DarSalam

It’s your usual middle eastern fare nicely done! We were all really hungry and the food did not disappoint us at all! The complimentary bread that was initially served was a little hard and we were put off! The fresh ones that followed made up for it, soft fluffy ones with their baba ghanoush was a good start!
For starters we has the onion wrapped Iraqi dolma. It was a tangy rice wrapped in onion peels. Went well with the hummus and I had the chickpea soup. The soup was a mild comforting flavourful soup! I am a major fan of soups. So excuse me for fawning over soups
I had the meza platter and I also tried the chicken shawarma my friends had
One of the softest falafels I have had easily! And the chicken was juicy. My friends stuffed themselves with the chicken shawarma coz they dint want to throw away something so good!

THIS PLACE HAS THE BEST HUMMUS. They have ruined hummus for me because I only like their hummus now. Pretty good falafel sandwich and salad. But have I mentioned the HUMMUS.

So after spending hours at Café Vita we came here for lunch. Now I love a good falafel and have had a bunch since I moved here to Portland and they have been a flop. Well as what I always do I try what I like at a restaurant that I haven’t been to. Well I was ecstatic that I did cause these falafels were awesome. The hummus that came with them was silky smooth and super delicious. Perfect combination after a lot of coffee and work.

Absolutely love this place and the hospitality. Delightful people with inspiring stories. And the food reminds me of home and food culture across national borders. My favorite dish is the eggplant marga. Oh my. Tastes exactly like the Muslim biryani accompaniment from Bangalore, India. Brought tears to my eyes.

I have been wanting to go to the place since a while! Glad could go with friends and enjoy the feasty flavors! The décor is unique and bold. Wall art is covered with portraits.
The complimentary flatbreads with zatar is good to start with and they keep repeating the flatbreads with the entrees.
What stood out for me was crunchy, soft from inside and delicious FALAFELs! So far they are best in town. I will just visit them if I am craving for Falafel. When I was staying in UAE I got used to fresh falafels and this taste reminded me of those days. The mezza platter with side salad was good. Eggplant Marga was rich in flavors and taste. Though it was greasy for my tastebuds but very delicious. I still did justice to the dish by finishing it:). They use basmati rice with saffron and sprinkle some cardamom powder on top. It made it so aromatic. Our friends took lamb sharwama and chicken mezza platter. They were very happy with the taste of both the dishes.
The Arabic coffee tasted very much like turkish coffee I had earlier. Strong in taste and has signature cardamom flavor. I was expecting a lot from Baklava as everything else was so good. It was alright and I have had better at other places.
I will be visiting again for falafel and for marga entrees!

Went here for a business meeting first, then came back to take my whole family– it was a hit with everyone. Eclectic décor and simple, delicious food. I will definitely be back.

Two of us split a beet salad, eggplant stew, and falafel platter and I want to go back for more NOW.

Hello. I would like to give my thanks to the Manager (s) for such nice oriental place in our beloved Alberta street. I loved the dolma with marga eggplant. My friends ordered kebab with humus. Still the test, i can feel it in my mouth. Variety of options was made in amazing way. What a great place! Spent 1 hour just looking to the interesting TV slide show about the history of old Mesopotamia and recent Iraq. We’ll definitely be back! Highly recommended!

The chickpea tomato-​based side (magra?) was tremendous. The entire meal was exceptional and and clean. Highly recommended.

The experience was great, from we first walked in and sat down to the time we left.
We ordered the falafel and the dolma Mahshi, an Iraqi version of Dolmades
For main courses we had the Lamb Tikka kabob rice plate accompanied by the Curried lentil soup. Also, the sheesh kabob accompanied by salad with and amazing house dressing.
I cannot wait to go back and try every item on the menu. At least try the Marga eggplant stew. It’s is awesome. The thought of it makes my mouth water.
They are currently constructing A bathroom adjacent to the building they’re currently in. They are currently in a historic Carriagehouse and it cannot be constructed so they’re building an ad on immediately next-​door to the building. Go and try for yourself

I had heard good things about this spot so after my guest put that bug in my ear, I messaged my friend to go check out Dar Salam. At first pass I didn’t notice it this little tucked in nook but there is ample sitting room once you get inside, not fancy but nice, cozy.
Our waitress approached and well, she could hardly be called a waitress if looking the part still has any relevance. She looked like she was halfway dressed to jump into her next rugby match; so much for an authentic middle eastern dining experience. She offered beer or wine (3 reds/​3 whites) but I am not a beer drinker and my friend’s wine that she had ordered was just okay so I passed and the server seemed… miffed? Annoyed? Not sure but she turned on her sporty heel pretty quickly to leave the table. Sorry! The selection wasn’t interesting. We started with hummus, pita and veggies. The hummus seemed thin but maybe that’s a regional thing. It was a decent vegetarian starter and I dared to ask if she could recommend another starter. As I’m not into grape leaves stuffed with rice, I asked if there might be a good starter with meat… I got the look again. What the hell?! I know I live in Portland but is it a crime yet?! Whatever. We ordered the chicken mezza salad and it was quite good. Our second dish also featured chicken and it was obviously marinated and so deliciously tender. That part was great. Overall I would give the restaurant’s food 4 stars but the slack style service took to the field with one of their stars. I bet she plays a mean rugby match though.

Took an out of town guest here for a late night dinner. Not only were the prices excellent, but the food was simple, healthy, and simply on-​point. I recommend the Iraqi chickpea soup. Can’t wait to go back; I’ll most certainly become a regular!

The lentil soup was perfect. Ordered the falafel dinner with rice and it was quite bland though.

The food was… ok. I heard great things about this place and, hate to say, was a bit disappointed. Food was filling… seemed to expand after we ate, but my lamb shwarma was shredded… never had shredded shwarma before. and not seasoned much. (Maybe it is Iraqi style). Best part of the meal was the little cup of pea soup starter. The home-​made hot sauce and flat bread were good too. The beet salad tasted like canned pickled beets mixed with sour cream. not mind blowing as some diners have reported. It was filling, healthy food.

the food here is delicious. What is shocking is the price. Went there for lunch and the food is so fresh, the order took a while to deliver; I think they butchered and feathered the chicken right when we ordered. Definitely one of the best middle eastern restaurants in Oregon, however, I do not like the prices. For me, price, quality and quantity is a fine algorithm they did not achieve.
If money or value is of little importance, then this is a five star for you, please go here, you will be in love with the food.

A ton of vegan options, but food is way too greasy! Everything was swimming in oil! I would understand if it’s a few drizzles of good quality olive oil, but it isn’t. It’s flavorless oil, in enormous amounts. Everything from falafel to their eggplant stew is drenched in grease and lacks any real flavor. Too few spices used, that’s for sure. BUT, it’s satisfying and the vegan selection is incredible.
Also… The hot sauce they serve is Tapatio. Which automatically makes everything tastes like Mexican food. Middle eastern/​halal spicy sauce is amazing and simple… and I craved it more than anything the entire time I was eating.

My boyfriend and I finally stopped in here for dinner last week and I can’t wait to go back again to try more of the dishes.
We’re both vegan and were very excited to see just how many vegan options they have on the menu. I had the chickpea marga rice plate and my boyfriend had the falafel rice plate. The dishes were simple, delicious, and very well executed, which is kind of our holy trinity for eating out. After dinner, we had the arab coffee and it was the best I’ve had in years.
Based on the people around us out on the patio, this seems to be a perfect spot for families. Everyone was in great spirits and enjoying their food with gusto.
The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive without ever making us feel rushed.
Basically, this is probably going to be a new staple for us.

The arab coffee was good. My friend ordered a bowl of the lentil soup and a side of chicken, both were tasty.
I ordered the lamb mezza platter on the appetizer menu. I ordered the lamb medium which is the lowest temp you can get. Didn’t matter, it came out well done and was very grisly. The hummus and babaganoush were uninspiring and rather flavorless. The taziki sauce was extremely runny and hard to eat due to this. I’ve had better from food carts and other middle eastern restaurants around town at a lesser cost to boot. Doubt I’ll be back.

Greek done right. My friend and I shared the falafel rice plate. The falafel was the best I’ve had in Portland, almost perfect, a tiny bit dry. Rice was great, a little under flavored, but that was actually nice because too strong of a flavor at first would have overpowered the dish… The red curry thing was great, as was the hummus! The small salad was PERFECT. Feta was soooo good.
They drop a star because I dropped $$ on some very subpar baklava. I was pretty impressed by the meal and let down with the layers of phyllo that had barely ground pistachios. My friend and I didn’t finish it, and baklava is one of my favorite desserts.

One of our top fave spots to eat! The chicken schwarma is so good and always a dish we order (either the rice plate or the schwarma salad). The hummus appetizer plate is a perfect starter for 2, and the falafel here are by far the best falafel we’ve ever had. You really need to order them! They are like soft little delicious falafel donuts. We usually order a few extra to go with the appetizer plate and are getting full by the time dinner arrives, but it’s all so good it’s hard to resist!
The only down side to Dar Salam is the service tends to be a little on the slow side, so it’s better to come when you have plenty of time and aren’t in a hurry.

I had forgotten how good their food was. The mango juice to start off proceedings was very tasty (a bit like Maazaa if you were in India in the 90s). Next up, their complimentary bread — delicious with a very definite home made feel. I wasn’t too hungry, so had the flat bread lamb shawarma sandwich. Excellently done ground lamb. And the dal for starters was fantastic. Light, tasty and just like it’s done at home. I tried some of the vegetarian fare my friends had ordered — chickpea and eggplant curries — both were extremely tasty. Definitely going back more often from now on.

Easily my favorite restaurant. Vegans this place is very accommodating. The marga rice plate with eggplant stew is amazing! They have the best hummus on the planet.
I’m not giving them 5 stars because every time I go in for food I get the worst service! Literally every time I just want to take it to go and eat at home.

Definitely the best falafel in town! I’ve tried nearly all of vegetarian dishes and I’ve always walked away over the moon!
Their sauces and dressings aren’t overpowering, yet they are layered with flavors! I love that my son can eat here safely without getting a mouthful of something spicy and yet nothing is bland.
Service has always been spot on and prices are good! My only complaint is the bathroom situation (as others have noted), but it wouldn’t stop me from eating here! Yummm!

I came here on a late Friday evening around 8:30PM and they were open until 10:00PM. I never once felt rushed or unwanted which is very rare at an establishment. The ENTIRE staff was friendly, helpful, & efficient. They all seemed happy to be working and made us feel very comfortable, if not downright at home there.
They serve complimentary bread and dip, and have a house hot sauce on the table. We ordered a beer and an Iraqi coffee which was lovely.
We ordered the Iraqi dolma, wrapped in onion instead of grape leaves, the Chicken Tikka Kabob plate as well as the lamb. You have your choice of hummus or tzatziki, we had both and they both were fantastic. You get the choice of soup or salad we had both. The small salad was very fresh, with romaine, cucumber, feta (optional), and an herbed balsamic of sorts. It was lovely.
Now, I have to rave about the soup
It was very simple, perfectly executed, phenomenally seasoned, and just the epitome of savory and heavenly.
We will be back. And soon!

Can I just say, I have Celiac disease. Eating out is very stressful especially at small, non-​chain places like Dar Salam. But the menu was 100% clear about what I could and couldn’t eat.
The staff was almost overattentive to everyone. Wonderful people! The food came out fast and was delicious! Really really delicious. I will go back every time im in Alberta.