how the food is because they never came to our table to get an order. Waited 20 minutes then decided to leave. read more