My best friend has been wanting to bring me here because she came a while back and said she had an…read moreexperience that was out of this world. I am Lebanese, and she thought I would enjoy the atmosphere and cuisine given that Ammoora is a modern Syrian restaurant. And she was right! Although it's listed as a modern Syrian restaurant, you will find products (such as some of their alcohols/liquors) representative of much of the Middle East. And as I'm sure you know, many dishes are similar or the same! I cannot say enough great things about Ammoora. I arrived 30 minutes before the rest of my group since I had a long commute, but I had a great time sitting at the bar enjoying some Arabic coffee. I also had the "Ashta Affair" which is a silky smooth cream based alcoholic beverage with just a touch of spices, and was such a great take on the very same Ashta I make at home. The bar tenders were such a delight to talk to. They made me feel like I was right at home. My party arrived and we were then taken to our table, where I felt I was transported back to the Middle East, as the dining room is decorated floor to ceiling in colors, patterns, furniture and linens. I was met with a sense of nostalgia that only added to this amazing experience. Then came the food. You can go to a thousand Middle Eastern restaurants, and each will have their own take on a dish, and that's what I loved about Ammoora. Their dishes were still very authentic, and had its own slight spin on it, making it even more incredible. We had a sampling appetizer that consisted of hummus, baba ghanoush, olives, and various other dips, followed by fettoush, the lamb, and the semki harra. I came with two non-middle eastern friends (one who had been there before) and both of them said that the food was out of this world, and I couldn't agree more. There is something for everyone here. You could come here for their extensive and unique drink menu alone and have a great time. And if you don't care to drink, then the dining menu will absolutely transport you and your tastebuds to a place of nostalgia, whether you've been to the Middle East before or not. I cannot wait to bring my whole family for unique and excellent dining experience. Everyone from the owner to the wait staff were extremely hospitable, and you can tell that their priority is in making sure your experience is unforgettable.

Drinks and food were so good! We enjoyed Ammoora so much the first time that we came back for a…read moresecond visit earlier this yeaon January 30th to celebrate my husband's birthday with our family. As someone who eats plant-based, I really appreciated that they offer a separate vegan dinner menu--and not just a few side dishes thrown together. I could actually enjoy a full, thoughtfully prepared meal! My dinner: Muhamara + Baba Ghanouj to share Harissa Roasted Cauliflower + Saffron Jeweled Rice Pistachio Ghazal el Banat for dessert. Everything was delicious. The service was exceptional again, which says a lot about the consistency of this restaurant. And although it was absolutely freezing outside that evening, Ammoora was warm, cozy, elegant, and beautiful inside. Another wonderful experience. We'll definitely be back!

I'm with a co-worker and we have tickets to see Yankees vs Orioles. Before the game I want to grab…read moresomething and a stadium hot dog isn't going to work for me. I start naming a few seafood places but she's not into any of my suggestions. I said I have a great Lebanese spot and we can park in front? Sold! We make our way to Lebanese Taverna. I thought I was being cool with the restaurant suggestion but then tells me her dad is Lebanese? We're greeted by the hostess and shown to a booth. The restaurant beautifully decorated and it's deceiving from the outside. Lebanese Taverna is a huge restaurant with plenty of seating. We're given menus and I sit back and let my coworker order all of the sharable items. We started with Kibbeh: stuffed beef and lamb fritters as well as beef and lamb Shawarma Rolls. I'm getting a thumbs up from my coworker except she said her mom makes both dishes better. Who am I to argue? Mom's cooking is always better! Great spot to dine at the Baltimore harbor.

It was a very busy Monday night yesterday. I hope that is atypical. The restaurant largely felt…read morepoorly managed. Servers didn't have normal "sections." They were all over the place. It was Mezza Monday ("unlimited") small plates but we were barely able to order a "Second helping" after being there for 2 hours. The first round of food took over an hour. Luckily, we tracked down our waitress for a second round and it took 20 minutes. Worst part was that it was my sister's birthday. While our server Angel comp'ed a second glass of wine for her, it was 2 hours and 15 minutes before we were able to ask for the check and were ready to go so their normal birthday dessert was no longer an option. I usually go for happy hour and have good food service when the dining room isn't busy. I won't go back for a bit, but I hope another dinner time service is better managed!

The flavors REALLY pop in the BABA GANNOUJ, TABOULEH, and GRAPE LEAVES rolls (all vegan) that my…read moredaughter and I enjoyed on our road-trip this evening. We took our food to-go, but the interior of Layla's is comfy and inviting for dine in as we saw. Very easy to order vegan items as the hostess is happy to answer questions about ingredients and knows the vegan options. YES: Vegan friendly

I had the lamb, it was delicious. The customer service was excellent. The waiter was very…read moreattentive. I lo because it's very intimate. This is a good date spot. Of course, I had to top it off with Xpress.

The Cedars of Lebanon is an easily-overlooked cafe right on the corner of the Old Greenbelt…read moreShopping Center which is a lovely hidden gem. I spent every summer in this town, growing up, and I never discovered this restaurant until a precious friend brought me here a few years ago. It's a dated, though efficient, and charming, cafe with fresh dishes you might love. Firstly, if you plan on having lunch here on a Monday, make sure you are able to finish by 2:45 since they close by 3pm. All other days, they are open past 8pm. We started with the sweet potato soup despite the fact that the reviews for the lentil soup here are the highest. Yes! If it's featured: get it! The turmeric and coconut milk make this soup delightful. The herbs made it so fresh and there was just the right amount of sweetness and gentle heat. Parsley really adds to this recipe and I'm not usually a fan of this herb. The pitas are soft, thin and light. Love them. We needed to order more. I've never had such paper-thin pitas. Yum! I love love love the hummus, here. It is nothing short of divine. The flavors are fabulous and deeply complex. You can really taste the tahini. The olive oil is mild and delicious. I exclaimed, "the hummus was the best ever." And then 5 minutes later, I read a review by Yelper James H. where he says it's the best ever and, "... this hummus at Cedars of Lebanon might have ruined all other hummus for me forever." While I've had similar swooning feelings over the hummus at Lebanese Taverna in Tyson's Corner, this hummus is at least a top contender if not the metro DC area's hummus winner. The cucumber mint yogurt salad is nice, cold and refreshing. You can really taste the mint. I would order this yogurt salad with every meal. The falafel pizza is unusual and fresh. Straight away-- you can taste the tahini, parsley and couscous. The dough is grainy and natural. And there are radishes on this falafel pizza: not overpowering. For the $9 or so pricepoint, this dish is a true labor of love. To prep all of these vegetables, even with food processors, must take time. How novel of a dish! Put the yogurt salad on this pizza. You will thank me. And I only did it because I was watching someone else slather it on. There were at least 12 desserts on the menu. Meow. If we weren't so full of pita, hummus, tahini and fresh veggies, we certainly would love to taste a few of these. As well as the Turkish coffee, with an authentic ceramic and metal carafé presentation.

Pretty easy, breezy no-frills restaurant…read more We stopped by Cedars of Lebanon, because it was one of the few places that had outdoor seating and was not full. The restaurant has a small outdoor dining area with three four-seater tables, which was find for our two dogs. The experience overall was pretty low key, which necessarily is not a bad thing. Although there is waiter/waitress service, you will have to order your food at the cashier's counter. Actually, maybe that's only a thing if you are dining outside. The menu has a nice mix of Middle Eastern dishes. I went with a beef (or maybe it was lamb) kabob plate. The portions were fine and my meal was pretty good. It was not out of this world amazing, but it got the job done. I thought that the prices were pretty good for the area and the amount of food received. Although the food was fine, I do not think that I would go out of my way (e.g., driving more than 30 minutes) to dine here. Just be aware that the restaurant does not serve alcoholic beverages.

Good food with even nicer service. This place feels very authentic and the man who owns it is very…read morekind and friendly. He chatted with us the whole time and recommended the mint tea to us which was delicious and well worth it. My first time really eating Moroccan food but the flavor combinations were good and the preserved lemon and olives used in the dishes were tasty. My favorite dishes here were the chicken tajin and the mint tea

Only Moroccan place I have found in the DMV. If there are others, please let me know…read more Chicken Bastilla: First time trying it, a savory chicken pastry with powdered sugar, it wasn't really for me, but the phyllo was well done. Lamb Tagine: Tasted pretty good, Lamb Shank could have been a little more tender, sauce and prunes were good. I wish i had gotten Lamb Cous Cous instead. My meal came with Moroccan bread, which is good, but Cous Cous is better. Kefta Tagine: Savory, delicious, more familiar tasting. My friend crushed it. Service: Owner is very friendly and made the experience much better. Ambiance: Crowded, cool decoration, felt like it was catered towards the ethnic community, which is what I want! Overall impression: First time i've had Moroccan in years. Appreciate it while it's here. Not every city has a Moroccan place. It's unique and different from other Mediterranean. It's a 4.5, not the best I've had but pretty darn good.

Delicious food. Charming atmosphere. Wonderful, attentive staff. Mona's is a jewel!…read more Don't miss the baklava

Mona's Lebanese Café is a unique dining experience in every way. We felt as if we had been invited…read moreto the home of a Lebanese friend whose mother welcomed us by serving the most beautiful home-cooked food, and in a setting that took us back in time. The flavors, presentation, and service were unmatched. We enjoyed our experience thoroughly and can't wait to go back.

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!

This place is awesome. We placed a large group order, made up of individual orders and this…read morerestaurant was 100% accurate with all 10 of our orders. I made my owner online and it was very easy to do. The owner was so nice while we waited for our order. There is metered street parking available for this restaurant and I did not have an issue finding a spot. I personally ordered the Greek Philly. I was was thoroughly impressed with my food. First, the portion size was huge. I could not finish it in one sitting. Second, it came with a huge salad, which I was not expecting. The salad was delicious, the Philly was delicious. The fries.....not so much. They were crispy and hard. The salad and Philly were both tasty and packed with flavor. I cannot say enough about this place. They have a wide assortment of food including gyros, salads, soups, wraps, paninis, burgers, skewers/kabobs mezza, and antipasti. They also have worldwide booze, including imported beers. I am glad that I was able to experience this food and highly recommend checking this place out.

Good spot with good options. First off the inside of the…read morerestaurant is much nicer and classier than the outdoor seating. It's well decorated with comfy chairs and a good vibe. Outside feels like a complete different place (so pick indoor seating). Second, the staff is very friendly. We ordered several of their appetizers for our group and they were all delicious. Their kabab plates were a hit. They also offered a good selection of drinks. Minor thing, and it is from personal experience only: their menus are printed on black paper and in a plastic sleeve. Reminds me of the bad touristy places in Europe. It did not represent how good the food was, because usually we run away from this Massive Plastic menus... so I Joel one day they will update them to something nicer for a better first feel.

I have been a long time fan/patron of MeJana b/c of the friendly, welcoming staff, beautiful…read moreambiance, and consistent delicious dishes. I especially appreciate the thoughtful presentation, tableware and glassware. One of my favorite go-tos for lunch is the Chicken Shawarma with salad. Light, healthy and tasty, presented on a board. Now that the weather is pleasant, try dining on the patio like I did today. Enjoy!

It's alright. I…read morereally like that there IS a Lebanese restaurant in this section of Arlington and they have a vegetarian menu. The dip sampler was small samples. We got the halloumi as well, which can't go wrong with cheese, honey, and dates. Service was good. Ambiance - there's outdoor and indoor seating and you can always find a seat. It's not loud and they have booths.