Second time we have eaten here. Again outstanding food and service. Tonight we had the humus with chicken swarma and chicken Mandi. More than enough food. All of the food was flavorful and fresh. Desert was a Ma'soob that my daughters loved. Definitely will be back again. read more

I love Middle Eastern food and was super excited to find a Yemeni restaurant in NoVA, never having tried it before. Reading the reviews, Saba scores high on food quality and quantity, so I was optimistic about what I'd get. I went with fahsa since it was one of Yelp's popular dishes. Here's the thing: it's just a thin beef stew. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't order it again. It was just...okay. And the quantity was about enough for one person, not two people like the reviews rave. But all that said, the bread was FANTASTIC, and I highly recommend it. I also would really like to try the chicken mandi, because the pictures look delicious. read more

We went to Saba hoping for authentic Yemeni food. Unfortunately it wasn't. We ordered haneeth and salta. We were served a dish with small pieces of meat cooked in red sauce and a sizzling pot of vegetables with no helba. It was also overpriced. We won't be coming again. The extra star I gave was for the decent customer service. read more

Saba Restaurant - Pot of vegetables not salta - Middle Eastern Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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My family and I have been going to this place since we found it last summer. The food is very good and the staff are nice. I understand the couple of people that weren't happy with this restaurant, but if you check your expectations a little you won't regret it. I was also frustrated on one occasion when they didn't have some of the items on the menu, and the waitress was slow. But I had to consider that these are difficult times, and restaurants are doing what they have to do to survive. So if they're short staffed because we've been going through a pandemic for the past two years, or they run out of certain items because they had to adjust to the ups and downs of business, then I'm fine with that. I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere everytime. You should know that it's a small place, and of course nobody wears masks at the table, so if you're the type that expects everyone to be wearing masks, then it's not for you. Staff do wear masks. read more

Idk what's better, the owner or the food? By far the best Yemeni food in the DMV. I've catered and visited this restaurant multiple times and it never disappoints! read more

We had lunch with some friends on 1st day of the year. It was exceptional. Waiter was very nice and answered all of our questions about the kinds if food they had. Its pretty similar to Iraqi food. We had Fahsa which was lamb chunks on rice. Rice was phenomenal with some special spicy flavor. We had also Haneeth which was some kind of beef stew served hot, delicious and so rich. Would definitely come back and eat here if I was around. Recommend this place for everyone who wants to eat a genuine middle eastern food. read more

I love Mediterranean dish. This place made me love it even more. Nice atmosphere and friendly staffs. EXCELLENT FOOD! :-) read more

Saba Restaurant - Appetizer , yogurt+salad and the base is Ethiopian Injera - Middle Eastern Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

This is my first time in the Yemeni restaurant. Overall, I really liked this place. It has a very authentic feel, the staff is friendly, the seating area is comfortable. We ordered Chicken Mandi and Lamb Mandi. Both came out in very generous portions and were very delicious. The desert we tried was very good, especially with a black coffee. What I didn't like is that my chicken and rice were very oily. I think I added a pound from eating in this restaurant :) The food is worth it, but I would come more often if they had healthier options. read more

Tried their grilled chicken, never had Yemeni's food, this was great not over spiced, great portion, juicy chicken, high quality rice. Staff are friendly and you get the whole experience. This is a place I would recommend for Arabic food experience. read more

Excellent food!!! Superb meat quality.... highly recommended. Customer service is great

I ordered chicken mandi a week ago, huge portions of rice but the description of the dish itself is not accurate. No potatoes and only 1/4 of chicken. Are they cutting back? The pictures posted are 2 yrs. Old or intentionally rip off a first timer to experience a new cuisine. Shameful. read more

This is a great alternative to Peruvian roasted chicken ( which I also enjoy). They have lamb and beef too. The portions are beyond generous. One entree easily feeds two grown men. The decor is pleasant and welcoming. read more

My parents and I went to Saba Restaurant yesterday for the first time and everything was absolutely delicious! None of us had ever had Yemeni food before but I can tell you I can't wait to go back. The service was also excellent and our server persuaded my mom not to get a certain dish because it's an acquired taste; I appreciated her honesty. If you're thinking about dessert and like bread pudding get the MA'SOOB it was great and it's a huge portion, take the rest home! read more

First time having Yemeni cuisine, the food is delicious and well worth a visit. Their desserts are worth a try, if you save the space I recommend you go for it. The service is decent if not great, no complaints though. The decor is interesting, the jumbo photos on the wall are a bit distracting but are at least something to talk about. read more

Very authentic and traditional Yemeni food. The Haneeth was absolutely amazing and cooked the only way it should be. We also got the Salta which was pretty good. The table next to us got the Bint AlSahn which also looked really delicious but didnt get a chance to try it. Would def recommend this place. read more

I don't know anything about Yemeni food but I know good food when I eat it. And good food it is. In fact good, belly warming, comfort food it is. We ordered 2 entrees and an appetizer and was served a table full of food. For starters, we had the sambousa with meat. This was a delightful appetizer that had a nice crisp and didn't taste heavy. For dinner we had the fahsa and haneeth. Fahsa is a shredded beef stew that is served bubbling to the table. It reminded me faintly of the Korean soup yukgaejang, but without the spice. The broth was definitely the star of the dish. It had an amazing rich flavor but didn't feel heavy or greasy. I thoroughly enjoyed dipping the bread into this broth and admit was a little sad when I came to the end of the bowl. The haneeth was a little heavy for me but was right up K's alley. This was the dish that convinced him we would return. The haneeth is a lamb dish served on a bed of basmati rice. We've had similar dishes from neighboring regions but the way Saba prepared this dish made it very adaptable to us. I'm sure people are cringing from this statement right now the way I cringe when I hear how authentic chicken and broccoli is but it really did provide us with a positive introduction to Yemeni food. Overall, this is a family friendly neighborhood restaurant that serves good comforting food. We're really happy that we stopped in because we found ourselves a new favorite place. read more

We've decided to try Saba after our friends recommended it to us. Lamb mandi ( or Kabsa) was super delicious, it comes with a salad that was very good. We will be back to try more dishes! read more

Saba Restaurant - Lamb mandi - Middle Eastern Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

So we planned on going to the Korean place that used to be next door, but it had gone out of business. Despite the horrible experience the last time we tried to eat at Saba's we decided to give it another chance. Service was much better. Food portions were very large, however, the food itself was rather bland. It was good, but I wouldn't go back. read more

This restaurant scores points for the fact that it has authentic Yemeni food in this area, which is a rarity. The authentic and genuinely good food along with the floor seating and Arab decor make this place stand out among the plethora of halal food options in Virginia. The only downsides lie in the pricing and service. The service seems to be more for Arabic speakers and the pricing can be expensive, however considering the large serving size it's nothing to complain about. Overall this place should definitely be given a try if you're looking for authentic Yemeni food. read more

Saba Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Wow, what a welcoming place with simply delightful food. We went May 6, 2017. Started with the vegetable sambussa appetizer - perfect, small in size but awesomely delicious. We had Haneeth lamb dish and also Fahsa beef. Huge portions - sadly we didn't have room to even sample the delicious desserts! Friendly, attentive and knowledgeable staff. Looking forward to gathering friends for a return visit. read more

First time at Saba. Hummus, and lamb and chicken dishes were excellent as was their bread. We will be back.

Had liked the food the first time we went. And hence returned with couple of friends and the service was horrible!! Kind of expensive. Fahsa was too dry this time... lamb mandi was just ok. Really horrible service... we waited and nobody came to the table for a long time. We even saw another couple who came in, sat nearby our table, waited for a long time for someone to attend to them and they just left frustrated. We finally called someone and asked for water, they gave couple of bottled water. Thought that was weird since restaurants usually give glass of water. Anyway since it would have taken another long wait to ask someone about it, we went ahead and used the bottled water. Big mistake! At the end of the meal, we got the check and saw that they charged for the water bottles!! When we asked them about it, they didn't care and said that they were out of glasses and we should have waited if we wanted glasses instead of bottled water!!! We didn't really care about paying couple of bucks more, but the customer service is what pissed us off. Will never go here again. read more

I have ordered a Tea with milk cup and the cup's size was very very small as kids size , the point is the price they costed me 4.50$ so it's expensive . Also the breakfast meals are between 11 -15 $ which unbelievable price for any dish . I wish that I went to Starbucks and get any sandwiches with some drink which will cost me 10 $ with good quality . read more

I will tell you this guys. I have lived in Fairfax area for 5 years. I have travelled many east coast states. This is by far the best home cooked food you will ever have in Virginia! Whether you are here for breakfast or lunch! If you are here for lunch then try the (HANEETH) ! Omg, the best meal ever. Price is good for the amount of food given. Enjoy it guys read more

This place was so delicious! I highly recommend the hummus appetizer, jareesh and haneeth. I am excited to return for dessert- I was too full on my first visit :) read more

Love this place! Their chicken Mandi is the best! It's always the way to go! Not only is the food amazing the staff is very friendly, they make you feel like family. You can't go wrong by going to this place ! They also opened a location in skyline, falls church! read more

Delicious food in a interesting atmosphere. Small menu but well made and good tasting.

I've noticed people going into this place a few times now, during lunch on weekdays, whilst I've driven past, so decided to visit on a Wednesday evening. This place has plenty of parking outside, it's part of a small strip mall. We visited around 6:30pm, the restaurant felt warm and inviting, with the smell of incense. They don't do hookah here, so it was safe to bring my daughter, and they had functioning high chairs, which was a bonus. We ordered the chicken mandi and chicken aqdah. The mandi came with small side salad and a giant portion of rice. The aqdah, came boiling and bubbling with fresh bread. Really enjoyed the flavor of the bread with the nigella seeds running through it, the salad was fresh with a sourness from the sumac. Although both dishes tasted fresh, I preferred the mandi, even though it was the drier of the two. The chicken in this dish fell off the bone, the rice, had sweet fried onions and the taste of cardamom running through it, the portion was massive so I couldn't finish it all. I think these dishes are meant for sharing. The aqdah had a good flavor and was more like a hearty soup with chicken and veg. Some dishes are not available until 8pm, so this would be a better time to visit in the future. I thought the majority of their desserts were on the pricey side. Some like muhalabiyah are only available around Ramadan. Service is basic, but you come here for the food. Will definitely be back to try out some other dishes. read more

Let's just say if you're looking for a typical American dining experience this is not the place for you. If your accustomed to things like water, silverware, bath tissue, air conditioning, an absence of bugs, or a waiter who checks on you, then this is not the place for you. But the food was good. However the service was not even poor, it was absent. If you like immediate service don't go here, you'll spend the whole time complaining. I felt like a forgotten middle child who had to assert myself to get what I needed after my parents forgot about me and left me to my older brother waiter for the night. Myself, friends, and obviously pregnant wife went 75% of the meal without water (without AC to make it worse). After asking 5 times (no hyperbole here) over the span of 50 minutes, I was forced to take our glasses into the kitchen and demand them to be refilled. Unfortunately, I had to do this twice, and with the check, and to get a to go box. My wife informed me that there was also no toilet paper in the women's bathroom, and I was required to refill it in the men's. Had we been in a hurry to leave I would have been frustrated, we didn't mind staying there for over 2 hours to catch up with old friends, but if you expect to get in and out of this place within a reasonable amount of time, then this is not the place for you. Extremely poorly managed, the majority of customers seem like regulars who use the back as a mosque which is undivided from the restaurant. I felt like it added to the atmosphere, but did feel kind of awkward ( do I stop talking? Lower my voice?). To add to the atmosphere, there is also an Arabic TV station that waffles between hilarious commercials and soap operas, one with a young women attempting to hang herself, all while periodically cutting out. It definitely has potential. But if it doesn't upgrade the service they will spurn a lot of customers. In the end the food was quite good, and at a reasonable price, I mean that sincerely. Would have gave them four stars for food alone but a zero for the service to bump it down to two. They also offered a free slice of dessert (not sure if they were trying to make up for lack of service or offering a sample of the most expensive thing on the menu), but there are dozens of other ethnic restaurants in the area that have similar or better quality food and immensely better service. All together, I can't imagine an atmosphere or food more reminiscent of Yemen. read more

Simply amazing. Try the fahsa if you're feeling adventurous (it'll payoff). Haneeth if you want a ridiculously well done meat and rice dish.

An amazing delicious Yemeni dishes, though you need to wait a lot for your order but the taste worth all that waiting...

The one star is for nothing Service is the worst. We had to sit ourselves and sat there...and sat and sat more. Till my husband went up and got the menu himself. Than picked what we wanted and sat there for about 30min before we decided to walk out. This place customer service is the worst......never ever in my life have I walked out on restaurant....... read more

Great food, wrong menu prices and clumsy coverup. This place is fantastic if it was not for the server adding a $1.00 to the main dish and when asked him, said, old rates and winked. It is a shame how some places are so not smart that they think snatching a dollar here or there is a legitimate practice. Tip was one dollar less. read more

Nice place for Yemeni food. I got the chicken Mandi, a classic, and it lacked flavor. The chicken was cooked to perfection but the flavor was not on point. Not sure what it was missing but it was missing something. But give this place a shot, seems like others really like it. read more

Food was delicious clean and very traditional. Will definitely go back. Very generous amount of food so you could share a plate with someone else. read more

We had never tried Yemeni food before, and we can't wait to go back to this place. Absolutely delicious.

My wife and I went here after we read a review in the Washington Post. We had the Lamb Mandi, Sambousa with meat, Shai'Adeni to drink, and Ma'Soob for dessert. We've never eaten lamb like this! It was so tender, it fell off the bone! The portion for the lamb was also big enough for two. And the Ma-Soob, with bananas, honey, and fresh cream, stands out as one of the best bread puddings I've had in a restaurant in this area. We also liked the Shai'Adeni (black tea with cardamom and milk). Good food at a good price, and the server, who himself was from Yemen, was also really friendly and took time to explain to us about the cultural and historical context of each dish. We'll definitely be returning soon! read more

First, the disclaimer: This review is based on a single, take out meal that I ate in my car while waiting for my son, but what a great first impression. I've eaten quite a bit of Middle Eastern cuisine, but this is my first purely Yemeni experience. I am now officially a fan. Upon entering the restaurant, the smells coming from the kitchen were incredible. I took the safe route, and ordered the chicken shawarma entree with salad, hummus and pita. The shawarma was unlike I've had before -- a generous portion of tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth chicken cooked in a very flavorful sauce served with Yemeni salad, hummus and a fresh pita the size of a hubcap! I'm not a small man, but I only ate half the meal. Not to worry, I'm sure my son will devour it. The restaurant is very clean with nice decor. I plan on returning very soon with my wife. I can't wait to try some of the other entrees! read more

Very nice and delicious food; clean restaurant, huge portions and good service they could have improved it with complimentary service of traditional coffee or Yemeni tea read more

One of the most delicious food I've ever had! I have not ate such tender chicken or lamb in my life. It's honestly so so so good! I would highly recommend the food here. I also like that they don't cheap out on portions. You get a good amount of food in one order. The staff is also very nice! Love it! read more