Drove past this hole in the wall for years and took a chance. Perhaps in Lebanon diners eat in an…read moreunheated enclosed narrow porch in February: Outside temp 40F -- inside 56F. Ate with coats on under skylights. Baba ganoush starter with hot pita triangles was the highlight, quickly went downhill. Naji Panini (eggplant) with French (not Lebanese) fries, very dry falafel with dry (ancient) potato salad. Lesson learned: Lebanese cuisine is best enjoyed in summer.

What a wonderful hidden gem in the Berkshire Mountains of Western MA. The authenticity of their…read moreLebanese food is unsurpassed imo, from soup to mezze and main course, you will be delighted with the quality, freshness and flavors. If you have or were to have a Lebanese grandmother, this is the kind of home cooking that stirs fond memories of those cherished bygone visits to grandma's house for one of her sumptuous homemade meals. Naji's menu is perfect, not so many items that you'll get lost but a perfect sampling of all the major categories plus some. Given a week's notice, they can accommodate just about any special requests you might have. If you like Mediterranean cuisine this is a don't miss experience in Lebanese dining, one that will leave a lasting impression. This little resto is worth a drive from anywhere in N.E., heck, maybe even further away than that. Super food, excellent hospitality, Naji's for the win win..!!

Today was our second visit in 8 days and I can tell you we will be back next Saturday as well. We…read morehave at least six more dishes we have to try. They have a wonderful menu offering of letting you pair 3 or 5 of the cold appetizers for a great price. Not only are they apps but they serve as amazing flavors to add to every bite throughout the meal. Grape leaves, hummus, tatziki, spiced feta, ... and more with amazing pita. Last week we both had the gyros hers with "fries" mine with salad. The fries were a thick kitchen-made chip with some crispy and some tender. Amazing. The salad was so fresh we wondered where they were getting their produce! The lamb gyro was exactly that special flavor you have been chasing with lettuce, fresh tomato, tatziki and a warm pita. Try it with the spicy feta from the apps or the hummus! Tonight we tried the baked feta and tomatoes as a hot app with the hummus, grape leaves and tatziki 3 way sampler. Dynamite! I had the spanakopita and rice, Red had the Moussaka. She called it Greek lasagna, but it was so much more. Layered meat and a thick yet creamy béchamel with potatoes and thin eggplant. Greek savory ambrosia. Please, save room for dessert. , please. Last week while we waited for them to box up some take home baklava, we ordered a custard with philo dough. Sinful. The only sin for which you goto heaven. Tonight it was a chocolate cream-mousse cake with whipped cream and a thin milk chocolate topp while we waited for the take-home baklava. And a Hennessy for me while Red had a dessert wine, muscado. I am confused as to why there is not a line out the door. So I suppose I am letting you all in on the best kept secret for wholesome mediterranean food in Berkshire County. Enjoy!

We stopped in for lunch today and were warmly greeted and seated right away. We were also thanked…read moreon our way out, which was a nice touch. Service: Unfortunately, the service was hit or miss. No one checked on us after our food arrived. My fork was cleared with the appetizer plate and never replaced, so I eventually took utensils from an empty nearby table. My seafood pasta also came with shellfish, but no dish was provided for the shells. No one checked on us until we almost finished our mains. Food: The lemon drop martini was okay. The char-grilled octopus was tasty, but the Mykonos seafood pasta was bland. Hubby enjoyed his Keftedes and burger, although his burger arrived with a bun despite requesting it without one. The salad that came with it was delicious -- I actually enjoyed it more than my pasta! Overall: A warm welcome and some good dishes, but the bland pasta and inattentive service made this a mixed experience.

My son had stopped here on the way to visit and based on some of the leftovers, we knew it had to…read morebe on the list. Traveling within about 5 minutes on the way to visit a good friend, and it happened to be right around lunch time, the opportunity finally came. It's a casual place, lots of 2 and 4 top tables, but what caught my eye when we went in was the cooler full of amazing side options. Then you look up and there's a beautiful oven and a dough station. This is looking great. We sat and ordered lamb kebab and doner kebab. A couple minutes later, a large (~11x17?) wooden tray appeared with a piping hot lavash bread and a plate of dill yogurt sauce. If the meal had stopped there, I would have been a happy camper. We had just had a few pieces when the kebab arrived, each with a pepper, tomato, some red cabbage, and onion. Both meats were authentic and delicious. My favorite way to eat my doner was with a bit of the bread, a bit of the dill sauce, some onion and cabbage, and a bunch of meat - a mini gyro, if you will. We took away about 1/3 of the generous portions and ordered a large mixed plate (all 10 of the sides) and baklava to take to our friend. It's a bit of a drive for us, but any time we're anywhere close, we're going to be back for sit down (if it's mealtime) or takeaway if it's not. I highly recommend you do the same.

Alibaba is probably the oldest Turkish restaurant in the Albany area, and it recently got a nice…read moreupgrade -- from the furniture to the serving plates and menus. The place feels much more modern and inviting now. Our family especially enjoys the beyti kebab, the güveç, and their pide. I haven't tried the pizza yet, but since their pide is very good, I imagine the pizza would also be solid. For me though, the real highlight at Alibaba is the mezze. In Turkish cuisine, grilled meats and kebabs are almost always enjoyed with a variety of mezze. They might technically be sides, but they're a big part of the whole experience. These days there are several Turkish kebab places in the area, but none of them offer a wide selection of fresh, house-made mezze like Alibaba does. At many places you're lucky if you find one or two options, often just a basic ezme. At Alibaba you'll find around ten different mezze and each one tastes distinct and freshly made. Every time I tell myself I'll just take a little... and somehow I end up filling a big mezze plate. Honestly, even when we grill at home, our motivation is picking up mezze from Alibaba to go with it. I'm not sure if it gets the credit it deserves, but don't skip the mezze here -- you'd be missing out. In fact, start with the mezze and figure out the rest later :))

Guys I found it! I…read morefound my favorite capital region eatery. Specifically, the "quick", easy, and cost effective food spot. I don't consider it "fast food" but sure, it's an assembly line bowl place, similar to the "chipotle" concept. I've now tried both the Albany (Stuyvesant plaza) location and the OG - Coxsackie one. Both were amazing. The big bowl at Coxsackie was ~$12 and it totally fills me up. Tastes delicious, and you can customize it, and I don't feel they nickel and dime ya, with up charges. Everything tastes fresh and the portion for price is on par and great for what you get. Pita is included with every bowl. Now, I can't wait to taste and try the entire menu and zero in on my favorite bowl, or do a make your own. Thanks Simones. You'll see me a bunch. If it was walking distance or closer, I'd go weekly!

Great food, good value, fast and friendly service! It's also a nice, clean place with plenty of…read moreseating sit and enjoy your meal. I highly recommend it to both locals and those traveling through the Capital Region. It's only about 5 minutes off the New York State Thruway exit 21B.

My sister and I stopped here for dinner tonight on our way to a concert at MassMOCA. I ordered the…read morechicken kabobs, the chicken was DELICIOUS! Well seasoned and tender. The herbed salad that came with it was a perfect accompaniment. My sister had the steak and roasted potatoes. She enjoyed the food very much. One of the pieces of meat was mostly gristle, but when she asked for another piece the restaurant happily agreed. I asked the waiter (possibly owner?) what the marinade for the chicken was, because I enjoyed it so much. He graciously shared the information with me. I will definitely eat here again!!

Short review: if you like food with flavor, don't waste your money here…read more Long review: There are many lessons in this review. I came here because I was starving and google reviews gave it 4.3 star reviews and it was right before their 3pm closure.... I'm never trusting google reviews again. This was my first and last time doing that. So lesson #1 don't always trust google reviews. Lesson #2 don't decide on a place to eat while you're starving, esp because you are trying to catch them before they close. If this was my first time trying mediterranean food I would be turn off of this cuisine forever. I was very disappointed with the food here. The only chips they had were kettled cooked potato chips you can buy in any convenience store. If I asked for chips in a mediterranean restaurant the I would expect the answer to be pita chips NOT kettle cooked potato chips. The falafel appetiser was more like baked puff balls. Inside was moist. Wasn't till we got the bill we noticed it had spinach in it which is not a traditional ingredient. I went with the lamb burger because the waiter said it's a popular ordered item. It was the blandest lamb burger I've ever had, the sauce that it comes with was the only thing saving it but barely. The bread was dry. The sweet potato wedges looked liked they were steamed or boiled? I'm not even sure, no salt, I was expecting baked or fried wedges. So lesson #3 is just because it's a popular order doesn't mean it's actually good. I highly doubt a returning costumer orders this a second time. The house salad was drenched in dressing, couldn't finish it (doesn't appear so in the photos but it was too much once mixed around) Service was ok, needs some work. Ambience was nice.

Hostess sat us right away. We ordered side salad, lasagna, chicken parm. Food was excellent and…read moretook home enough for another meal. Our server was friendly.

Had dinner here on a Friday night. No waiting, comfortable booths. John our server was pleasant,…read morehelpful and attentive. He recommended Hot cider butterscotch drinks -which warmed us up on a cold night ! I had the breaded fish and husband had the diamond teriyaki steak. Both were cooked just right. We plan to go back again soon !

When I used to work in Brooklyn there was a falafel cart that had the best falafel I'd ever had…read more Since then I've tried various falafel places and I've made them a few times at home. Nothing has come close. When I come to a decent sized city I look out for good restaurants to try. I was excited to see how the falafel was at Mazadar. Walking in I was greeted by friendly staff. There was a casual atmosphere. The felafel was the best I've ever had. I've had felafel all over the world in authentic restaurants. This was the best. From the bread to the balls to the salads to the sauces. Pure perfection. Everything was so fresh and so delicious.

I can't believe I haven't rated mazadar before. Their falafel wrap and spicy falafel burger are one…read moreof the few things in the area I crave and get regularly. Truly I think the falafel burger is the best vegetarian burger in Albany. The fried onion rings and bbq with their falafel is so good. And it's reasonably priced and comes with fries! Plus it's always super clean inside and the staff is very kind.

Amazing ambiance, the service was great she explained the menu provided us with an amazing…read moredescription of what we were eating. Such an amazing experience. Would recommend this Greek restaurant.

They closed suddenly this past week. They sold my brother a gift certificate for my birthday Aug…read more29. No one is answering the phone. Very unethical. We are reporting fraud to the credit card company

On a recent trip to the Berkshires, we were on the hunt for Greek eggs, but the only good search…read morehit nearby didn't have Greek eggs, but did sound like a good option. (Hit on "Greek" because of the lunch options and "eggs" for the breakfast.) After a brief wait, we were seated along with what seemed to be mostly be well known regulars. The Sunday specials looked really good, and I really had to make a tough choice. I'm a sucker for house made corned beef hash, but when I saw Eggs Electra, I had to try it (always try something different). I mean, thin slices of lamb and tomato, a homemade "feta biscuit" (what was that anyway?), and hollandaise - had to try it. The feta biscuit was the star of the show. Apparently grill-toasted, crispy on the top and biscuit-crumbly, it was loaded with flavor. I could eat one of those every day and be very happy. The lamb slices (~4-5 layers) were thin and just enough for the combination. Of the two eggs, one was a over cooked (tiny pocket of runny yolk, but mostly hard cooked) and the other was perfect. The hollandaise was smooth and looked good, but lacking in flavor. More lemon would help a lot - maybe order with a request until a couple lemon wedges. It's a lot of food, possibly a good thing to split (and get a side of the corned beef hash?). My wife had the traditional eggs Benedict and had the same egg issue (one hard, one perfect) and the same comment about the hollandaise. Because hers was just on an English muffin, she didn't have the extra flavor, and said it was "OK." That's a limited sampling, and I'd probably give it another evaluation if I'm in the area again. The 4+ rating is fair, so see what you think.

Elektra's is a local hidden gem. The food is fresh, hot, & delicious. Plus the service is friendly…read more& good. We ordered the homemade veggie burger which was delicious with their citrus aioli. We also shared the beets & goat cheese mixed greens salad which is a must have - perfectly tossed, fresh & served with a yummy maple balsamic. My daughter had the panzanella panini - simple and good! The ambiance is friendly & low-key, but the decor needs an update. Even if they painted the walls & ceiling & added some bright artwork, this would breathe new life into the cafe. Still give it 5 stars and will return!

Came in without any expectations and left extremely happy with both the service and food quality…read more My party got hummus, beef crepe roll, chicken pelmeni, vareniki, and chicken kebab. Everything was flavorful, well cooked, and truly a pleasure to enjoy. Will absolutely be back when I'm in town.

Even though some of my friends disagree, I consider Sultan Family Restaurant's food one of the best…read morein Massachusetts. I always start with the chicken or beef Pelmeni as an appetizer, which never disappoints. They serve their homemade pita bread with butter, a simple but delicious touch. For my main dish, I order the mixed grill--it's truly mind-blowing, always soft, juicy, and cooked to perfection. However, their Adana (beef) Kebap is a bit below average, tasting more like a frozen version, which could use some improvement. The small salad portion is also too small--it feels more like a sample plate, and they could definitely size it up. The restaurant is usually very quiet, which means the service is good and quick, and the staff is friendly. Long story short, I crave their food and always find reasons to eat there--even if my friends don't join me.