"Consistency Matters"…read more The food is delish, let's start there. This hasn't been on my bingo card for a while and boo hoo! The garden pizzette and chicken shawarma are fan favorites for a reason. Chicken Shawarma is a (IMO) well seasoned cinnamon forward profile that delivers a tender chew. Don't let the cinnamon description deter you. The flavor is complex, savory, and very good! The garden pizzette is delicious. The perfect mixup of feta, mint, tomato, and cucumber...Chef's Kiss (dip in hummus and/or tzatziki for that extra, extra added flavor). We also loved the tzatziki/lebnah sauce. Perfect balance for our Americanized palate. My biggest complaint, would be consistency. I ordered twice in one week. Each meal was delicious, but noticeable different. Not a huge factor, but one I thought worth mentioning. Bread was whole wheat ... cool/ not a problem .. but also not my preference. All in all, a darn good meal! Sold side options. Fast casual Mediterranean/Lebanese : 4.5

I usually go to the Cary location for multiple catering orders that I place per month. The people…read moreat the Cary location have been very polite, friendly and helpful. I was going to be closer to the Raleigh location this past month so I decided to go to the Raleigh location and see if they could do the same as cary. I went in and asked a young man he said that should not be a problem for me to put in my catering orders and then have my payment done a certain way at the register, as they usually do, in cary. I placed my order and got to the register and then the very nice girl that was there was going to ring me up. She wasn't sure how to manually enter my credit card information that I needed to give, so she asked what I'm going to assume was her manager or whoever was in charge that day? The woman turned around and looked at me as if I walked in and started in her face. Her face was so disgusted, twisted up, and snarled with disapproval. She asked me, with a huge attitude, "what was going on here?". I politely explained the situation, which is that, at the Cary location our company pays over the phone when I arrive. I handed her the phone to give her the credit card information and she was speaking to my boss (who is a very world-renowned doctor) about the payment info. She was so rude to him and said "well usually we don't do this but we'll do it this time". I informed her that from now on, since it was such a problem we will gladly go to the other location or just another restaurant in general. The younger people at the register were extremely friendly and polite and really made this experience the most positive thing from this whole trip to this location. As I was leaving the female who had the attitude earlier did say that she " was sorry, and that she just didn't know what she was walking into". At this point, I really did not care about an I'm sorry, because I will never go back to this location. I don't care who or what she is, but if she doesn't know what she's walking into, then the best idea for her(if she had any business or common sense)would be to approach it in a professional manner and not with a stank attitude. I have worked in doing catering sales,amahing businesses, throwing events, and ordering multiple catering orders for other businesses that I run. I have never and would never, approach anyone like this if I was uncertain of any situation. It puts a really bad look on their whole concept. I have already talked to multiple people about this and told all the physicians that I work with. I have also discussed this encounter with other people who do multiple orders for catering and other event networking groups. I will never be ordering from this location again. I hope whatever they do, they get it right, and start hiring people who appreciate having a job, to make sure that no one else feels so turned off by someone like this. I'm only giving a two stars for the Friends League kids that were at the counter and at the cash register

Food was very average. Ambiance and location nothing to speak about. Surprised that this restaurant…read morereceived the kind of ratings that it did. Disappointed.

A friend and I sat at the bar and had one of the most surprising and delightful meals I've had in a…read morelong time. After the fine cocktails, my favorite was the North Carolina heirloom tomatoes with salt cured blueberries and Labneh crème. I can't stop thinking about it and wishing tomato season would go on forever. Everything was amazing -- start to finish-- and Robin made it fun to sit at the bar. Can't wait to go back.

Went here for date night with my wife. Well spaced tables and nice vibes. Staff was super nice and…read morenot overly so. We thought the service was excellent. The Calabrian chicken was one of the best fried chicken I've ever had. Their hot honey sauce is amazing and the drumstick felt like it was double fried and cooked perfectly. I would absolutely come back just for the chicken. The other notable dish was the gnocchi, it was super soft on the inside which I've never had for gnocchi before, I thought it was cooked perfectly as well. The SALCHIPAPAS was basically patatas bravas. It was cooked perfectly crispy and well seasoned. Nothing extraordinary about it, just a delicious dish. I would not get the picanha again, it was ok, but not great. For such a pricy dish, I was expecting melt in your mouth feel. Maybe I had such high expectations because the other dishes were so great. I look forward to returning to try some of the other plates.

Excellent service. Beautiful indoor and outdoor seating. Mediocre food. Our gem salad was…read moreoverdressed and yellow. The Calabrian chicken seemed reheated. The charcuterie was okay but overpriced for what it was. Only the salchipapas were good without a caveat. I would limit Madre visits to coworker happy hours or a quick drink on the go.

I had a pick three platter. The chicken salad was decent but not as good as Sassool. I also tried…read moretheir potatoes, which were on the vinegary side. The beets were on par with Sassool and the pomegranate salad had mostly strawberries. Vibes were nice, service was fine. Pretty easy to find parking on a Friday night.

We stopped in to visit and enjoy some Lebanese foods. We have been here a few times and enjoyed our…read morevisit but this past weekend our visit was very disappointing. We ordered the grape leaves, baklava, namoora and tabbouli. I am Lebanese and these are staples in our home. The grape leaves were extremely dry and tough. The rice was very undercooked and the leaves themselves were so dry and tough we could barely chew through them. We ordered 12 and thought maybe it was a fluke but all 12 were completely inedible and we threw them out immediately. The baklava was okay, nothing to write home about. Very simple syrup forward and you couldn't taste much else (we ordered the walnut). The namoora was stale. Very dry. Namoora should melt in your mouth with with a slight chew. This was again, tough and stale. We threw those out as well. Lastly, our favorite salad, tabbouli. The lemon taste was nonexistent. The parsley wasn't chopped fine as Tabbouli should be. It was a watery mess. Overall, we won't be back. We spent over $75 on 4 items and left feeling hungry and bamboozled. There are other Lebanese food spots to visit in the Raleigh area, I will stick to those. Please do better when representing Lebanese cuisine. 15 workers behind the counter can seem like you're doing something right but in the end, it all comes down to the freshness and authenticity of what you are claiming to serve.

Everything here! From the food, to the service, to the atmosphere is outstanding. It has a warm,…read moreinviting feel that makes you want to stay awhile. Highly recommend giving it a try!

This was a major disappointment. We'd been here once before for some friends' wedding celebration…read moreand thought the banquet/catering food was pretty good so decided to add it to the list to come back and check out their regular menu. Place was EMPTY on a Thurs at 6pm. Service was truly bad....like we had to get up after being seated for 15 minutes and ask the hostess if we could get a server to help us....in an empty restaurant. 40 minutes after being seated, we got our food. The food was just bad with the exception of the flatbread I ordered that was pretty tasty. My husband had the falafel and veggies and was given horrendously over seasoned and tough falafel with super under seasoned and undercooked veggies (like chunks of raw carrot). The other sides we ordered were a flavorless Fatoush salad and very mid rice. We never got the pita that was offered to us and after the second reminder, we just gave up on that. We tried it. Won't be back. There are WAY better options in the area for dinner.

Come within 2 hours of opening on a Sat/Sun for doner. Get the doner wrap or iskender (if you eat…read morea lot). It is the best doner around, just as good as what you get in Istanbul. They do run out of doner before dinner. The place is full at lunch, so come early. Delicious bread with a nice olive oil-based sauce is complimentary. They refill it, which is a very nice touch. Plenty of staff to take orders and clean. You will be in and out in an hour or less unless you need to wait for a table. Very impressive restaurant near downtown in Cary.

I came to Bosphorus on a Sunday evening for dinner with friends, and the restaurant was packed…read more Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long for a table. The service was friendly, though it seemed like a team effort, so different staff members would take our order or bring out food instead of one dedicated server. That occasionally led to delays when we asked for refills or extra plates, and we usually had to repeat the request to our waitress later. For dinner, I shared the Kofta Kebab and Lahmacun with a friend, and the portion size was just enough for both of us to leave full. Unfortunately, parts of the kebab were burnt, so maybe we just caught them on an off night. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the meal was the warm pita bread they brought to the table. If you're looking to try Turkish food, Bosphorus is worth checking out, but I'd probably order different dishes next time or visit when it's a little less busy.

I had seen this restaurant on social media so was excited to try it out! We went on a Sunday…read moreafternoon and were able to snag a seat on their rooftop. Walking through the downstairs restaurant it looked super cute as well though! Our server provided prompt service and drink refills when needed. The Greek food was excellent- my favorite being the Chopped Marouli Salad! I also appreciated their wide selection of mocktails.

This was my second visit, and the food was just as amazing as i remembered. Definitely order the…read moreplatter. You get a ton of food for the price, and it's well worth it. I also recommend sitting upstairs for the beautiful views and great atmosphere. The only downside was the mosquitoes. They were relentless the entire time we were eating, I left with 8-10 bites. The restaurant really need to add like type of mosquito control for the outdoor seating area. Tiki torches, oil lamps, or any kind of pest deterrent would make a huge difference. Again the staff and food are fantastic but eating outside was a battle against mosquitoes and flies.

I absolutely love eating the fresh salads and sides at Sassool! It can get pretty busy during…read morelunchtime, so plan ahead if you're in a rush--but that just shows how good the food is. I usually order the two chicken skewer kabobs with rice, a super salad, and the jalapeño cilantro hummus. The hummus is *so* good that I often grab a small container to take with me when I travel. Everything tastes incredibly fresh, and you can really tell they use quality ingredients, especially with olive oil as a base. They offer both fresh pita and gluten-free pita, which is great for anyone with dietary restrictions. Honestly, I could make a meal just out of all the sides--they're that good. The menu is consistently solid, and I feel like you really can't go wrong with anything you order. It's a perfect spot for a low-key lunch or dinner. Also worth noting: on Tuesdays, kids eat free with a paying adult, which is a great bonus for families. Highly recommend!

The ambiance is nice and welcoming. This is an order and pay restaurant where you place your order…read moreat the counter, receive your food, and can sit anywhere you'd like. The portions are very generous, so if you can't finish your meal, it's easy to take the leftovers home. They conveniently provide to-go containers and bags for customers. One thing I found a bit challenging was the ordering process. There is a huge selection of food, which can be overwhelming for first-time visitors. I would have appreciated a little more guidance from the staff when making my choices, as I think it would have helped me order more confidently. Overall, it's a good place with plenty of options and great portion sizes.

My family and I had an amazing experience and meal! Omar was so sweet and accommodating! You can…read moretell the staff was genuinely happy to serve us. I got the gyro and it was so authentically amazing. Seriously, this is the best gyro in the area! I am so excited to come back!

I stopped in here for a quick lunch after shopping. I ordered their chicken shawarma and grape…read moreleaves combo with a drink. The shawarma is very different than what I'm used to in Michigan, but it was delicious and packed with chicken. The grape leaves were good and the tea was nice and strong. The guys working were very friendly. I will definitely stop here again.

Randomly found this place one day, and my life definitely changed. Hands down, they have the best…read moreBeef Shawarma sandwich. At first, I went with Chicken Shawarma because I'm a chicken girlie. But I ended to eating half of my husband's Beef Shawarma sandwich. So I recommend you getting that to begin with if you are into beef. By the register, they also have a lot of premade/assembled dishes to purchase. The grocery section is small, but has a lot of fun things to look and buy. I love getting their tin fish and chocolate as a treat during my visit!

I'd heard amazing things about their shawarmas, so I decided to check it out and it did not…read moredisappoint! The restaurant is attached to a grocery market. They have a dining area, but it seems like a lot of people do take their food to go. The staff gave great recommendations, making the whole ordering process feel effortless.