After a 5pm movie at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, we stepped into…read moreLebanese Taverna for a casual dinner before heading back to our hotel. I was hungry and ordered with my eyes, so I ordered too much to share and we ended up packing a bunch home. (That pita bread lasted us for a few days!) If zaatar is on the menu, I have to order it. We also got hummus (so creamy and good). The pita bread was so soft and tasty. He ordered a falafel salad and I got the chicken shawarma. Note: there are also a bunch of sauces at a station near the counter where you pick up your orders - the harissa and garlic sauce (white, fluffy sauce) are really good! *chef's kiss* We sat inside and ate. There was a lot of seating available and the windows offer a airy feel when you're in there. The place was clean and well taken care of. The staff behind the counter were friendly... In sum, it's a good casual spot to grab a bite of tasty Lebanese food for a reasonable price! FYI - if you're into labneh, they have bottles in the cold cases!

I stopped by Lebanese Taverna to grab a quick dinner. Before I get into the my food experience,…read moreI'll start with my experience with the service. Upon arriving to the restaurant, I saw a father and his toddler-aged child sitting at a table and a person waiting for their orders. The father and his child were dining in and the other person was getting his food to go. As part of the protocol, I went to the counter to place an order to dine in and grabbed a table to wait for my food. While waiting for my food, the lady at the counter brought the food to the guy waiting for his to go order and later to the guy waiting with his daughter. However, when my dinner was ready, she gestured to me to pick up my food at the counter. At first, I thought nothing of it. While I was eating, a group of 3-4 people arrived to dine in. Again, the lady behind the counter brought their orders to their table (she had to make a couple of trips to their table). I hate to ask this (and perhaps, I'm reading too much into this), but why was I the only person who had to go to the counter to get my order even though I was dining-in? In general, it's not a huge deal for me to pick up my food from the counter. However, it does become a slight issue (at least for me), when I'm the only person who had to do it. During my visit, there were four dine in orders (including mine), and the lady walked three out of four orders to the folks dining...with me being the exception. Actually, I get it would be more than four total orders because the lady had to make multiple trips for the table of 3-4 diners. Added to this situation, I was the only Black person dining in the restaurant. Perhaps, it was an oversight from the lady at the counter, but I saw this as a slight microaggression. Now that I've got that off of my chest, I can get into the food. The restaurant offers a menu that consists of various flatbreads, salads, combo platters, sandwiches, and rice bowls. For my dining pleasure, I ordered a shawarma combo, which comes with two sides. For my two sides, I went with a side salad and fries. The combo with tip and a can soda was about $19. Overall, I thought the food was fine and worth the value; however, the beef and chicken were a little too salty for my tastes. I will say that the portion sizes are pretty generous because my dish was jammed packed with chicken and beef. The shawarma definitely was large enough for two meals. The restaurant has a mini fixings bar (only for dine-in customers) that includes yougurt, tahini, and a couple of other things that I cannot remember. Overall, the restaurant was pretty clean and a nice a nice layout conducive to dining in or taking your food to go.

Overall: great prices, delicious food, okay service, casual ambiance, single stall inclusive…read morerestrooms, changing table, kids menus, and high chairs available They have a great happy hour and different daily specials. There is so much to love about the menu. Everything we ate was delicious, but overall we are just wildly impressed with the prices. We rarely eat that much quality food for the prices you pay here. I love how many vegetables they have on the menu and the meat was cooked perfectly.

It was one of the hottest days of summer, and my partner and I were in the Takoma Park…read moreneighbourhood on the hunt for somewhere to grab Happy Hour (HH)! We strolled the beautiful and quaint neighbourhood for a little, until we found Olive Lounge!! After taking a glance at their HH menu -- our decision was easy, the food and drink options were just what we were looking forward to!! I can happily report that the food was DELICIOUS & truly represented what you would want from a Middle Eastern restaurant. I was ecstatic to have their grilled halloumi & their beef and chicken kabob with kidreh and tzatziki was 10/10!!! The aromatic seasonings and flavours with the kabobs were divine, and perfectly complimented the kidreh (spiced rice, garlic, chick peas). My husband had the Takoma Burger which was equally fantastic - and only $10 with a side of fries on Tuesday!! We will definitely be back to explore their HH and dinner menus more!!! This restaurant is definitely worth a visit (or several)!!

I had an absolutely wonderful experience at Bacchus of Lebanon. From the moment we walked in, the…read moreatmosphere felt warm and welcoming, with that perfect balance of elegance and comfort that makes you want to sit, relax, and enjoy the experience. The food was truly outstanding. Every dish was fresh, flavorful, and clearly prepared with care. The ingredients tasted authentic and vibrant, and the presentation was beautiful without feeling overdone. You can tell the kitchen takes pride in what they serve. If you enjoy Lebanese cuisine, this place absolutely delivers. The service was just as impressive. The staff were attentive, friendly, and genuinely passionate about the food and the restaurant. They were happy to make recommendations and made the entire experience feel personal rather than rushed. What stood out most was how everything came together, great food, great service, and a welcoming environment. It's the kind of restaurant where you leave already thinking about when you can come back. If you're looking for authentic Lebanese food with incredible flavor and hospitality, Bacchus of Lebanon is definitely worth the visit. I will absolutely be returning!

This place was very expensive, the service was slow and the waiter serving us had a terrible…read moreattitude, and the food is not good or good lebanese food. It was not busy when we came in, so it should not have taken nearly an hour for out food to come out, and when it did it was severely cooled down. The only positive thing I really have to say about this place is that the atmosphere was nice and the furniture was pretty. Also, haha, they were playing latin music. Uhmmm its a lebanese restaurant whats up with that?

Yasmine is a new addition to the Heights Food Hall in Friendship Heights, DC and serves Middle…read moreEastern food. I was excited to try this place as DC proper seems to lack good, authentic, and affordable shawarma places. I came on a Friday night at 5:30 pm and the entire food hall was pretty empty, perhaps because it was raining. I ordered: Chicken shawarma sandwich- the best chicken shawarma sandwich I've had in DC proper so far. The bread was fresh, the chicken was flavorful, and the sandwich also had toum (Lebanese whipped garlic sauce), pickles, peppers, onions and lettuce. There was also an herbal green sauce on the side (don't know the name) which I really enjoyed. Fries with toum sauce- the fries tasted fresh and had seasoning on them (not sure what) that was good. The toum was a perfect dipping sauce for the fries. Overall, the sandwich was $13.5, and the fries were $7, which came out to about $22, which is a little on the expensive side. I'm really happy with this addition to the Heights food hall. I will definitely be back for my shawarma fix.

Yasmine serves up some really tasty food. The doner kabob is great, and the hummus is delicious…read more Just make sure you know where it's located inside the food court at The Heights because it can be a bit hard to find at first. Once you do, you'll be glad you did!

Disclosure: I'm a big fan of Lebanese cuisine…read more This place hits all the right notes. LebTav has a good system in place so that an order can be filled fairly quick without sacrificing taste. I've not had anything here that could be categorized as so-so. All the Lebanese food that I've consumed has been nicely done and fresh, and I've been coming here for a few years. I didn't know that LebTav is actually an outgrowth of the Lebanese Taverna restaurant business. Those particular restaurants are found all about the DMV and are more formal in service and have larger menus. I should have figured out the connection given the acronym but was a bit slow on the uptake. My favorites at this spot include tabouleh, baba ghanoush, fries & garlic, chicken samosa, meat shawarma sandwich and lambwich. Generally, I get mine to go, but if I do sit and eat, it's usually for a short period of time. I just don't think you can go wrong here in terms of fast, casual.

I went here twice I believe. Once was in January 2020 with my g/f at that time and another couple…read morebefore a concert at Fillmore on the former Inwego app (which sadly went out of business because of Covid). I remember the food being good at that time. I went again on Thursday, September 12 before an advanced movie screening at Regal Majestic. I was confused as it was called Lebtav, and not Lebanese Taverna like I remembered in 2020. They rebranded as Lebtav a few years ago to better differentiate between the full restaurant & the cafe. I was underwhelmed by this 2024 Lebtav experience. I asked a couple of questions about the menu, and the cashier wasn't very nice like I was inconveniencing him. I got the mixed shawarma (beef & chicken) sandwich ($11) and made a platter ($4 more) which comes with 2 sides, which was about $16 something after tax. That's about average for pricing nowadays, but I felt like the food tasting subpar from what I remembered and other area restaurants. The fries were pretty bland. That was what the unfriendly cashier recommended, and he was wrong for his fries recommendation; I should've gotten the rice over the fries as I'm thinking that might've been better. I didn't want fries AND rice as that would've been too many carbs especially with the sandwich. The best aspect was the salad, which was good. The sandwich had a weird flavor too, it was decent enough but not that good either. I doctored the sandwich/fries with olive oil and sauce which helped. I feel like maybe the food changed from the past. Friends on a group chat said "fries have always sucked" here, and another said "I went to LebTav in DTSS and it wasn't good." Responding to my friends, had I known, I would've gotten Don Pollo that early evening, but also acknowledged I wanted to go back here as I hadn't had in years. In summary, not a place I'd want to go back, plenty of other good options in DTSS.

This has easily become one of my favorite Mediterranean restaurants in the dmv. The food is…read moreincredible. This might be the best chicken kabob I've ever had in my life. The vibes are beautiful!! So gorgeous and relaxing and the staff are so genuinely warm and sweet. They've created such a warm, welcoming, lovely atmosphere and I will definitely be back and I'll be bringing people with me next time! 10/10. Thank you so much Ala team

Really cute space! Love the indoor trees and decor! Staff super friendly, passionate and kind…read more Loved the falafel and mushroom shish kebab! Those were my favorites. Followed by the Zaytoon and then hummus and cauliflower. All really good but in that order of preference! Can't miss the first two. So much flavorrrrr

Have you ever loved a restaurant so much you went back twice in the same day? That was me here…read more This Pike & Rose gem in North Bethesda is everything you hope for in a neighborhood spot -- fresh, imaginative Mediterranean-inspired food, a vibrant yet cozy atmosphere, and the kind of place you immediately start planning to revisit. Everything I tried was fantastic, from the perfectly prepared chicken kebabs to the cod with farro. The blackberry vodka cocktail was beautiful and delicious, and the saffron steamed milk with ginger for dessert was absolute perfection. The entire concept feels current, welcoming, and effortlessly cool without trying too hard. Can't wait to return the next time I'm back in town for meetings!

I've had this booked marked for over two years and my cutie pie always says, "what is in this book…read moremark of yours", lol. Although he will lead most times, I pick one place every weekend so we can check it off together. This Friday (5/16) I picked Julii! He's a regular so although super packed they made it work and sat us immediately without a reservation. This place is popular and a reservation is needed. While I thought the menu was limited, it does the job. I wanted Branzino and had that in my mind the whole day but was disappointed that it wasn't on the menu. Welp, y'all know I love a burger. Service was fantastic! Ambiance feels like stepping into a French‑Mediterranean boutique café that someone elevated into a luxury dining room. It's warm, intimate, and softly glamorous without trying too hard. Let's get into it! Chicken Kabob - Seasoned perfectly over rice! Really good! Burger - Added bacon and mushrooms- Absolutely delicious! Drinks were delicious! No apps because I wasn't that hungry! I will definitely be back to try more of the menu!

Another great vendor from Solaire Social. My wife picked up an UberEats order next door to our…read moreapartment while my father was staying over which had a Lamb Kabab Sandwich, 2 Chicken Kabab Plates, and 2 Garlic Labnes. Everything was very delicious and we look forward to eating from here again.

Very disappointed with the quality…read more Ordered chicken platter. Chicken was all stale and very hard to eat. Rice was also half cooked. It was so bad that I had to make the complaint and eventually the guy refunded my money.

We went here for lunch today after visiting the National Zoo. We ate out in DC for 3 days at some…read moregreat restaurants but this place was the best by far. Every dish was delicious....fresh, flavorful, perfectly seasoned and beautifully plated without being fussy. Service was the best we had in DC. Prices were reasonable and the restaurant decor was also lovely. go here! You will not regret it.

Everything was fresh, delicious, & flavorful!! The fried cauliflower was such an interesting…read morecombination with the golden raisins, & tahini. The braised lamb shank was cooked to perfection, & fell right off the bone. The Israeli couscous was also cooked perfectly, & the flavors danced in your mouth. I'd never had Mahalabia before but it was like a gourmet chocolate pudding. Very tasty! The service was quick, they did a great job keeping up with water refills, which as someone who is always thirsty at dinner, I appreciate it. The restaurant was very lively, and had good vibes! Pricey but worth a stop at least once!

Wow, Oh Mama Grill sure has gotten an upgrade! Beautiful tiles, love the black-and-white, crisp,…read moreclean look, and new booths -- though I didn't try sitting in one yet, didn't think to as I was on a mission to get to all the Israeli restaurants around for and on Israel Independence Day, ha ha! (And yes! I succeeded!) The benches are a light, bright-looking wood. There are also regular tables for those who prefer that .... It's amazing how much spacious seating is packed into this little place! I wish the outside reflected the new, light beauty but I guess the treasure is only to be found by those who venture in .... As an Israeli-in-America, I appreciate the selection of Israeli drinks in the cooler, and of course the national snack of falafel! Some say they don't put fries in the pitas -- well, yeah! That's true! If you don't ask, you don't receive! I ask! I receive! I do sometimes find the sandwiches to be kind of messy, so I try to sometimes get less various salads and pickles and such so it's not completely overflowing -- because this place is GENEROUS! Of course, if you're not used to kosher food, you'll probably not understand that it does cost more because for one thing (out of many!), there has to always be an 'extra' person called a mashgiach (supervisor in Hebrew) who oversees everything to make sure it's all, well, kosher! Kosher meat is more expensive, too. And yeah, meat doesn't come with dairy! So that is not available. I heard someone asking if they had a cheeseburger and had to work to not crack up about it! I LOVE the grilled eggplant bits you can get put in -- they're special, not in the regular line up, right there at the end -- because not only do they add so much flavour and texture with so little bulk, but eggplant is one of those things I usually cannot eat because it hurts my oh-so-sensitive tongue, but this place makes it per-fect-ly, mmm ... ! So delicious! I enjoy both purple and green cabbage and carrots, but I don't like the flavour of the onions. That makes me sad, because I LOVE onions, but these ones have something on them that I don't like (looks like it's sumac -- which is ironic, because that's something that I normally love and use all the time!) and I end up picking out when I sometimes forget or get hopeful and just get them again anyway .... Actually, the onions are one of the few condiments here I do not like! The pickled beets are great -- and of course, great for your liver! They are cleansing, nutritious, and boost your Russian-ness, to boot! Or your Russian Jewishness, anyway .... I know that eating them makes my grandmother proud! The benefits of eating here are not and are also not like ones you can attain in just any regular restaurant, and it's here for people who want this kind of thing. It literally is a cornerstone, being on the corner and providing the things certain of us need -- Israeliness, Jewishness, kosherness, etc. It's too bad it suffers from bad reviews by people who don't understand or care. By the way, the work that goes into making all these salad items fresh every day is, let's just say, a LOT! I almost always get the falafel -- I used to get a platter, but it was too much for a meal so I switched back to the classic pita version and that's a perfect amount for me for a meal, plus I feel it's better for the environment because it comes packaged minimally in a little parchment paper rather than a recyclable aluminum plate with a non-recyclable aluminum-and-paper top. Truth be told, I could have trouble finishing writing this review because thinking of Oh Mama Grills' falafel is making me so hungry! I am really getting in the mood for some right now! Other things I eat from here regularly (and have for years): Israeli salad Moroccan (vegetarian) cigars Rice Other things I know are great by way of seeing the delight on my eating partner's face while consuming: Okay, I so I don't remember, but various meat things! Chicken, I think .... Things I don't love from Oh Mama Grill: Bean soup -- didn't have enough flavour for me .... Sabich. I dunno. Just didn't love it! It's hard to top falafel, in my opinion -- well, this falafel from this place, that is -- so I don't feel the need to explore the menu very much .... There aren't a whole lot of places (if any!) that offer such a variety of salads, pickles, and sauces! As an absolute pickle-lover who finds pickles and not just that but a variety of pickles a MUST for my diet, this place has it going on like no other! Update! Tried sitting on a bench at a booth! It's pretty hard, not super-comfortable, but doable -- however, a harder seat is better for your posture and health long-term! The falafel pita with toppings aplenty is so delicious, I am craving one right now ... and, in case you've ever tried some of the marinated types of vegetables here and found them too sour, I did too! Now, that is fixed. They are no longer so sour, and are therefore much more eminently edible! My eating partner agrees.

Since being sent into the office in Rockville I have driven past Oh Mama Grill every morning and…read moreafternoon and have thought about stopping for a visit. Well the day finally came when hubs was picking me up & we had time to kill before our evening plans. I had mentioned this place several times while driving past it & we decided to make a stop. It's basically a take out place with some fast food restaurant style booths. You place your order, you pay, and you wait for ur food to be prepped. Unfortunately this was a let down. His burger was sad, looked like someone had worked out their aggression on it. Seriously, I've never seen any burger & bun that flattened. It was my mistake, I was excited because of the description (it contained lamb) but wasn't anywhere close to the Greek burger we get in VA, I'm not sure it was even up the fast food level, although it was definitely in competition for flatness. My dish was composed a lot of very dry meat. I'm no longer considering a stop as I drive.