Top 12 Best Middle Eastern Restaurants in Portland

Healthy, tasty with a huge variety of dishes on offer from small to large, Middle Eastern cuisine is one of the most popular in the world.

Luckily there are some really excellent Mediterranean and Middle Eastern eateries to choose from in the food-loving Oregon city. From Lebanese to Iraqi, here are the best Middle Eastern restaurants in Portland…

1. Ya Hala Lebanese Cuisine – a well established Lebanese Restaurant which serves home-cooked dishes

Ya Hala Lebanese Cuisine serves home-cooked Lebanese dishes in its Montavilla District location. In business for the past 21 years in Portland, the restaurant’s specialties are shawarma, kebob, and falafel dishes as they are the main staples of Lebanese cuisine. 

Try their Ahi Tuna kabob for a fresh seafood flavor or a kabob combo for a complete meal of your choice of 2 kabobs, rice, cabbage salad, grilled pita, hummus, garlic sauce, and pickles. 

For the shawarma plates, choose from chicken or lamb. The falafel plate includes falafel balls rice, cabbage salad, tahini, pickles, and hummus. 

Address: 8005 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215

2. Hoda’s Middle-Eastern Cuisine- Lebanese Cuisine & Catering – offers ‘Seasonal Menus’ which include great Vegetarian and Vegan options

Hoda’s Middle Eastern Cuisine offers vegetarian options at its Sunnyside District location. There are seasonal menus such as the “Spring Menu” that updates during the correlating season.

Check back frequently for updates to their seasonal menu options. 

Besides offering delicious Middle Eastern dishes such as the Super Falafel sandwich (vegan) and the Halloumi and Mozzarella Pizza which is new on the menu, you can enjoy a selection of beer, wine, and cocktails to pair with your meal. 

Finish your meal off with a delicious Middle Eastern dessert such as baklava, knafeh bi gibne, rose saffron ice cream. 

Address: 3401 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214

3. Grill on the Go Mediterranean – classic Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food served from a food truck with vegan options

Grill on the Go Mediterranean serves Middle Eastern and Mediterranean classics from a food truck at their Hazelwood location.

Select from delicious vegetarian starters such as the Vegetarian Combo plate that features grape leaves, two falafel balls, baba ghanouge, tahini, lettuce, pita bread, tomato,  and pickles. 

Choose your main meal from platters, sandwiches, or grilled meat salads. Try their signature gyro sandwich or chicken shawarma sandwich or try a vegetarian falafel over rice platter. 

Address: 10175 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97216

4. Nicholas Restaurant Lebanese and Mediterranean Cuisine – brings Middle Eastern flavours to well-known dishes

Nicholas Restaurant Lebanese and Mediterranean Cuisine serve fresh pita with their signature dishes that are known to be jumbo-sized and tasty. 

Operating out of their Grant Park District location, Nicholas Restaurant brings Middle Eastern favorites such as mezze (hummus plates), kabob plates, and even a Lebanese take on pizzas and pies. 

Their Lebanese-inspired pizzas include Manakish Pizza, Lamb Kabob Pizza, Lebanese Sesame Cheese Pizza, Spinach Pie, and Lamb Kabob Pizza. 

If you are visiting on any day from 11 am to 3 pm be sure to check out their lunch bowls including the Chicken Breast Kabob Bowl and Shawarma Bowl. 

Address: 3223 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232

5. DarSalam – Iraqi inspired food with gluten-free and veggie options

DarSalam offers gluten-free options in its Concordia District location in Portland. Besides this location, there is another restaurant in Downtown Portland. 

Customers have said that DarSalam is “refreshingly different” amongst other Middle Eastern foods they have tried. The Iraqi food that DarSalam serves includes pickled mango salad, lamb kabob mezze platter, lamb kheema, and a vegan falafel mezza plate. 

Sampler platters are a great way to start out trying DarSalam’s cuisines because it is a mix of Iraqi food staples on one plate. 

Address: 2921 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211

6. TarBoush Lebanese Bistro & Bar – one of the top Lebanese Restaurants in Portland

TarBoush Lebanese Bistro & Bar operates out of a remodeled Victorian home in its Sunnyside District location

Known as Oregon’s Exclusive Home of the Lamb Tenderloin, you will taste the best Lebanese cuisine at one of the top Lebanese restaurants in Portland.

Taste delicious dishes such as lentil soup, tabbouli, baba ghannouj, kamali, and an assortment of kabob plates. 

There are even banquet prices on the menu for people looking to have their special events catered by TarBoush. 

Address: 3257 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214

7. Al-Amir Restaurant – Lebanese dishes served in a historic location

Al-Amir operates its Lebanese restaurant out of the historic Bishop’s House in Downtown Portland. Originating 25 years ago, Al-Amir serves meat warak enad, Al-Amir Sampler, and other plates as starters. 

Tabooli, Dajaj, Krydis, and Jibne, amongst other salads, are available for a refreshing meal most featuring mixed greens, cucumber, and tomatoes. 

Kharouf Mohammar, Shish Tawook, Khudar-Wa-Riz, and others are entrees offered on the dinner menu. As of now, Al-Amir Restaurant is only open during dinner hours throughout the week. Check back on their website for more updates on when they will return to full operating hours. 

Address: 223 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204

8. Habibi Restaurant – a traditional family-owned bar, offering good food and belly-dancing shows

Habibi Restaurant serves the Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine in a traditional bar and features belly dancing shows at its Downtown Portland location. 

The family-owned restaurant that originated in 2005 has been serving up signature dishes such as cabbage rolls, the feta cheese plate, Habibi Greek style salad, and fattoush. 

The best part of their menu is the All Day Habibi Mini Menu that features tzatziki, tahini, hummus, lebney, lentil soup, rice, falafel, spinach lentil soup, and more. 

Address: 1012 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205

9. Shalom Y’all – regularly changing menu that serves Mediterranean cuisine

Shalom Y’all serves Mediterranean cuisine with a menu that updates regularly with new or rotating menu items in their Buckman District location. 

Enjoy delicious bar slushies during happy hours such as Turkish Delight Slushy and Limonana Slushy. Their signature Shalom Y’all plate includes falafel, hummus, labneh, pita, slaw, and tahina. 

Grilled favorites are a mainstay on the dinner menu such as grilled king trumpet mushrooms and baharat chicken kabob, and Aleppo rubbed hanger steak. 

Address: 117 SE Taylor St #101, Portland, OR 97214

10. Mediterranean Exploration Company – serves upscale Middle Eastern fare

Mediterranean Exploration Company serves more of an upscale Middle Eastern fare along with delicious cocktails at its Pearl District location in Portland.

Delicious tosafot includes greek potatoes, falafel, mejadara, and spicy chicken meatballs. The restaurant is even kid-friendly with a kid’s shalom plate that features labneh, hummus, and pita. 

Salatim including salt-roasted beet salad and mezza such as roasted eggplant dip are starters selections in which you can choose to eat before your main course. 

Sumac spiced confit chicken leg, hanger steak, and Greek lamb pork chops are some of the delicious main courses that you can try. 

Address: 333 NW 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

11. Lil’ Shalom – serves tasty Mediterranean classic dishes

Located in Downtown Portland, Lil’ Shalom serves Mediterranean delights including their signature Turkish coffee. 

Lil’ Shalom is within the family of Shalom Y’all and other local Mediterranean restaurants in the Portland area. They also update their menu frequently like one of their sister restaurants, Shalom Y’all. 

Try their hummus with burnt beef ends for a crispy take on a mezze favorite. If you need to feed multiple people, try their family meal such as Aleppo Marinated Chicken or Za’atar Roasted Cauliflower.

Each of the options comes with sides: radicchio salad, classic hummus, falafel, pita, tahina, green sh’ug, grilled broccolini, and cookies. 

Address: 1128 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97205

12. Al Hawr – a downtown location which serves classic Lebanese cuisine

Al Hawr serves classic Lebanese cuisine including salads, cold appetizers, hot appetizers, main dishes, and desserts at their Downtown Portland location. 

Hummus with avocado and Labneh Mtawami are a couple of the cold appetizers that you can try. 

Hot appetizers include Sojok Cocktails, Sojok, Flombe, and Kibbeh. 

Grilled Lamb Kafta, Kafta Arayiss, Chicken Escapole, and Alfredo Fettuccine are amongst some of the main dishes that you can try. 

Address: 3500 S River Pkwy, Portland, OR 97239

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