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Little Sesame

4.3 (295 reviews)
Closed • Closed
Updated over 3 months ago

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LITTLE SESAME ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Trendy
Moderate noise
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Little Sesame

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soft serve
Iris P.

decent oat milk soft serve. it tastes a lot like oat, but its a good portion size and mildly sweet

Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade
Sharvani M.

Came here right off the Amtrak just as a casual Friday lunch to celebrate my partner's birthday. Simple but yummy food - I really enjoyed Cauliflower Shawarma, and the Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade was refreshing, cold, and just the right amount of sweet. I'd recommend Little Sesame as a fast-casual spot with something different than your usual Chipotle or Cava. The hummus is also very very good!

spring 2025 appetite! appreciations :)
Sara Y.

A New Yorker is rating this place. little sesame truck came to NYC! Staff members gave us hummus and crackers :) I was so happy to hear that their promotion is from DC! We were there not long ago. When we were return, we def check here out!

Chocolate soft serve
Julia S.

Service here was SPEEDY! The only thing I tried was the chocolate soft serve (which is vegan!) and it definitely put the soft in soft serve. Despite scarfing it down, it was definitely melting very quickly. The soft serve was flavorful without being overpowering. Would want to return to try the vanilla tahini soft serve!

Big Slice of Seasonal Heirloom Tomato Grilled Cheese Panini
Rachel H.

I am reviewing this business off of the food and experience I had. I would absolutely come back to give it a second try, but was not wowed by my first visit. I came here for a business lunch and was immediately struck by A) how busy this place gets from 1pm-2pm and B) the lack of accessible seating. There were very few spots for two people to eat and have a conversation: four two-seater tables inside, approximately 10 high-seater chairs around a long bar inside, and five or so tables outside. When I arrived, there were only high seaters available. I hate when places utilize this seating style because as a relatively short woman, I am often not able to reach to place myself elegantly into these seats. The food itself was decent. I had the Heirloom Tomato melt and added in fried hot peppers. I was glad I made that addition because, for one of the most expensive items on the menu, there was not much food/variety there in the sandwich. I think the hummus bowls might be the better move here. I LOVE heirloom tomatoes and would try that in the bowl the next time. I also had the sesame ice cream. This was tasty, but melted far too quickly inside to properly enjoy it. I wish they offered multiple sizes so I could choose the smaller one and not have to had wasted so much.

Chicken Shawarma
Joshua K.

A solid downtown lunch option. I recently went here to get a chicken shawarma to go and was able to get it in under five minutes. The chicken shawarma was fine, although it could have used more shawarma. The pita was warm and fresh and the shawarma was seasoned well.

Cauliflower Shawarma Bowl
Tonia K.

Oh, Little Sesame! With your hummus and pita, how I adore thee! Yeats back I used to frequent the Chinatown location. Since that closed awhile ago, I'm happy to see thus one still standing! While I don't get to enjoy it as often, it is still a treat. On my most recent visit, I had the Cauliflower Shawarma bowl (yum) and finally tried the oat milk soft serve. Yessss! My bowl was missing the pita (sad face) so minus one star as I had left the area and couldn't return for it. The location is downtown which means the core lunch hours are busy. Not uncommon to see the line at/out the door but it moves pretty quickly. There are a few tables to eat in but I'd plan for to-go/takeout. A great lunch choice that is vegetarian and vegan friendly!

Erica C.

This was by far one of my favorite eats in DC! The employees were super friendly and efficient. The food was super flavorful. I opted out for the chicken shawarma pita. From the fresh herbs, the roasted veg, the green tahini, all the components worked well together. Not to mention that they don't skimp out on the chicken and the pita is super fluffy! Also make sure you save room for dessert! After I ordered my sandwich, I asked for a sample of the soft serve (which they gave a super generous amount of) and I knew I had to have a full serving after my sandwich. They have a great vanilla/dark chocolate oat milk soft serve which is extremely smooth and just the perfect amount of sweetness. I got mine with some soomsoom crumble, which is essentially a sesame bark/cookie that adds a great texture to the smooth soft serve.

Menu showing seasonal fall menu
Ashi F.

Close your eyes, take a bite from your dish and you are instantly transformed to another region. A marketplace in Tel Aviv, Israel? A small stall in Rabat, Morrocco? Algiers perhaps? All candidates for that trip of your imagination folded into a bowl of GOOD hummus. Hummus as it is, is a simple dish. Ever-present at the table in the Middle East, acting as both a filler and condiment, this dish can be both the main dish or the backup singer. My chief complaint about hummus in the US is that somehow Americans got used to a hummus that has barely any Tahini (sesame paste), and for those who know hummus, it's like having a hot dog with no ketchup (sorry Chicago!) Enter Little Sesame. Its name alone implies the added ingredient in the hummus. Tahini! Thina! Whatever you call it, there it is. Subtle, building the flavor of the already flavorful paste. Top it off with roasted squash, flavorful greens, crunchy chickpeas and flavor-packed olive oil, and what you get is a dish unlike other ever-so-common-in-DC run of the mill hummus places. This? This one shines at every corner. Staff is friendly and efficient even at lunch crunch hour and food is fresh. This is almost "fast food" but only because of the time it takes to be served to you. Don't confuse this with sub-par fast food joints that littler DC. Little sesame does it right! Give it a try. Two last tips: leave room for the oat milk soft serve. Get it with Halva. You'll thank me later. This is also a great solution for those who want a non-dairy ice cream. Get TWO pita breads. One is just not enough!

Seasonal summer vegetable bowl
Sonya H.

Are you a hummus fiend? Have you ever looked at a giant tub of hummus at the grocery store and had a random urge to just eat the whole thing in one go? If so, Little Sesame is the perfect place for you! Not only will they give you a giant heaping of hummus, their store-made hummus is some of the best hummus you'll ever eat! It's perfectly rich and creamy, with a prominent but not overwhelming sesame flavor from the tahini, and it's an amazing base for literally anything on their menu (or anything in your fridge if you want to buy a tub of their hummus to enjoy the Little Sesame experience from the comforts of your own home). Their bowls are all fantastic, with a generous portion of their delicious hummus topped with a smattering of perfectly cooked veggies or meat, and paired with a warm, fluffy pita. Their "Keep it Classic" is, well, a classic for a reason -- topped with roasted chickpeas and tahini, since you obviously didn't get enough from the hummus itself. They also add a nice drizzle of their cilantro jalapeno hot sauce to add a good kick of spice and acidity to break up the rich hummus. I usually opt for one of their seasonal offerings, particularly any bowl that features their partnership with Fly By Jing! My spring / summer favorite is topped with mint, peas, and green beans, which are just such a refreshing contrast against the hummus. The drizzle of Fly By Jing chili oil gives the bowl a great hint of spice, but also an intense umami, and I love topping any of their bowls with their perfectly soft-boiled 7-minute egg. If you're looking for something sweet, Little Sesame also has more to offer than just giant heapings of hummus! I love their oat milk soft serve, which you can get in either their decadent vanilla tahini or chocolate Turkish coffee (or, if you're indecisive like me, get their twist). I love that they have the basic vanilla / chocolate, but executed perfectly and with a slight twist. I love topping it with their halva or home-made sesame crumble for the perfect summery mid-day pick-me-up. Beyond their outstanding food, Little Sesame's service is also fantastic -- everyone is super friendly, and the service is efficient. They're usually pretty busy around lunchtime, but if you're in a crunch, you can order ahead online and get your food within 10-15 min.

Dark Chocolate Turkish Coffee

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Reviews are largely positive. People praise the fresh, flavorful food, including the vegetarian and vegan options, and enjoy the friendly, fast service.

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To all vegetarians tired of tofu: This is your place! I had the cauliflower shwarma and it was so flavorful, tender and delicious

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Ask the Community - Little Sesame

Does the hummus come with bread?

It comes with pita, yes

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4.2(1.3k reviews)
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Stopped by ala on Friday afternoon, September 11, and discovered their All Day Happy Hour as a nice…read moreway to start the weekend. My cocktail of choice was the Khavyar, which featured gin, Portan cucumber, dill, and lemon. Refreshing, crisp, and a great start to the afternoon. For food, I tried the Hummus + Pita, Za'atar Pide, and Tawook Burger. I sat at the bar, where Isabel was gracious, welcoming, and attentive throughout my visit. There was a nice crowd, pleasant music, and a relaxed energy. I tried the Hummus + Pita, Za'atar Pide, and Tawook Burger. The standout for me was definitely the Za'atar Pide. Made with Palestinian za'atar, creamy feta, and labneh, it was flavorful, savory, creamy, and easily my favorite dish of the afternoon. I would order it again without hesitation. The Hummus + Pita was a great start, and the Tawook Burger with two breaded chicken breasts, cheese, onion, mesclun, tomato, and house-made sauce on brioche was hearty and satisfying. Good food. Pleasant atmosphere. Attentive service. And much love for that Za'atar Pide! I'll be back for it.

This is now my 3rd dining experience at Ala and it has not gotten better. In fact, I have…read moredowngraded it to only 2 stars. Maybe 2.5. The outside seating area is nice so I give them that. We went on a Thursday night so it was not crowded. We got a table immediately. The restaurant has recently been renovated and I don't think it helped the place. The banquettes and seats are really uncomfortable. The interior decoration is overdone in some places (how many Turkish divas can you have in a room?) and underdone in others (the lighting in particular looked like a dorm room gone bad). The service was uninspired at best. Slow, uninterested and just ample to get you some food. The food was meh. We were so unhappy with the shrimp that we complained and - to be fair - it was taken off our bill. But, honestly, 3 small shrimp that were mostly shells should never have been on the menu to begin with. The other dishes were okay but - as with my initial review of this place - too much seasoning, too many herbs. The cauliflower had something on it that made the dish unpleasant; we did not finish it. Some of the sauce on top was dried out so that tells me it had sat there for some time. The food falls flat and is distracted by all the accompaniments. The dolmas were okay but the filling (rice & beef) was bland. Will I go back to Ala? Probably not although it is very close to my work. Do I recommend it? Probably not. There simply have to be better Turkish restaurants in the area.

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I was in Washington D.C. for the weekend and tried this amazing Mediterranean place for lunch. My…read morefriend who recommended this place has been obsessed with the food here and I can totally see why. We ordered mushroom kapnista, Halloumi pide, zaatar pide, htipiti and everything was so delicious. I'm not sure if I enjoyed the combination of dates and mushrooms together but really loved the smoky mushroom by itself. I was also very impressed with the Zaatar pide, it was cheesy and delicious. For desert we ordered greek yogurt with apricot and it was probably the best thing we tried here. The ambience is classy and they have ample of seating space. The overall meal didn't cost us as much as I thought it was, the prices were fairly reasonable!

We wanted to try something we don't normally eat. If you love Greek food, I would guess this is…read moresome of the better Greek food. We don't love Greek food, but we're pretty impressed. Lots of flavor with the different sauces and spreads. The meat kebabs were good too. I loved the pickled onions and the tomatoes and couscous that came with it. All in all it's a really yummy flavorful healthy tasting dish. Loved the fried cauliflower and the yummy green sauce it was on. Beet salad was good too. We didn't love the baba ghanoush or the bread they bring to the table. It's pretty bland and lacking in flavor. Would've preferred some naan. But everything else we enjoyed. Chocolate cake was yummy too. I'd recommend giving this place a try. For us it was a 3.8.

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Came here recently for a gf's birthday recently Saturday night--restaurant has a chic fancy vibe,…read moreloved it! French/Mediterranean style, the food was pretty good and service was great--our server Julio was helpful recommending us dishes to try and was attentive all night. Escargots was a great start, wasn't a huge fan of the Mini Tartelettes Crab & Caviar overall taste. For entrees, would recommend Loup de Mer au Fenouil (whole branzino) and La Paella de Cassoulet (confit duck leg)--both wonderful dishes, flavorful and huge portions, but note, it's more on the salty side so if you're a savory person like myself, it was delicious! For cocktails, we enjoyed the Nina Rose & Dirty Vodka Martini. The bartender also made really good White Tea shots too! Birthday girl got a complimentary birthday balloon cake with a candle which was sweet. Later in the night, they have a live DJ playing music so it gets popping here!

Well... buckle up. This one's loaded…read more We had a Saturday summer restaurant week 7:30pm reservation for 4 of us, and it was 2 of our birthdays. Upon being seated in a gorgeous booth- we realized we couldn't hear each other as a bday party of 12 people were set up in the center of the restaurant... and they were LOUD... it was so unpleasant I had to ask for a manager. Come to learn - multiple other tables had complained as well.... They offered us another table but it was not conducive for an intimate feeling... so we risked staying hoping they'd wrap it up. The manager was lovely and poured us 4 glasses of prosecco as an apology. The food is spectacular- lots of incredible seafood options included in the 3 course $65 RW menu and not one smell of fishy-ness. The sauces and execution are truly delicious- I've lived in the Mediterranean and in France and this is the real deal. Tons of gluten free dairy options which is so amazing. Service was nice and pleasant - not mind blowing. The manager also comped an additional incredible desert and I appreciated that. By the time we got our check at 9:45, another table of 10 was seated at the center of restaurant... and the noise level started to ratchet up. I looked at our check and realized the extra desert that was comped was actually charged to us ... and it was a $22 desert... obviously asked for a refund which they obliged. The establishment is a year old and I think it's having a small identity crisis still - it's stunning inside with an elegant feel and some people dressed in an impeccably classy manner ... and others ... dressed as though they're headed to the club or a pop concert... by no means should a restaurant with such elevated dining where apps are $20 plus and entrees $40 plus feel like you're having to yell at your dinner companions at 7:30pm. Perhaps they need two seatings & advertise that from 9:30pm onwards large parties and noise levels will exponentially increase .. We may still go back since it meets a lot of our dietary needs with upscale flavors- but I hope they figure out with the ambiance !

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Maydan - Roasted carrots

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4.3(1.4k reviews)
1.3 mi
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Went here with my husband for our anniversary, and had a gift card. We chose outdoor seating…read morewithout seeing it, I had previously seen pictures of the inside and assumed the outdoor vibes would be just as fun and vibey. I was very wrong. It was literally in the alley, and was giving Covid setup. Definitely would not recommend the outdoor area to anyone. There was no music, the decor was fine but again, looked very subpar and you could tell everyone else that arrived and sat outside after us had the same thoughts. Now to the food. I will say all of it was good, but for the price? I could find another Middle Eastern adjacent restaurant in DC for less money. It was a little outrageous in my opinion. We did choose the tawle experience. The dips with good, and came with endless flatbread. But it was interesting how some of the portions were huge and then others felt like they were skimping. We got huge portions of pickled vegetables and a giant salad, but then when it came to the shrimp kabobs we ordered, we got 5 pieces of shrimp. I will say the steak portion we chose we large, but then again for dessert, it was just a half mason jar size of a chocolate mousse to split...It was just interesting. Several of the staff knew it was our anniversary and they could've given maybe an additional dessert or a glass of champagne but nothing. Again for a restaurant of this caliber, you would just expect more. I say all of this to say, we did have a gift card that covered most of our $300+ meal. But if I were going without that, I would've been even more disappointed. I know people have raved about this place for years, but the original chefs have changed, and I'm understanding more why they've lost their Michelin star. It was good/fine but was far from exceptional.

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I've come to Iron Gate for several business lunches, a solo meal, and have hosted a private party…read morehere. I consistently find the food to be great, and the atmosphere is charming, while the service can be hit or miss. It's easy to miss walking down the street, and then you enter through essentially a hallway that doubles as a long slim bar. Through that hallway you'll exit into a courtyard that feels warm - literally and figuratively - year round. There is an indoor converted carriage house to dine as well. It's a surprising setting given the more corporate feeling surroundings. A Mediterranean inspired menu rotates seasonally and they have a great wine and cocktail list. When I held a private event here they were easy to work with and very accommodating to make the evening special. When I've dined with a group or by myself I have sometimes found service to be slow and it hard to get waiters attention.

Fantastic service, mixed results on good and drink, for restaurant week during summer 2026. Long…read morestory short, it was overall a good experience and I'd try it again in a different season. I think I'd prefer to sit outdoors although maybe when it's less hot and humid, as it was a bit loud indoors. The sesame feta with watermelon was delicious and maybe our favorite dish overall. The tomato panzanella was okay but the tomato could have been more ripe. I'd heard about the focaccia but something was off when we went--something was very clearly missing, maybe salt, and it just tasted like a pretty dense vehicle for oil. They change the focaccia seasonally and may have just been having a bad day so I'd try it again but it was not great. The gnocchi was very good and very filling. The chicken was good, and the dill lemon sauce was nice. The desserts were all good--the phyllo cheesecake with peaches, a chocolate pudding, and a cheese plate with blue cheese and a Pennsylvania pecorino. Two of us tried the Hermes drink first and unfortunately it was very underwhelming. It tasted like slightly alcoholic water, but didn't have much flavor. The blueberry lemon cocktail was much more interesting.

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Little Sesame - mideastern - Updated November 2026

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