Been eyeing this place for a while and finally got around to trying it! We ordered the Chicken Freekeh Maqlouba and the Fattet Jaj. The Fattet Jaj was okay, the rice was a little clumpy, but the Freekeh was pretty good and tasted authentic. It's also connected to El Secreto de Rosita, so there's a combined menu and you can order from either place, which gives you plenty of options. The service was great; our waitress was very sweet and welcoming. The ambiance was chill, and there was live music playing, which was fun to watch. Overall, a cozy spot for a relaxed night with good vibes and live music. read more

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Braving a bone-chilling cold yesterday evening, we ventured with friends over to Nabiha in the District. This was my first experience with Palestinian cuisine. Nabiha is a family-owned restaurant connected to the other restaurant the family owns, El Secreto de Rosi, which is Peruvian cuisine. As a matter of fact, the menu has Nabihi dishes on one side and El Secreto dishes on the flip side. Our server was a lovely young woman who told us the restaurant was named after her grandmother. After we placed our orders, she took us around both restaurants to show us the wall art. One wide painting in El Secreto is quite naughty. I understand the restaurants have separate kitchens. Unfortunately, our server's service left something to be desired. She never checked on us during the meal, except for one time she came to refill water glasses but only refilled glasses of two of the four people at the table. That was kinda rude. Largely because of the service, I can only give three stars. They had a food runner who brought our food out that knew nothing about the food and was unable to tell us which dish was which. On the other hand, another gentleman who helped out was entirely professional, energetic and proactive. As far as ambience it was fine. If there was music playing, I didn't notice it. In other words, you could easily hold a conversation. So as far as the food? Pretty good, for the most part. As a matter of fact, the hummus was freakin' delicious! We all ordered the daily soup which was broth, onions, carrots and lentils. Three of us thought the soup was tasty, but picky me thought there was just too much cumin. We wanted to try the Mujaddara Freekeh, but they were out, so we went with the Fattet Jaj. Containing rice, yogurt and chicken thigh meat, it was delicious. However, the toasted pita chips atop the dish were scorched but they still sent the dish out anyway. The mildly seasoned ground beef Musakhan Wraps were very good. Our desserts, the Yafa Orange Walnut Cake and Knafeh Nabulsiyyeh were excellent. The Chicken Freekeh had pungent spices. Would we come back? Maybe, but prices are high. read more

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What an absolute amazing dinner that ended on live music performances by various artists. I was suppose to meet a friend at Nabiha's after a long time. I was very hungry that day, so hungry that I didn't even wait to take a picture for yelp. I ordered the appetizer sampler and the makloubeh. I think my friend ordered fattet jajj. Everything was delicious though I couldn't focus much on the food since I was catching up with my friend after a long time. After we finished the entrees, we ordered kunefe for dessert and it was amazing. A proper end to the meal. Then we heard live music coming out of the other hall and the owner was kind enough to let us sit wherever we wanted to listen to the performances. The staff of Nabiha is delightful and they made sure that me and my friend are well taken care of. More than a restaurant this felt like visiting a friend's home. 5/5 must try! read more

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Nabiha was excellent stopped in for their new cafe opening up during the week starting at 7am I got the hummus and zaatar both were excellent. The Hummus was rich and creamy. With a great level of seasoning paired perfectly with Zaatar I got that was spice and olive oil. It had a nice savory flavor. The American was great as well with great balance. Service was great the chief was so friendly and nice she talked to everyone while she made hummus. Its a nice small cafe with a kitchen in the back looks so cool. Feels like you are in someone one's home. read more

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Nabiha is inside El Secreto de Rosita, so don't miss it when you are walking on U St! The menu is double sided, one side with Nabiha and the other with El Secreto. My friend and I chose one item from the dips and another under home cooking, which has the larger dishes. The Damsat Addas comes with pita to scoop up the lentils, which we found a bit dry and chalky. It was still flavorful, but I wished it was easier to pick up without a fork. The main item was the Chicken Freekeh Maqlouba, which was our favorite. Plenty of chunks of chicken tossed together with eggplant, potatoes, and cauliflower. This dish filled us up. The service was very friendly. It's a nice place to catch up with people and they can accommodate small to larger groups. read more

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Went here for dinner and oh my gosh it was amazing. Started with the damsat addas which is a lentil based dip and some slices of pita. Then we had the musuakhan wraps which were delicious. This may have been my favorite dish Split the kofta and chicken and both are so good. The knafeh at the end was also a delicious way to end the meal. Super kind servers and very cozy vibes. read more

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I was very eager to try this restaurant and was a huge fan of the very attentive and personable service! The food was quite tasty but perhaps a little too expensive for the quantity and quality. I loved the delicious wrap, but for $15? I don't think so. The veggie dish was tasty too, but it didn't live up to the price point. I loved the tasty kunafe dessert, although I usually prefer it crispier. All in all, it was a very good meal that would have been an easy five stars at a more reasonable price point. read more

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The arayes, maqali, and hummus were delicious. The portion size for the fattet jaj was a little small, and I wish the chicken pieces were more substantial. The drinks were very refreshing. I will definitely be back to try more. Service was fast and attentive. I love the tucked-away moody vibe of the restaurant next to El Secreto. read more

I was really looking forward to trying this place - ext extremely disappointed when I opened the bag to look at my dish. $16.75 for areyas with hardly any meat? I feel completely ripped off. I wanted to like this place so bad, but if this is any indicator, going to be a hard pass. Wish I saw this at the restaurant and got a refund. read more

Nabiha - Areyas - Middle Eastern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'm not sure what took me so long to leave a review, but this spot absolutely deserves the spotlight! I loved the variety of mezza -- not your usual Levantine fare, which made it even more enjoyable. The musakhan wraps and arayas were standout favorites, and the addas was incredibly comforting. I ended the meal with the most delicious Nablus Knafa. Highly recommend giving them a try! read more

Fantastic, down to earth with an eclectic vibe. Diners in this intimate setting all have a view of the chef - the co-owner - as she prepares all the meals in the open kitchen. We were enthralled by Maqlouba - a baked casserole of chicken, eggplant, cauliflower, potato and a smoky grain called freekeh, flipped for serving and poised on the counter to be scooped into bowls for individual portions. The restaurant shares space and kitchen with El Secreto de Rosita next door. read more

Nabiha - Maqlouba - Middle Eastern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I have been eyeing this place for a very long time and was so excited to come here to devour a giant plate of Palestinian food. Let me just say, DONT COME HUNGRY. I got the Kafta Bel Tahini and it was literally 2 meatballs and 3 thin slices of potatoes. With a tahini sauce drizzle that mostly missed the food and was splattered on the edge of the plate. And this was under the "entree" section. The description of this dish on the menu took up more space than the food on my plate. I actually feel more hungry after eating it than I did before sitting down. Don't get me wrong - the food tasted delicious, but the portion size felt like 3 potato chips and a morsel of ground beef. I'm literally looking for another restaurant to order an actual entree as I wait for my check for $20 for 3 bites of food. Be forewarned. read more

Nabiha - 3 bites of food - Middle Eastern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Love love love! Genuinely some of the tastiest Palestinian/Arab food I've had in the DMV and such a great vibe! Went here with friends and got the appetizer sampler and most of the mains. It's more fancy family style (you have your own plate and they deliver dishes to the table.) Everything is on the smaller side so you savour every bite and it was easier to share plates. I also really enjoyed the atradecer cocktail! We also met one of the owners Mauricio who runs the El Secreto De Rosita side and he was super friendly and welcoming (his wife who is Palestinian/Arab runs the Nabiha side.) They're trying to make it a real community space with things like Larab (Latin Arab) Thursday night markets and salsa on Friday nights. I'm excited to go back especially for these! read more

Incredible!!! Delicious food in a beauty and intimate setting! The mezze were perfectly prepared and served with warm pita. Yumm!!! Waitstaff was super-friendly and the chef said Hi from the open kitchen!! read more

Nabiha - Baba Ghannouj! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We weren't able to order what we wanted because they had run out by 9:45. No biggy. Then they told us we weren't able to order our backup option because they were out of that too. Hmm. When they finally accepted our 3rd tier order I was relieved! Smooth sailing, right? At least there were that many things on the menu that looked appealing! Things turned farcical when only one of those C tier picks showed up, and when we asked about the missing food, they promptly returned with the wrong dish -- ordering us something from the Peruvian sister restaurant instead! For all that hassle the food was appallingly bland. The "spiced rice" tasted barren and the flavorless baba ghanoush served with stiff pita was a tough pill to swallow. Ironically, it was the erroneous dish that was from the adjacent (and also connected?) Peruvian restaurant, not Nabiha, which proved the most flavorful. I must say it was a little bizarre that we were served with both menus as we entered. I'm not saying it is outrageous to have both restaurant menus as options, but I have questions. Are the kitchens the same? Are the staff the same? I ask because we had four different staff serve us over the course of our 45 minute meal, and some appeared more aligned with one restaurant than the other. In theory, the 2 in 1 restaurant idea is okay albeit a little strange, but if it causes logistical hedaches for staff then I'm not so sure about it in practice. The restaurant wasn't very busy when we arrived and they still managed to bungle the one order we were allowed to place! Disappointing! read more

It's a cute, quaint setting with amazing food and stellar service. They made my birthday dinner memorable and I can't wait to return soon!

Great food and great service thank you guys! Really enjoyed the atmosphere! The home cooked style made everything taste better!

Excellent homemade and home style authentic food. Great spices and super fresh. Love the cozy and friendly atmosphere. Truly family owned and you can feel and taste it. Highly recommended. read more

The chicken freekeh (green wheat, a "superfood") was great! Try everything. The seasonings and ingredients are very different from Lebanese/Levantine food or at Albi. The Palestinian red wine was delicious. The owner, her daughter, and her son made us feel like part of the family. I have a greater appreciation for Palestinian culture and food. Enter through Secreto de Rosita -- also part of the family. We ordered chicha morada which went great with our meal read more

Incredible food, spectacular drinks, great ambience, and the most wonderful, inspiring hosts!

Incredible atmosphere, very cozy and well decorated. Staff was very friendly, especially since we came in 10 minutes before their kitchen closed. I had a Kousa Mahshi - a single stuffed zucchini with tomato broth - which was very good, though I do think the portion was a bit small compared to the price ($18). My partner had the Mujaddara Freekeh which was delicious, I would definitely go back for it. read more

UNBELIEVABLE!! Lovely atmosphere with fantastic workers. Feels like a delicious home cooked meal.

Incredible hospitality!! We met a family - mother, two daughters and a son, that all worked at the restaurant together and were so incredible. The food is amazing, and the atmosphere is great. We went on a Friday night around 6:45 and there was still some space but it quickly became fully packed! read more

Food: excellent. Atmosphere: excellent. Service: excellent. Come eat here. Free Palestine