Everything about this restaurant was outstanding! We ordered one of each appetizer and all of them…read morewere great!

I've forgiven them for the brunch experience. This spot remains one of my fave Mediterranean in DC!…read moreThe food and flavors are amazing and it's a great spot for a date or happy hour with friends. The labneh is always a must!

A complete vibe! I…read morecame here with a coworker of mine the day before 4th of July for lunch and drinks, and I left full and happy. There is a parking garage around the corner of the restaurant so that makes things very convenient. The inside decor is gorgeous and is chic but also funky fresh. I got grilled octopus over a bed of bean salad that had pieces of pomegranate in it - 10/10. The savory taste of the octopus paired against the sweetness of the salad was really delicious. For desert I got the baklava option that comes with ice cream - INCREDIBLE. You have to order it if you come here.

The food is good with lots of options. I was just there this evening as I need a quick place to…read morework before an event. My Tito's and soda water, with a lime, was nearly $18. I double checked to make sure I was charge for two drinks or a double and it was confirmed the amount was correct. The bill included a $2 mixer, which again was soda water. Mind you this was on Wednesday at 6:45 PM. Just giving everyone a heads up so if you go. I definitely won't be going back.

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 !

Best of three worlds collide at this Mediterranean Restaurant. Turkish, Greek, Lebanese food. The…read moreHumus w/ground beef, pine nuts and sumac was outstanding. Fresh pita bread with the kebabs added to authentic flavor of Istanbul. Lamb chops were chargrilled to perfection. Not a fan of Greek mythic beer they had a new Lebanese Pilsner beer that was flavorful. Had Kataeffi Dessert and had the right amount of syrup. Orange flavor missing. Interior is nicely decorated and vibe was great. We can see why they have had multiple Michelin stars. A go to for us when in DC.

We usually do the bottomless brunches here but this time We went here for a celebratory lunch. We…read morewere pleasantly surprised by the restaurant week menu since we had forgotten it was restaurant week in dc. We ended up doing that menu since it had everything we wanted. For the mezze, we ordered hummus, red pepper with walnut dip, and tzatziki. For entrees we picked the chicken kebab, the Adana kebab with rice, and the beef kofte with pita. All food items were delicious. For dessert we got the baklava and the Turkish tiramisu. It was my first time trying Turkish tiramisu and it was beyond amazing!!

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.

The Best falafel sandwich I've ever had in my life. Came on a busy Friday afternoon so I had a…read morechance to watch the staff doing their efficient thing. Heathy food. Nice hospitality. When I mentioned it was my first time visiting they gave me a free iced tea.

I ordered salmon with my rice bowl today and the salmon was very badly burnt. It was so bad I could…read morenot eat it. Picture is attached.

July 2026: I recently went back to Namak to try their new Sunday brunch with a couple of friends…read moreand enjoyed it immensely. We were seated immediately and had outstanding service from start to finish. We all shared the pikilia (sampler of all five spreads), all of which were delicious with special kudos for the labne and the muhamarra. I got the Adana for my main dish, which was outstanding. The lamb was perfectly cooked and seasoned, the sumac onions provided delicious crunch and flavor, the rice was well-done, and the lavash was the perfect accompaniment for the lamb. I also got the Turkish coffee which was solid, and split the coffee cake with a friend. While the coffee cake was fine, it tasted more like a honey or spice cake instead of a coffee cake. I look forward to my next visit to Namak! July 2024: A great addition to the Adams Morgan dining scene! My friend and I recently went here for a weekend dinner and were seated immediately at our reservation time. It was extremely busy when we initially arrived; however, after an initial service snafu (which our server apologized for), we received outstanding service with our dishes coming out in a timely manner. Namak's ambiance is lovely, with blue-and-white tiling, lots of natural light, wood tables, and Greek, Turkish, and Persian decorations. Namak automatically includes a 20 percent service charge and clearly indicates this charge on their menu and receipt, which I appreciated. Namak also has plenty of vegetarian options. My friend and I split the four dishes listed below: Kuru Patlican Dolmasi: An OK dish with well-cooked rice but there was too much salt and there was minimal flavor other than the sauce (there needed to be more sauce). Ahtapot: A phenomenal dish, Michelin-star caliber in presentation and execution, and one of my five favorite dishes I have had at a restaurant this year. The octopus was prepared and grilled perfectly-the best octopus I have ever had. The carrot puree was aesthetically stunning and provided excellent sweetness and freshness, with the pickled onions adding acidity and crunch. The greens on top added further brightness and flavor to the dish. Finally, the blue tilework on the plate below capped off a beautiful array of colors for the dish. It is worth coming to Namak just for the Ahtapot-it was that good. Ispanakli Pide-Another delicious plate, with the pide excellently baked, the right amount of fresh spinach and dill, and the perfect amount of feta to complement the other ingredients. Roasted Cauliflower-While the cauliflower was perfectly cooked, it needed a bit less salt and far more tahini, za'atar, and pomegranate seeds. I would have paid $2-3 more for the dish to make it outstanding if there had been substantial tahini and pomegranate seeds at the bottom. My friend and I split the Anatolian cheesecake for dessert. While the sour cherry compote was delicious, I was disappointed that I couldn't taste the Turkish yogurt and Greek feta. I look forward to my next visit to Namak!

It's my fault for trying restaurants that serve food that isn't spicy and full of flavor. The…read moreingredients are fresh and the service is FANTASTIC. The food is so forgettable. The pita bread was the best thing in the meal. I think we got the muhammara spread. I can't remember. The zucchini fritters were dry, the spinach was cold, and the trout was bland. However, the decor is beautiful! The bar is very romantic! My favorite cuisines are West African, East African, Caribbean, Indian, and Thai, so take my review worth a grain of salt if you don't care for those cuisines.

Beautiful food presentation with delicious food, service was spectacular, the setting or ambience…read morewas perfect! I ordered the deconstructed calamari tacos, and wow! Just wow! I also ordered a side salad and it was beautiful and the ranch dressing was so yummy! You might think it's a Greek restaurant but it's actually an international or Mediterranean restaurant. There really isn't anything like this in Superior. And if you go to a place like this in Duluth, you're going to pay twice as much! And the taxes are a lot higher than our 5.5% and don't have extra tipping going on the receipts. Also, you wouldn't get free parking!

Centrally located, this place has a small, relatively intimate vibe where you can hear a…read moreconversation. The menu is designated as New American, but also includes a fair number of Greek style items. I found it limiting and would have preferred more on the produce side. I ended up with a pappardelle with mushrooms. I found the mushrooms quite ample, but something in the cheese sauce, whether salt or otherwise, left me feeling a bit spazzy and charged up afterward. I find this a common problem, but they impose limitations on splitting checks due to fees on their end, which is less than ideal (but perhaps not this restaurant's fault). As a meeting location, it worked, but even if I construe comparators fairly narrowly, I've had better Mediterranean fusion cuisine at upscale downtown restaurants, and I would have liked to see a menu with more vegetarian protein.

Some days Urfa is a 3, some days a 4, some days a 5, very inconsistent…read more I really want this place to be 5 stars but they don't make it easy. I typical get the falafel platter with rice, veggies and salad and it's delicious! The falafel are quite good (yes deep fried-some days a little too much but so good). The meal itself with veggies, rice, salad and dressing is a really good meal. And I always get hummus on the side. Their hummus-as a middle easterner I find it weird they have hummus and a hummus dip on the menu. Keep it traditional with the hummus - one of them is super soupy like which is disappointing and when I order I can never remember which one I like. Hummus shouldn't be thin it's not tahini (although made with tahini) :) Also what I dislike is that I always ask for no bread or no sauce and they always give me 3-6 pieces of huge bread when I specify no bread and it just goes to waste EVERY time. I hate wasting food and I can't eat gluten so it's just frustrating-I wish they would read the notes when people order or listen better. I still order from here knowing that my meal will be either mediocre or great, it's a chance I take sometimes when I crave their falafel platter.

In these times I am doing everything I can to support small business, especially restaurants, so I…read morewas hesitant to even write this review, but decide to based on the food and the subsequent treatment of my request. I ordered a gyro and eggplant salad. I requested the pita for the gyro be separate so it didn't get soggy. That was not done. It's not the biggest deal but it would be nice if customer requests were honored. The bigger issue was the eggplant salad, which was rancid. I literally had to spit out what I had eaten and then throw out the container. When I asked for a refund (just of the eggplant salad) I was told that was not possible, which I do not understand since the food was spoiled and could have made me sick :( Very disappointing experience all around.