Dar Essalam

Absolutely incredible food. We had the Tajine meals. I got the oxtail with spicy raisins and sweet onions (insanely delicious), and my fiancée got the lamb shank with spicy eggplant sauce. Both were fabulous and perfectly cooked, but the sauce on the oxtail was the star. We read a bunch of reviews that the tea was amazing and we thought “how good could mint tea be?” but it was sooo good. Packed with flavor and fragrance, sweet, served hot in a beautiful tea pot. We loved our dinner here, thank you so much!

It was our first time here tonight. This place is delicious!! The atmosphere is cute and the service was wonderful! I ordered the Moroccan dinner salad and my spouse ordered the vegetarian couscous. We were served some tasty pre-entree courses. I ordered the pomegranate lemonade and my spouse ordered the mint lemonade. Both drinks were delicious!! We will definitely be back again soon and highly recommend it to others.

Nice decor, service and lovely north African flavors. I got the roasted eggplant sandwich lunch special to avoid onions.

The reviews are right! This place is special inside, the food is excellent and approachable for novices, and the service was lovely. Next time we are in the area we are definitely coming back.

Delicious food with multiple courses and excellent service! The whole atmosphere was amazing and our dining experience was wonderful from start to finish. Couldn't recommend this enough!

Let me first say the service and atmosphere were really good. We ordered 2 gyro sandwiches and a pot of tea for lunch and they were ok. The price on the menu says $13, and the tea is $10. Upon getting the bill I noticed it was $46. I was told that we had ordered a couple of sides (no we didn't). My mother told me afterwards that the same thing happened to her the last time she was there with her friends. I didn't really protest because I will never be back. Buyer beware I guess.

I was looking for a nice place to have dinner around the area and this place popped up. It was our first time here but we will definitely be back. We ordered two orders of kabob feast and one order of lamb shank tajine with couscous. The pita bread&humus, vegetable platter, and appetizer size lentil soup came out. At first I thought $30 for each order was a bit much but as a course meal it wasn't bad. The lamb shank tajine was huge portion and it was so good! At the end of the meal, they come with rose oil water to refreshen your hands and it was overall a great experience.

Great atmosphere and wonderful customer service. The food was pretty bland in my opinion. Another review mentioned the food is great for novices and I couldn’t agree more. It’s very mildly spiced and I’m used to a stronger, more aromatic experience for authentic Moroccan food. I’m not sure if I’d go back. A little pricy for what it is.

So so good! We've been here many times and they never disappoint. Highly recommend the mint tea, tajine, and the bastilla!

We come here all the time for lunch during the work week. It's a great place for an in and out lunch experience. You can't go wrong with the mint tea and if you're not a big sweet tooth, you can always order it without sugar!

So many gluten free items, just skip the pita bread. Celiac husband had sultan's feast which had delicious salmon & shrimp; others had the chicken kebab dinner salad and enjoyed the pita. Kiddos ordered chicken kebab kid meal which was presented very cutely; they also got a drink and ice cream! As always the service is friendly Nice morrocan decor. Recommend trying this place to support local as well as have a different meal experience!

One of best experiences I have had in awhile with food. The service was amazing. The food was great with a full corse meal that came with my entree. Ended up ending up with some delicious dessert. So glad I came here. The Bastilla was amazing. That alone was worth coming back again. The ambiance is welcoming and quiet. A wonderful place for date night or to bring some friends.

Wonderful meal and ambience-we didn't realize it was a no alcohol business! The fact that they can stay in business without the revenue from alcohol is a testimony to how good their food is!

We drive out of our way to find this Moroccan restaurant in Wilsonville. And it was certainly well worth the drive. We came in and were greeted by friendly staff. The place is very authentic Moroccan decor. Very pretty and mystical. I had the Lamb shank Tajin and it was out of this world delicious!! Compliments to the chef. . It came with a hummus and pita bread appetizer, then we were served lentil soup followed by 4 salads. One of the young men who reminded me of Darius Rucker. He joked with us and was super nice. Come check it out !!!

OUTSTANDING!!!! Came in for the first time with the family. Drove by for years thinking I should try it out. Well, tonight I did and so glad we did. Staff were super friendly. Seemed just happy to be there and happy to help us. Inside was pretty cool with the moroccan theme. This seems insignificant, but we ordered a pot of the sweetened mint tea. Was perfect. Not too sweet. Really enjoyed it. I had the lamb shank like over half the people here did. There's probably 15+ sauces you can choose for it. I did the spicy raisin and sweet onion. Really good, but I'd probably choose something less sweet next time. Wife had the Moroccan salad. She really enjoyed it too. Came with a couple kebabs. My son had the Moroccan feast. That looked really good! He said the shrimp with some of the best he's ever had. I don't think any of us were able to finish our meals, they were pretty generous. The meal came out to about $40 each with the tip. Well worth it definitely would come back. Wish they had alcohol.

The food here is always amazing but tonight I finally tried a few of their deserts other than the bastilla. They were worthy of posting.

I was not as impressed as I thought I would be based on so many positive reviews. The food is pretty good but service was meh at best. First of, there was no music playing the whole time which felt awkward. Some music would 100 % elevate the ambiance. Food was delicious and interesting to try all the different flavors of the Moroccan cuisine. I love the traditional teapot and the tajine they serve in. We had the lamb dinner in eggplant sauce. Very flavorful and meat was soft, falling off the bone. The eggplant itself tasted a bit bitter. They gave plenty of naan bread for dipping. The lentil soup was ok. Kids and husband liked it. The pickled sides were interesting too. Kid's Mac and cheese is straight from the box which obviously kids appreciated haha. Chicken kebab with saffron rice was pretty flavorful but dry chicken pieces in my opinion. Dessert was soo disappointing for me. Im not sure what I expected from their famous Casablanca fruit dessert but it was not for me. A bunch of cooked fruit in a filo dough covered with powdered sugar and ice cream. Warm strawberries....yukk! The flan was interesting flavor but hard and wrong consistency. Nobody ate it. I recommend to not waste money on the dessert here.

I wrote one of Dar Essalam's first Yelp reviews, so it's time to write an update. We came during lunch hour. Their lunch menu looked excellent with gyros, skewers of chicken, shrimp, and lamb, but I begged to see if they'd do a dinner entree even though it was lunchtime. They did! We ordered the Leg of Lamb Tagine and the Beef Ox-Tail Lagine. We were first served a wonderful plate of pita bread and hummus with a plate of pickled carrots, beets, potatoes, and green beans. When our tagines came, we were already sold on our satisfaction before the first bite. My lamb tagine was rich with almonds, apricots, and a delectable sweet/spicy sauce served over couscous. The ox-tail tagine had a light saffron rice with a lighter sauce and the most tender meat ever. We were in seventh heaven with these excellent quality exotic foods and presentations that this family-run business makes sure to guarantee. Even though we ate to our fill rather early, we ordered a special dessert spectacular: Moroccan Casablanca. This was a large fruit, nut, filo dessert freshly baked for our table's delight topped with ice cream and a rich whipped cream topping. It was a sweet Bastilla with strawberries, bananas, peaches, and pears. The almond slivers complemented the pastry, fruit, and juices. This is a world-class restaurant in Wilsonville, OR. I hope this city realizes this important distinction this 'trip to Morocco' restaurant brings to them. Five stars, don't hesitate to come and dine.

I ordered hummus and quinoa with veggies to go and eventhough it was tasty, the amount of hummus was so little that we had lots of pita left, but no hummus. Very disappointing!!!!

I really wanted a tagine for lunch & love their tea here but was very surprised to find many extra charges that were not listed on their menu. For example they added $5 to my bill because my friend and I decided to share this large dish. There is an extra charge for couscous or rice, a standard that should be included in this dish , as well as added charge for not paying cash. If they want all their guest to order their on dish it should be stated on the menu. With tip my bill came to $50 for two people to share one pot of tea and an entre. The food is delicious but not worth the cost.

Delicious food and great service. The inside is beautiful with lots of decor and my beautiful natural lighting. If you're like me and don't eat much/share with your partner, there is a $5 splitting fee but it's definitely worth it. My only note is that some items need more salt.

Food was amazing!! Gyro was incredible, probably one of the best I've had. I was in a party of 4 and all were very pleased with their selections!

Beautiful lil restaurant located at the end of a shopping center in Wilsonville. Have driven by so many times I never noticed it. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and felt like I was back in Morocco. The menu is relatively small yet it has a lot of tasty items to sample. I chose the Sultan kebab feast, it's full of protein & it did have a side of couscous. My H had the Tajine over couscous. These meals are substantial as they are served with salad, soup, & hummus. The salad consisted of sides of marinated carrots, green beans, beats and (potatoes, my least favorite item, just a personal preference). Service was great & not overly attentive where you could enjoy your beautiful feast. Only complaint is the cushions in the seats appear to have lost their vigor & felt like your sitting on a wood chair, which you are but with a dead cushion.

Folks, this is THE restaurant to try for a special night, with guests, or when you just want to dine well. Imagine my glee when I saw it on GrubHub tonight! Dar Essalam is one of the best restaurants out there! Think of the best hummus you've ever had then multiply it by 100 because Dar Essalam's is so good, nothing else compares. For real, is anything else actually hummus? Once you try it here, there is no looking back. They are also generous with the warm, soft pita. And you cannot dine here without ordering bastilla. I'll steal the menu description: "A festive dish of chicken, saffron, custard, and toasted almonds snuggled in a crisp buttery filo pastry. Bastillas are always served with a light dusting of powered sugar and decorated free hand with cinnamon. This Moroccan pastry is served at weddings and as a first course to guests of honor." JUST ORDER IT. So unique and so good! (It easily serves 2.) It comes with 4 yummy sides: Pickled beets and onions; carrots, beans, and a 4th cannot identify, all with warm, exotic seasonings. It will not disappoint!

We absolutely love Dar Essalam! If you want truly authentic Moroccan food, this is the place to go. The Lamb Shank cooked and served in a n authentic Tajine! I'm not a lamb lover but this is so good. You can get it spicy or sweet and I got the sweet and the lamb melted in your mouth. Everything was just delectable. Hummus and bread to start then some delicious lentil soup followed by a sampling of cold, flavorful pickled salads. We were too full for dessert! Check it out but wear cool clothes because they don't have air!

We enjoyed takeout from this establishment. I don't know much about Moroccan cuisine, but my partner says it's the closest thing they've eaten in the US to the food they ate whilst visiting Morocco. My favorite was the lamb shank tagine, and perhaps surprisingly, the pickled vegetables that came on the side. Note that this is tucked away in the corner of a commercial strip, so you may not see it from the road.

This place was beyond delicious! I've never tried such amazing flavors, the bastilla was perfectly crispy. I enjoyed the fresh mint green tea so much that I ordered one to go! Our waiter was so attentive and hospitable.Definitely check this place out-- it's absolutely wonderful!

The food is good. I had a chicken skewer and a beef skewer: the chicken had great spices and char and was my favorite. The salad and rice were also tasty. The service was not great. The server was on his phone, and we had to wait a while for him to bring the bill. During that time, however, there was this really loud banging coming from the kitchen. It was disconcerting. I could tell the one other table in the restaurant that just sat down was starting to get annoyed because we all started looking around. Then, one of the customers asked the waiter what the name of the restaurant meant. He said "peaceful house"

Far Essalam is one of my favorite places to go when I need serenity No matter what has me worked up, the welcoming ambience and friendly faces sink into my worries and chase them away. The food in exquisite and comforting to me and by the time dessert is finished, all is right again. If you haven't been yet, what are you waiting for?

This place is almost perfect. I ordered lamb shank with rice, lentil soup Lamb was so soft and incredible Pros Gorgeous ambience Delicious food Elegant presentation of food Excellent Tea free refill Friendly staff Cons Can't think of any May be seating could be big Lighting could improve Cons

This is the real deal. Pretty good But the iced tea is powdered out of a machine. Prices are reasonable

Good food Staff usually nice Love it here I will be coming back Very clean and feels warm and fresh

One of the best meals I've had in my life. And I've had lots of meals. In many places. If you're close to this place, drop in. The lamb shank cashing was extra special. And the owner is a delight. Beautiful artifacts everywhere you look. A real experience.

What a special find...in Wilsonville of all places. The restaurant is beautifully decorated which is a pleasant sight since it's located in a plain strip mall. You MUST order tea service & go ahead and ask for the large pot. You will not be disappointed. The hummus is amazing, the entrees are fantastic. Every detail about this place makes it a memorable dining experience. Tell your friends...better yet, take them!!

TL;DR: Owner is a petty manchild with a temper. Food is mediocre and overpriced. Maybe visit if you want to practice your self-defense skills? Full story: The owner, Mohamed Adghir, got visibly upset when we initially wanted to order 2 entrees and 1 appetizer for 3 people. When told there was a $5 share fee, we changed to 3 entrees (tajine was ok, but the rest were overly salty and not particularly flavorful, as well as overpriced). We weren't very hungry, and given it was a 5pm weekday dinner and the restaurant was almost completely empty at the time, I think most people would find this okay - but buddy, tell us if it's not and we can change our order! Use your words, you literally have one other customer to serve!!! When he served us, I received a plate of pita (in a closed tajine - imagine the pettiness) instead of my entree as a "joke" - which clearly he found hilarious, because his face was dead serious when he did it. Anyone who was there could tell he was angry, not joking, and trying to mock us for "not ordering enough food." When politely asked to apologize he repeatedly, angrily refused. Later, when we were done eating, I again asked for an apology (not so politely this time) and he started yelling, getting up close and personal, and aggressively refusing to admit wrongdoing. After some choice words on my part he got right up in my face and started saying he would "beat me up" (actual quote). Typical bully behavior. To my credit, my butt stayed in my seat until we got up to leave and I never threatened the overgrown baby - just kept asking for an apology! Anyway, the guy has serious attitude issues, and I'm not sure what happened to the supposed good service and friendly demeanor the other reviews talk about, because he acted sour from minute 1. Maybe it's because it was a particularly hot day (by the way, the guy is literally too cheap to set the thermostat below 85 on a 100 degree day), or maybe he's just a racist piece of garbage? Regardless, this is a beyond unacceptable way to treat people just for trying to have a lighter meal than what this absolute clown finds acceptable. 2 entrees and 1 app here is easily enough food for 3 people, and we were happy to change our order if asked. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that level of intelligent conversation is possible for this one. Avoid!

Always delicious!!! I've never left disappointed Try the gyros at lunch and the shrimp kabobs are amazing!

Nice people but very disappointed in the food. For example, the hummus tasted like water and the naan reminded me of frozen bread, definitely not freshly made.

What a gem this place is amazing. So glad we stopped in. We got the lunch kabobs. Comes with your choice of meat and a side. I chose beef kabobs with a side of saffron rice. The meat was tender and the rice well made. I loved the tea pot service. And had to get one of the Authentic Moroccan teapots for myself. So beautiful and unique! Service was very kind and attentive. Thanks for a great experience!

Came in on a Saturday afternoon. Service was quick, the food was absolutely delicious-some of the best hummus i've had. The ambience was also very on point and was on niche. Highly recommend the mint iced tea.

It's not often that food is so good that it gives you a food-gasam (like Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally"). But each dish at Dar Essalam elicited such a reaction. The food is incredible and the service is friendly and attentive, presenting food with a flourish. While the location is misleading, once you step through the door you are in a sliver of Morocco and your taste buds will thank you!

I first visited this hidden gem after my trip to Morocco in 2008. It was good then and I do believe it has only gotten better. The food is enhanced by the decor which is distinctly Moroccan and very inviting. It was late in the lunch hour when a friend and I came in, so service was excellent as there weren't a lot of diners at that time. We shared chicken kabobs that were tender and well seasoned, bakola which is marinated spinach with melted cheese over the top, and a delectable fruit bastilla. We chose salad and rice as sides and both were a tasty addition to the main dish. Perhaps the best part of the meal was the price -- very affordable. Quality and price are a win-win combination.

Do not waste your time by going to this place! The restaurant is CLOSED for a month! However, they did not think of changing the open hours on Google or here! I find this behavior both disrespectful and irresponsible.

Thank you, Dar Essalam, for such kind and generous service. Our meal had two different starters, which were both delicious. We enjoyed the hot tea - sweet and minty. And our meal was excellent. But it wouldn't have been as enjoyable without the warm, friendly, abd accommodating gentlemen who served us. We were free to enjoy the dinner. Highly recommend dinner here. The ambiance was also lovely and relaxing.

Delicious smoky humus and baba ganoush - best ever! Flavorful and tender kabobs. Outstanding service and ambience.

This was amazing. The atmosphere is beautiful and welcoming. We had the tea and it was fabulous. We also had three different kinds of kebabs and rice and salad and everything was amazing. We ended up eating some baklava, which was fabulous! Would recommend to anybody

I have eaten here twice - once for lunch and once for dinner. The food was amazing! When I entered Dar Salam (Wilsonville location) I felt like I was transported from Portland to Morocco, which I guess is the point. The ambiance contributed to the overall dining experience which was wonderful. I have tried several dishes on the menu. The bakola is my favorite dish, an appetizer/main dish comprised of steamed spinach seasoned with just the right amount of garlic, tomato and lemon, topped with cheese. The hummus is delicious as is the eggplant pita. For dinner my dining companion and I got two main courses in addition to the bakola, hummus, and the complimentary pickled vegetable plate - vegetarian couscous with garbanzo beans and bstilla (like a meat pie, my friend says this was delicious, I don't eat meat). Dessert topped off dinner, flan and baklava. Yum! All of the food was served hot and very fresh. It had lots of flavor, very unique. Service wise, the service we received at dinner was excellent, the server was very attentive and checked in with us often. The server at lunch was on his phone at another table, and we had to get his attention in order to have him fill our tea and get the bill. I would highly recommend Dar Salam for lunch or dinner.

The food here is always incredibly fresh and tasty. We order the tea to start each time, and would recommend the same!

The tea service is amazing. The flavors here will transport you to Morocco. Small family owned and intimate space. Tastes like a grandma made it from ancient family recipes. Highly recommend the lunch specials. Kabab and salads are my favorites.

Great food and least processed. Because we realized we loved this place we started to eat here regularly. We brought our family of 10 to the restaurant, only to get poor service. Asked for an item to go, and they said no and no rose water at the end of the service and that was expected as part of the service. It was odd.. no rudeness but they are abrupt. Our family gave lots of non verbals to the time or feel of the restaurant. No AC just FYI.

Went for the first time this evening. Décor and ambiance were welcoming. Mint tea and mint lemonade were very good. we ordered the sultan kabob feast and the bastilla for our main course. The kabobs were done well, lightly seasoned but cooked correctly. The bastilla was dry, and did not taste seasoned- my partner took two bites and left the rest of the plate untouched- when the server asked, we explained the issue with the meal, and the server offered a free dessert- at that point we were not interested in consuming anything else, as the bastilla left a bad taste in our mouths when the bill arrived, we were charged for the bastilla which was not consumed- when questioned, we were told "well, you can take it home, but its already on there, so..." in my opinion the bastilla should have been taken off the bill, as it was not eaten/enjoyed, and the offer of a free dessert was not requested- taking the main dish off the bill would have been the right call, business wise

This place is what i consider a hidden gem! Great food! Great service! Love this place!

It's been years since we've been here and we enjoyed returning. It didn't seem quite as good as in years past, but we'd still give it a 4.5 star rating. Got a couple dinners - I got the kabob feast that was good and wife got the lamb tagine with raisins and onions, which was good but really wasn't spicy as advertised. She thought she'd gotten a tagine with spicy peas in the past so will need to try that next time. Dishes came with lentil soup that was ok and hummus/pita that was good. Also had a medium mint tea that was great. For dessert we got the baklava with ice cream, which was ok (seemed dry). Staff were friendly. We'll be back.

This was the easiest 5-star review I have given. The food here is simply OUTSTANDING. The meats are tender and tasty. Sides (rice, salad) have amazing flavor and texture. The hot mint tea is fabulous. We had lunch and were just blown away. Can't wait to go back for dinner. This is quite a bit better than Hush Hush cafe, which is a strong four stars itself. Ambiance and service are excellent. Prices are very reasonable. This place is da bomb.

The food was delicious? The service attentive, prompt and very personable and the decor is amazing! There are many ethnic pieces beatifically arranged.

Amazing , realistic Moroccan food with excellent service and generous helpings. Many bonuses including pita, a pickled vegetable tray and great tagine.

We got there shortly after 5pm on Saturday and lucky we get seated immediately. Servers are always nice and kind to children. The food always taste good. We had a pot of tea which is a little sweet and refreshing. For dinner we had, vegetarian couscous, kebab feast and lamb shank. The saffron rice wasn't as tasty as it used to be. But in general it's still good. And of course we have to have the Casablanca Fruit Bastilla dessert. The dinner portions on all dishes are very generous. We can never finish them.

Not easy to find - thank god for Google maps - but worth the search. Lunch was a delicious and beautifully presented gyro sandwich with very fresh veggies and pita. The side salad was very fresh and tasty and generously portioned, with feta, olives, hazelnuts, and cranberries (I think). The decor is subdued and the ambiance quiet, service very friendly and welcoming. A pleasant surprise was a small plate of hummus and pita, brought gratis while my gyro was being prepared. The humus was surprisingly bland, however - I wouldn't recommend it. Everything else very good.