Dearborn is the literal Mecca for Middle Eastern food, so I suggest lowering your expectations immediately. I am from Egypt and shawerma has a very special place in my heart. I’ve learned in moving to the US, good shawerma is good on its own. Do not compare (as it’s the killer of Joy) to other experiences and just judge based on the taste in your mouth. Georges king of falafel is great in Georgetown

Middle easterner from Detroit checking in—lower your expectations habibi.

The only good tasting shawarma ive had here is from Yellow but shawarma is not something you charge $40 for so i never go. It is offensive to the culture.

Oh Mama Grill in Adams Morgan is the best I’ve had in DC. Fried eggplants and hummus are amazing

George's King of Falafel is pretty good

Haifa Grill in Falls Church is the best I've had in the DMV by far. In DC proper, Lebanese Taverna is pretty good too. Also Capitol Donor is great but not the type of traditional shawarma you are asking for. Don't go to George's or Muncheez unless you want to be disappointed.

Third and now craving it

Kenafa = l'abeille d'or, any branch.

Foul, hummus & others = Fady, Jal el Deeb. Edit 1: El Sousi Zeidaniyeh street in the Mar Elias area

Manakish = Christo, Ashrafiyeh near Sawt Loubnan radio station.

Shawarma = Joseph, Sin el Fil.

Sfiha = lakkis farms is good but if in Baalbeck find a local butcher would be way better.

Subs, Burgers, Asbeh = Sako, Nahr road Mar Mkhayel.

Lebanese cuisine, kabab, kafta, She2af, Nayeh = Abo Jihad, Jal el Deeb.

Shams restaurant, Anjar. Edit 2: or his new branch Mirna Shalouhi highway

That's if you want the good tasting food and not just the known names

Recommendations would be best if you would exactly let us know what area and food varieties you wish to taste.

Em sharif and Babel

Depends on budget and location really.

Fi plenty of AAA Lebanese restaurants like Babel and Em Sherif and Mounir and Al Halabi and Diwan and Burj Al Hamem and Mhanna and the list is really endless.

I guess Em Sherif and Babel stand above the rest but they are the most expensive out of them all.

Shams

Amaleen, loris , shams are great.

I'll second that. Just waiting for the missing equipment to arrive from Turkey (?) so that the chicken shawarma is added to the offerings.

Tried this place in March. It’s SO GOOD. Highly recommend it. Love to see a restaurant actually thriving in that space for once

That sounds awesome, thanks for the recommendation!

i didn’t wanna comment on this place til i went a second time .. but like — it’s .. perfect ?

atmosphere, price , people , selection , taste , vibes

best lebanese food i’ve had in 20 years — gonna go back this weekend i think — it’s a chill drive post 630pm

Don't know much about Lebanese food but I'm headed down tonight with my girlfriend who's a vegetarian, what's the good vegetarian food to look out for?

Looking forward to picking up a fat platter and za’atar manoushi later today!

Did anyone happen to take a photo of menu/what’s available?

Is it cash only? Do the vendors accept Venmo?

Finally had Lebanese street food in America without being completely mad about it.

Shawarma actually tasted like shawarma and had the regular things that usually go inside a shawarma.

Manoushe actually tasted like a manouche.

Still not anything like you would get back home but I think this is pretty close. As close as it gets in Philly.

Also immaculate Lebanese vibes felt like I was back home in the village with hookas and almaza and the music. Going back tomorrow to try the food I didn’t get today

Amazing food! I've gone the last few years and will be there again this year.

Yallaaa habiibiiii see u there

The festival is always a treat!

Want to go this year for the first time, what can I expect?

Went last year, highly recommended

I heard they had closed - glad that’s not true

Zaytinya is maybe my favorite restaurant in dc

Bistro aracosia is great down home Afghan - my afghani friend said it reminds him of stuff he ate growing up. I actually prefer it to Lapis. Better flavors imo, bigger portions and less expensive.

Maydan also really good, the tawle menu is an insane amount of food, but I actually prefer their a la carte more

Rumi’s and sababa don’t Miss

Albi is a much fancier/expensive experience but regarded as probably the best restaurant in DC. But impossible to get a reservation so best bet is walking in for a bar seat and then waiting it out nearby

Lapis is Afghanistan food and will blow your mind. The flavors are so unique.

Don't overlook falafel inc. $5 falafel sandwich and it's fantastic. Maydan is a one star Michelin restaurant, and worth it. Zaytinya is majorly overrated (and I love Jose Andres)

Lapis is Afgan but amazing. Rumis is fabulous!

But yo… go to The Green Zone in Admo and EAT THOSE FRIES AND THE SAUCE.

Most Lebanese dishes get their distinct flavor from the spice mix. Mama Ayesha's (on Calvert St) uses seasonings from the Mount Lebanon region. Quite a different flavor profile than what you'd find at Lebanese Taverna or other "Lebanese" restaurants. It's very authentic and I've never had a bad meal there. Not even a mediocre one. Though I'm not sure what you consider "reasonable in price" because every place seems expensive to me these days.

Albi, bistro aracosia, lapis, zaytinya, sababa, rumi’s kitchen, Maydan

I’ll second Zaytina, that place is great. Food is great and one time a homeless guy wandered into the outdoor seating and instead of shooing him away a waiter got him some water and a bit of food and gently redirected him away and was really nice to him and that always stuck with me

Persian doesn’t fit under Arabian/mediterranean? Well even so, it’s dope

This is the gyro. It's a pretty standard size. A little on the smaller side, even, by comparison with other pricier (and by that I mean $13, not $20) places like Flame and Skewer.

https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/d6qOfojlHS7xaFQR78dTMA/o.jpg

Formerly known as Constantinople Grille.

$20 gyro/döner is...steep.

Damn, I didn’t know this existed. I am adding it to my list now!

Oh hey just eating with George Lucas over here

Me and wife tried Chicken Shish Kabab. Chicken was juicy, ok portion, but food was cold, by the time we got to second skewer it was cold. It is expensive. New place and staff wasn’t aware of the dishes. I won’t ding the place for inexperienced staff but something didn’t click for us.

Malooga in Old City has it and it’s really good. Everything there is.They specialize in Middle Eastern food, particularly from Yemen. The web Address includes “catering”, but it’s primarily a restaurant with seating, a friendly staff, and good prices. https://www.maloogacatering.com

The knafeh from Shatila in Dearborn is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life

Abu El Ezz Sweets in Feasterville-Trevose is great!

I also enjoyed the knafeh from Pera, it's crispy which isn't my preferred style but it's good!

Good luck. I've been looking for over a decade. There used to be a place in Patterson, NJ, but I believe its no longer there. Compared to Middle Eastern countries, I haven't had any in Philly that are 'correct'.

If I had to pick, Suraya scratched my itch for a moment, but its not quite the same.

Or Dallas. I’ve had ridiculous knafeh there.

Ammon grocery in Cherry Hill has full sized frozen Kunafa that are actually really solid. They also sell all the ingredients needed to make it yourself if you are so daring.