A DC Local Shares The 19 Best Spots For Middle Eastern Food In The City
Once upon a time, Washington D.C.'s dining scene was best known for low-lit steakhouses where politicians could meet away from prying eyes. It's a regular joke that steak and frites was the city's signature dish. That may still be the case in some corners, but in a few short centuries, the decisions made over backroom filet mignon have had a significant impact on diasporas across the world.
Sometimes, America has been the cause, and sometimes, it has been the effect — as a place to turn for those seeking a new life. In either case, the result has been a transformation of D.C.'s culinary culture. The city now stands as a hotbed of international foods and flavors which have emerged to bring the taste of home to thousands.
Middle Eastern cuisine is just one example. Politically, this categorization is regularly used to lump together numerous countries with nuanced historical and cultural differences. However, when it comes to food, the fact is that there are as many commonalities as there are distinctions. For the sake of defining Middle Eastern restaurants in Washington D.C., I attempted to stick close to the geographic definition by focusing on Iraq, Iran, the Levant, Turkey, Syria, and Yemen. I left out North African cuisines from Morrocco and Tunisia, as well as anything else that strayed too close to being defined as Mediterranean. Being a D.C. local, I've visited most of the eateries on this list, and hope that you will soon do the same.
ilili
The Wharf's outpost of NYC-founded ilili is a dazzling restaurant. The design is full of rich, but restrained, patterns and colors. Natural light does most of the heavy lifting during the day. During the night, its absence becomes intimacy. As a complement to tasteful aesthetics, the service is always attentive, and the menu is exciting.
ilili's menu is a tight collection of Lebanese dishes, from appetizers to desserts. Its hot mezze includes an onion-sweet, bitter dandelion green dish called hindbeh, while the cold list boasts Beirut kibbeh, made with steak tartare and flavored with mint and jalapeño. But the star menu item may be a dish called samkeh harra, a seared sea bass covered in Marcona almonds, confit tomato, and a tingling Aleppo-chili tahini. Cool it down with mouhalabiyyeh, a Lebanese milk pudding.
(202) 918-7766
100 District Square SW, Washington, D.C. 20024
Maydān
Maydān means "town square" in Arabic, but whenever a first-time visitor passes through the blue-teal door into the restaurant, the first thing they're likely to notice is the towering, cylindrical, tiered copper hood that hovers above the wood-fed grills. Inevitably, between the spark of embers and conversation, the town square spirit catches up to you, and so do the incredible smells sizzling on chef Rose Previte's grill.
Maydān has more than earned its Michelin star, thanks to an array of immaculately crusted cuts served either a la carte or from the Twale ("table") menu for parties larger than four guests. In a restaurant where the grilled cauliflower is as competitive as the lamb shoulder, you're going to want to make a group reservation for max menu coverage. Don't forget to ask for chermoula sauce.
1346 Florida Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
Albi
There is a strong theme of sophistication that runs through many of the District's Middle Eastern restaurants. It's not a region of cuisines that Washingtonians approach casually. Restaurants like Albi bring the heat. It breathes in and out at the kitchen's center, exhaling charred chicken over a mountain of Palestinian maftoul (a couscous dish) and lamb kebabs.
Albi has a sense of seasonality and location to it as well. For example, it's summer and you want hummus; at Albi it's coming with Maryland-sourced blue crab. So too is the kousa mahshi, a stuffed squash and blossom served with Middle Eastern sausage called soujek. Reserving a spot around the hearth signs you up for an improvisational tour of chef Michael Rafidi's kitchen. Dining room tables can be tough to secure on short notice.
1346 4th St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003
Mama Ayesha's
This restaurant is a standard bearer for D.C.'s Middle Eastern dining scene and has been since Ayesha Abraham opened the restaurant in 1960, following her role cooking at the Syrian embassy. Although the Mama Ayesha is no longer walking the Earth, her family manages the shop, which still follows the traditional recipes she brought from Jerusalem in the '40s.
Take the maklooba for example, which is an upside-down dish of spiced rice, chicken, and vegetables typical in Levantine countries. A vegetarian version exists as well and is just as substantial. In fact, vegetarians are well-served at Mama Ayesha's, especially if you come with an appetite for koosa (stuffed squash) or the Syrian goat cheese served with olives and kabis pickles.
(202) 232-5431
1967 Calvert St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
Villa Yara
There are a lot of reasons to go to Villa Yara, and one of mine is for the Dawa, a simple cocktail with Maker's, lime, and plenty of ginger. Another is for a puckering taste of salty, briny shanklish. It's served in the salatet chamandar — beet salad — with pomegranate, gold and red beets, and pistachio. The combination of the two is potent.
Villa Yara thrives as a mezze experience, with lots of plates and lots of mixing and matching of flavors. It doesn't disappoint with its options either. The manti dumplings make a delicious choice; they're perfect pastry pockets wrapped around meat. The makanek, lamb sausage with pomegranate molasses, gives you sweet-tart-salty flavor altogether with some fat to finish it off.
(202) 506-3675
2815 M St NW, Washington, D.C. 20007
Rumi's Kitchen
It's common for new market locations of successful New York restaurants to crop up in D.C. Though, it's rarer to see one from a Deep South restaurant group. Yet, that's what Rumi's Kitchen is: the lone northern branch of one of Atlanta's favorite Persian restaurants. The restaurant is an attestation to the similarities between Persian and Southern food culture; both are full of intriguing flavors and warm hospitality.
There are a ton of fun dishes to nosh at Rumi's but, take this recommendation and start with a cocktail, in particular one called Your Own Myth. Aquafaba enriches this gin drink, which has cherry, rose, and quinine-rich Cocchi Rossa. The tart and floral notes ride a botanical sidecar to the walnut and pomegranate stew of the duck fesenjoon.
(202) 900-9106
640 L St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
The Green Zone Cocktail Bar
If you're craving Middle Eastern tastes in a more casual environment than some of the Michelin darlings offer, head into Adams Morgan for a seat at The Green Zone. The name was chosen in honor of the Baghdad International Zone, and its menu offers a window into a wide region of flavors and ingredients. The food menu, albeit brief, is dialed-in, with the drinks list being the most extensive draw. The cocktails are some of the best in the city, featuring ingredients from Lebanon, Ramallah, Iran, and Turkey.
Inclusivity is put into practice at GZ, because although the cocktail list is extensive, so is its impressive list of non-alcoholic drinks. Pistachio iced coffee, fresh mint lemonade, and an apricot soda called the Qamareddin and a Half are a few such options.
(202) 579-9606
2226 18th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
Yellow
Chef Michael Rafidi's Albi-offshoot, Yellow, has two locations, one in Georgetown and the other at the Union Market. Both serve breakfast and lunch and are a consistently good decision if you're in need of a quick bite and a great coffee. Seriously — don't skip the coffee. Between a baklava mocha and a tahini brown sugar latte, the choice won't be easy. But if you need to forgo the caffeine, a rose milk tea is also exciting.
What Rafidi does with Yellow's pastry selection is nothing short of a culinary tour through the region. A pistachio semolina cake, called basbousa, is made with Palestinian olive oil, while the za'atar egg croissant sandwich will surely make you an early riser. Let us know if you find yourself going out of the way to hit up this café after you try the sfeeha, a Lebanese meat pie.
Multiple locations
Lebanese Taverna
Lebanese Taverna has five locations across the DMV region, so it's comforting to know that whether you're dining in Westover, Woodley Park, or Pentagon Row, you have somewhere that is a sure shot for quality Middle East and eastern Mediterranean flavors. The regional chain has been around since the late 1970s, but the menu tastes like it's generations older than that (in the best way possible).
In particular, the Taverna's market location in Arlington is a must-visit. The deli case offers bulk-buy options of many delicious delicacies, but a simple pleasure is the spicy hummus, spiked with just enough harissa to add a little thrill to your meal. The hindbeh, an ideal mix of bitter, acidic, and floral chicory and onion, is also a must-order.
Multiple locations
Shababi
Rotisserie chicken is one of the world's greatest culinary treasures. It's a food that, as you pull back the crisp skin, reveals the interconnectedness of people and their cuisines across the globe. For chef Marcelle G Afram, formerly of Maydān, it's also a dish that speaks to resistance, remembrance, and reclamation of Palestinian heritage and a sense of self. At Afram's popup, Shababi, chicken is the main dish. But it comes covered in culture.
A Shababi chicken gets brined for 24 hours before it's covered in a seasoning of cardamom, sumac, fenugreek, allspice, and cumin and served with a Levantine bread called taboon. The result is a flavor akin to Palestine's national dish, musakhan, but there's something about it that feels completely new as well. Unfortunately, until Afram gets their own set of digs, you'll have to track down when and where Shababi is available.
(571) 303-9651
Z&Z Manoushe Bakery
The brick and mortar location of Z&Z Manoushe Bakery is the evolution of a farmers market stall that opened in 2016, but the history of this family business goes back much further. The Dubbaneh family opened their Foggy Bottom market bakery to deepen their connection to shared Palestinian-Jordanian roots. In 2021, they moved from a pop-up tent into a Rockville building that had formerly been a chicken shop owned by their grandfather from 1982 to 2006.
Now, the bakery serves much more than fried chicken. Z&Z stands for zayt (olive oil) and za'atar, the flavors of which can be found across the menu of manoushe, a flatbread reminiscent but wholly different from pizza. Try the Classic, served simply with Tunisian olive oil and Palestinian za'atar, or the Chx Shawarma, topped with toum, pickles, and delectably soft turnips.
(301) 296-4178
1111 Nelson St, Rockville, MD 20850
Ottoman Taverna
Ottoman Taverna sits at a special crossroads, and it isn't the corner of I and 4th Streets. It's the intersection of being a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant and one that serves incredibly affordable meals. You'll find it if you visit during happy hour, offered from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily. You can try dishes like Ottoman Taverna's kuru fasulye (white bean stew), lamb and beef döner kebab, or a pomegranate G&T for under $10 apiece.
The delicious deals go beyond everyone's favorite after-work snack time, too. The Trip to Turkey menu gives diners a shot at four courses for under $50, while a bottomless brunch menu exists for the weekend warriors among us. A three-course express lunch goes for under $25; it's a deal that's as rich for your wallet as it is for your palate.
(202) 847-0389
425 I St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
ala
Deniz Gulluoglu's ala restaurant welcomed a new location in March 2024 and is fresh off of being named a finalist of D.C.'s culinary RAMMY awards. The press and hype are worth the accolades and growth. Gulluoglu defines her cuisine as Levantine rather than broadly Middle Eastern, but the most important thing to know is that it's innovative and serves "nothing traditional," except for a warm environment and patient, welcoming hospitality.
Hot and cold mezze options bring together regional flavors and local ingredients, like the crab salad served with sumac and Urfa peppers. The biggest menu star is likely a ras el hanout short rib. It's braised for eight hours but is so delicious you're likely to finish it in eight minutes (or less).
Multiple locations
Fava Pot
Like ala, Fava Pot is another of Washington D.C.'s Middle Eastern restaurants gracing the RAMMY awards. This one, however, proved a winner, as Fava Pot took the award for Favorite Fast Bites. The prize is part call-back to the restaurant's beginning as a prolific food truck (which still exists). However, its Dupont Circle location has been open for several years now and serves as a welcome place to get quick service Egyptian street food.
The menu is broken up between mezze starters, salads, sandwiches, bowls, and desserts. The selections are approachable for newcomers to Middle Eastern cuisine, specifically Egyptian food, but it also offers plenty of flavors for those who are well-accustomed. One example is the liver bowl, cooked tender, spiced perfectly, and dressed to thrill with pomegranate molasses. If you're craving something handheld, go for the restaurant's namesake: rich fava beans tucked into an Egyptian pita.
Multiple locations
Mejana
The DMV's Middle Eastern restaurant scene has no shortage of Lebanese spots. Yet, few are as accommodating to dietary preferences and restrictions as Mejana, which boasts separate gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian menus. Many Lebanese dishes naturally fit into one (or several) of these categories, but it helps to know that the house is determined to make things as easy as possible for diners.
One of the big draws to Mejana is the baked branzino, which comes in around 1½ pounds and can definitely feed a few. It's herbaceous, slightly acidic from a lemon and white wine bath, and is always fresh. With wine in mind, make sure to pay close attention to the list of vinos, which is full of carefully selected Lebanese wines, such as the Hochar, produced by Chateau Musar.
(703) 465-4440
2300 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
Balqees Restaurant
Northern Virginia has become a hotbed for Yemeni cuisine over the past decade. Balqees requires a drive to Falls Church. Still, it's one restaurant you'll want to make a trip for — especially one early in the day. Yemeni cuisine prioritizes breakfast and lunch over large dinners, and this tucked away shop keeps with that by serving traditional plates for the best of both meals.
One such plate is the lunch special fahsa, a lamb cutlet stew that Balqees manages to cook to an impossibly tender texture. The restaurant also serves Yemen's national dish, saltah, a thin stew with big flavor. Much of Yemeni food served here is cooked in the tandoor, and grilled meats and breads abound across the menu as well. Balqees boasts about its own special seasonings, but the magic of the food is also found in the hospitable, welcoming service.
(703) 379-0188
5820 Seminary Rd Unit J, Falls Church, VA 22041
Bayti
Bayti, which means "my home" in Arabic, is a pop-up event created by chef Jinan Deena. Through Bayti, Deena serves authentic and traditional Palestinian dishes such as bamya, a spiced stew bulked up by okra, and qidreh, a fragrant rice dish. The menu is ever changing, however. Sometimes it's made to specifically fit the location where Bayti is popping up, such as when Deena served Palestinian-style tacos at Mt. Pleasant Mexican eatery La Tejana.
Deena's mission with Bayti is nothing less than cultural preservation, and biting down on a meal at this pop-up is a full-throated reminder that food isn't just a representation of the person cooking; it's political as well. With that in mind, scoring food from Bayti requires you to keep a careful eye on the events calendar.
Pop-up locations only
Maman Joon
Maman Joon Kitchen has five locations total, two of which are located in D.C. proper. A stop at either brings diners to a table absolutely loaded with delicious, traditional Persian food. The menu includes a delicious dish called must o mooseer — yogurt and finely sliced shallots — alongside ash reshteh, a Persian noodle soup.
The skewers are the focus, regardless of which location you take a seat at. Options include beef, lamb, chicken, and salmon. The koobideh kabob is a classic choice of Persian beef meatballs with chopped onions. Reigning supreme among them is the beef chenjeh kabob, a stick of cubed tenderloin steak marinated in a blend of seasonings that makes for a complex, layered flavor that offers something different with every bite. Try it with a bottle of salty, tangy doogh, a bottled yogurt drink native to Iran.
Multiple locations
Methodology
As a native and local to the DMV area, I have the pleasure of exploring the Capital City's dining scene often. When it came to developing this list, I relied mostly on first-hand experience with restaurants that I have personally visited. That makes up more than three-quarters of what's included here. For anything outside of my personal familiarity, I contacted friends, food-focused acquaintances, and industry professional working within D.C. to help broaden my coverage.
I took several factors into consideration to determine the "best" spots. First and most obvious is the quality of food being served. Put simply, I left off restaurants where I had a bad or unmemorable dining experience and included places where I've had solid or even excellent meals or experiences. Service, ambiance, and general rapport within the D.C. culinary landscape were also given consideration. Though, as a former server, I understand that everybody is capable of having a bad night. So, these were secondary measures in determining a restaurant's inclusion within this roundup. This isn't a critique, after all.