Habibi Restaurant

One of my all-time favorite restaurants in Portland. I absolutely love the hummus and tzatziki. I also enjoy the lentil soup and the chicken shawarma plate. I've been coming here for years and the food is still at good and consistent as when I first started coming.

Ordered delivery. Food came and was still hot. Well presented, great portion. The chicken was super well seasoned and the kafta was spot on. Rice had a great flavor - that taiki though...so good. The veggie skewers had pepper, tomato, mushroom, onion and potato. I would've ordered a second if it was an option. Nice that it came with a small salad. Also got a mint lemonade - so good. Excited to try the restaurant to get a better experience. I've walked passed numerous times and it looks fun inside.

Charming spot, top tier food. The meat mezza is amazing, perfectly spiced. I even loved the grape leaves, which I'm typically hit-or-miss on. Friendly service, and a lot more on the menu I'm excited to try.

My partner and I had a great meal last night at Habibi in downtown Portland. Delicious lentil soup to start, followed by very tasty (and tender!) stuffed grape leaves, then the Habibi Mezza, which was wonderful. And everything accompanied by the BEST fresh pita in the city...plus a great bottle of Lebanese red wine. We'll be back!

Habibi was the absolute perfect place to eat! We had chicken kabobs. The seasoning was delicious and the chicken was cooked perfectly. We also were so glad we ordered their hummus (comes with a pita). The hummus was so good! Probably the best I've ever had! I'd definitely go here again if I come back to Portland!

The staff were so friendly. I highly recommend the hummus.

Vegan & gluten free options are available for those with restrictions. UPDATE: I visited a second time and the menu options changed (not unexpected) so there were fewer vegan options. Also, the place wasn't particularly busy, but service was slow and I sort of felt ignored. We had to ask for the bread that was supposed to come with the meal and as an FYI the coffee is Itty-bitty, $5 and there are no free refills. The coffee is delicious though. Foods ok.

I'm a security guard in the neighborhood. I was pleased with my Pesto Pizza 🍕 that I ordered. My coworker and I liked it so much, we went back and got another one. I think this will become a go to place for lunch over the coming months. Robert, thanks for the food. I told you, "If it's good I'll be back." My coworker is on his way. 😉

AMAZING! I was introduced to this place by a great friend who's a regular here, and now I see why. This spot is incredible and offers great food at a fantastic price! Lately, I've been obsessed with their hummus, which I always get to go. It comes with a pita, and here's a tip: if you order through Slice for takeout, you save 5% on your order. The menu has a wide variety of options to choose from, whether you're vegan or not. They offer unique specialties and crowd favorites. The interior is cozy with limited seating since the place is a bit small, but don't let the size or appearance fool you--this is an amazing hidden gem! Definitely check it out!

Truly some of the best Syrian/Lebanese food I've ever had. Habibi's the perfect spot to grab a quick lunch that won't make you hit the afternoon slump. I got the mezza meat plate because it gives you a little bit of everything -- trust me you'll want to try it all! The meats (beef and lamb) were savory and tender, the hummus paired perfectly with the main meats, falafel were crispy and not dry, and the tabouli and grape leaves balanced out the whole meal. Everything was so fresh and delicious and the service was excellent. If you're worried about the afternoon slump, get the Lebanese coffee, it'll definitely wake you up. It's served piping hot and has a sweet but strong dark roast flavor. It reminded me of Vietnamese coffee but a little less sweet. Definitely bookmark this for your next lunch in PDX!

We had the most delicious lunch here yesterday. (And since we took half our sandwiches to go, it was a most delicious dinner too.) The sandwiches are available only at lunch. And they come with house made pita bread, humus and a side salad (we upgraded to the tabouli salad.) The sandwiches themselves are in a pita "wrap" and the pita bread itself is light, and delicious. My friend had a chicken sandwich and I had the Lebney sandwich. Both were amazingly tasty. As was everything we had here. We will definitely be back the next time we're in Portland. The restaurant is super cute, and conveniently located right downtown and the service was speedy, attentive and friendly. Super convenient, speedy and delicious! This was a great new find and we cannot wait to return!

I love this spot for some good Mediterranean! The owner is so welcoming and friendly. Food is soo good. I get their kabob plate and their garlic sauce is so yummy!

I was actually rollerblading to downtown from my house. Did about 15 miles. Was very hungry. Wanted to eat some light soup. Remembered this place. I came in on my rollerblades. My owner was very chill about it. Delicious lamb shank broth. Comes with a salad. Basmati yellow rice & fresh hot pita bread! Very delicious friendly! Would recommend to anyone anytime if you want some authentic Syrian food!

I really love Habibi, it's close to my home and work, and provides a beautiful and relaxing place to enjoy a lunch or dinner. Staff is always very kind, and every time I go in, one of the staff members is talking to a customer like they are family. I've only ever come for a quick bite on my lunch break, but i walk by and see couples and families sharing a nice meal and it always makes me want to come for dinner.

This place consistently serves great Syrian food. I love their Kabobs and Mezza Platter. I've been eating here for well over a decade and have never had a bad meal. The service is always spot on. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Their pita bread is always fresh out of the oven. What more can I say? You should definitely try it. My dining partners tonight tell me their chicken is other worldly. I don't eat chicken but I'll take their word.

The food was delicious, flavorful, and filling. The service was top-notch personality and welcoming. The rice was perfectly flavored. Kebabs were amazing, pita and hummus were delicious.

Delicious food, attentive & friendly service, and reasonable prices. I was in town for a conference, and wandered in on a Saturday at 6pm. I was fortunate to score a table by the front window. What a pleasant experience to nosh on baba ganoush and a lamb kebab - while watching the street scene. Right on the Max line, too. One star off for the bathroom. Please give it some attention.

Very nice owner will do whatever it takes to makes you happy. Leo is the name he is a star. The drinks r amazing as well I would recommend them hands down

The food is absolutely amazing. Reminds of dining in Istanbul. The service was great. I had the lamb kabobs and the meat was tender with so much flavor. The rice with garlic was amazing. The owner one of the nicest men I have met. Highly recommend

We keep coming back to Habibi, for dinner before symphony performances. Very pleasant, run by the welcoming owner. Quick service. Delicious Syrian - Lebanese dishes.

Service, ambiance & food were five stars. Absolutely a must try. Everything was delicious. I normally don't leave reviews but I had to. Great portions & vegan friendly. I'm from out of state where it is difficult to find authentic Syrian cuisine. The fresh pita bread with the spinach lentil soup is outstanding. My whole family couldn't stop raving about it. Thank you so much Leo & our server!

Good service. But worst Mediterranean food I've had. 2 of the dolmas were mixed up with the vegetarian ones. The mix platter has bits of meat that was like leftover meat.

The server was very nice and welcoming. The food was very good and memorable. Would like if they played Labanese music to add to the ambiance instead of the radio.

Excellent food and service. Had the chicken kebab , mezze meat platter, veggie mezze , lamb casserole at our table. We shared dishes so I can say all were terrific. Also a great value for the dollar. Highly recommended. Was there a year ago and everything is same in terms of quality.

Leo, the owner, provided such a personalized experience, teaching our group a few Arabic words as we enjoyed the Mezzas... which are like combination plates of meat, spreads/sauces, and sides. All this paired with warm pita=delicious!!

My friend met the owner in a dog park and so she decided to plan our dinner club at his restaurant, to help support a local restaurant. We are all down for helping local business owners stay afloat so tonight 20 of us came to Habibi tonight to try Syrian food, which most of us have never had. We all love middle eastern food so we knew what to expect (chicken, lamb, hummus, etc) 20 of us came in at once so service was slow, but that was to be expected - although the owner was given notice and made our reservation so he wasn't blind-sided. Drinks were hard to get as well, because there only seemed to be 2 or 3 people working, but the Mistress (whisky, ginger ale, campari & vermouth) was very tasty. And we were understanding because small businesses have had a hard time keeping staff or being able to afford hiring decent workers (in a time of "Bidenomics"). Everyone's food looked really good, but the chicken Shwarma was a little underwhelming. I guess I expected it to be a sandwich with fixings and sides for my meal (small dab of hummus and maybe some salad - like everyone else's meals had) but it was just a bed of jasmine rice and chicken on top (with a table spoon size of tzatziki on the side). I like my food extremely flavorful or spicy so I did need some chili sauce to liven it up. And more tzatziki. If my mouth isn't on fire and my lips aren't swollen, I need Sriacha, wasabi or horseradish to make it that way. The restaurant is cute but the bathrooms need a little help (they aren't dirty but could be compared to a closet with a toilet and sink) All in all, we had a good time & I would recommend it if you like Middle Eastern food.

We were looking for a good restaurant for our last dinner in Portland; the reviews for Habibi were excellent so we decided to walk over and try it. We were greeted and seated by Abraham and had a few minutes to look over the menu. We both ordered iced tea, plus my husband had a Pilsner while I had a spicy mango drink. We ordered hummus and pita bread as an appetizer, then decided to share a bowl of spinach lentil soup and a chicken Shawarma plate. The iced tea and hummus with warm, fresh pita bread came out first. The hummus was very delicious, obviously homemade. The bread was warm and soft and a perfect complement to the hummus. Our drinks arrived shortly there after. (They weren't kidding about the spicy mango being spicy!) Then Abraham brought our bowl of spinach lentil soup. It looked a bit like split pea soup, but had spinach and garbanzos and lentils in a wonderful broth. It was so good, especially accompanied by the hummus and pita bread. We ran out of bread and had to order another piece. Lastly, our Shawarma plate came. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and grilled, served atop a bed of seasoned rice with a small side of tahini. It was so very good. We cleaned all the plates and bowls! We also saw a shirt on the wall with the restaurant name on it and decided we needed one because it was so attractive (see picture below). I only wish we had found this place earlier in our visit, so we could've eaten here twice!

Best Taboule ever but $12.95 for a to-go container half-pint size is ridiculous. I should have complained. It's eating at me that I didn't. That size would be tops at $8.95. I won't go back.

We stumbled upon this restaurant and were happy we did! The service was quick and the food was very good! We ordered the having mezzanine and a mini meat plate to share and it was plenty food. And did I mention how flavorful the food was? Go there when you are in Portland! This place is way underrated!

Returned to Habibi for a quick lunch today. Just as good as my last visit over 8 years ago! Chicken shawarma sandwich was scrumptious! And service was very warm and attentive. I'm so glad Habibi has braved the storm over these past few years and continues to provide such great meals!

So.... I have always loved the food at Habibi. The owner is an incredible host and enjoy his company when he is in. Today the staff was a little off game though. The hostess directed us to sit outside, attended to others that came after us, and came to us only to drop off our food, never checked on us and we were waiting on the ice in our glasses to melt so we had water OTHER than that, my favorite lentil soup was excellent, the pita was hot and fresh.

I had lunch there with my son for the first time-last Saturday upon arrival to Portland. The owner was a nice guy and the food was very tasty. Good service and nice staff too. Large portions too with good prices. I will definitely be back.

Ordered delivery and no silverware came with it. The pita bread is was great with hummus and I enjoyed the chicken and rice also. The rest of the meat was decent. Don't bother with their $5 lemonade that is powdered lemonade with a mint leaf in it.

Hospitable host, delicious dishes, beautiful presentation, wonderful dessert. I recommend to everyone! I would like to come back here again & again. I felt as home.

Nice people, funky ambience, and really fantastic food. Every time I go to Portland, I make sure I eat here.

Great vibe. I think the happy hour is amazing and perfect for trying some of the things they offer. We had dinner so I didn't want to get too much. I ended up getting hummus, pita, tabouli, 2 falafels and the lentil spinach soup and rice My baby didn't love the rice and the soup. I think he would of liked the regular lentil. But I thought the one I ordered was good. Everything was very tasty. I would come back again for sure, if I was in the area. The owner is EXtRa nice and funny.

This was my first visit to Habibi, despite having lived in PDX for 6 years. Somehow it must have just slipped under the radar. But when I heard about it, I knew I had to go, as Lebanese food is my absolute favorite. I walked in at lunchtime on a Saturday and was seated at a table in the front window. I asked for the restroom and was directed to what appeared to be a storage area behind the kitchen. Being honest, it was one of the dirtiest restaurant restrooms I've ever experienced. The walls and door were stained brown and sticky. It was NOT a good start to the meal. I sat down and ordered the fattoush salad and a lemonade with mint. I always judge a Lebanese restaurant's worth on its fattoush - it's a benchmark. If they can't make a proper fattoush, the rest doesn't matter. The lemonade arrived (with one measly sprig of old mint), and it was clear that it was made from a powdered mix. Then, the salad was delivered, and I knew it wasn't going to pass muster before I even tasted it. It was a big pile of shredded iceberg with a couple slices of tomato and cucumber. A proper fattoush should have more chopped veggies than lettuce and a handful of fresh parsley and mint. But the two essential elements that really elevate a fattoush are 1) the sumac dressing and 2) the crunchy, fried pita chips. In this case, the dressing was indiscernible and the pitas were stale and chewy, clearly made a day or two ago. Since I was dining alone, I didn't have the opportunity to try any of the other menu items, but if the fattoush is any indication, I don't need to. Did I mention that my bill was $20 for the salad and lemonade (before tip). Not a good value in my book. I guess I now know why I hadn't heard of Habibi before, and why it's not written up in the ubiquitous "not to be missed" lists.

We have been coming here since they opened on 2005. Always a warm greeting as you come in. Fresh, delicious food. So happy they made it through Covid and downtown's struggles. Best Dolmades, leaf wrap is never bitter, rice perfect. We went pre-movie last night, early Friday night, no wait, food came very quick. Everything is perfectly seasoned by my standards, not overly salted or spiced. My wife likes her food a bit "hotter" so they brought out a hand made chili and spice sauce, hot but full of flavor. I ordered the Foul Medammas, it's a fairly mild flavored dish, but perfect on their fresh pita and mixed with some lamb. Their soups on a cold day are invigorating. I've had the lamb shank on past visits, and I would put that up against any restaurant in Portland, delicate and savory. Next time in, I'm trying one of their pizza's, never had it before. Be part of the solution and get downtown and dine again!

I was looking for a quick lunch, so I stopped in for a chicken shawarma to go. Wow! It was the best! The meat was flavorful and well cooked, not rubbery at all. The pita was fresh and held the ingredients together well. I only planned to eat half and save the rest for later, but I ate it all immediately. The owner was very friendly. I recommend Habibi.

Food was excellent. Portions were large, and the lemonade with mint was very refreshing. Almost as good as my grandmother's (yes I'm Lebanese). The owner served us personally. He was friendly, charming, and generous. The ambiance was terrific. We found a table outside next to the street and we were transported to the Beirut, Vienna, or other exotic locations that serve Syrian and Lebanese food. The music was lively and perfect for the moment. I highly recommend!

Amazing place to seat & eat in the heart of Portland. The food is excellent ... real middle eastern Syrian & Lebanese. It's my 2 nd day in Portland and it's the 2nd time I come here. Definitely my place to come for lunch for this week.

We came here because we were in the mood for some Middle Eastern food and wanted to stay close to our hotel. We definitely made the right choice! The food was outstanding. I ordered the vegetarian mezze platter, which came heaping with all kinds of deliciousness. The baba famously was some of the best I've ever had, and the hummus was also up there. The platter also included veggie grape leaves, a small flatbread, tabbouleh, and a falafel patty, all first rate. I highly recommend Habibi when you're in Portland!

The food was wonderful from the smoky baba ganoush to the favorable chicken and lamb. The fattoush salad was also great. The staff was very helpful as well.

The food is AMAZING like I eat it twice a week amazing, but what really sets this place apart is the owner! He makes you feel like you're at home whenever you walk through the door.

I have always like the food from this restaurant especially the garlic sauce. Unfortunately, whenever I order it to be delivered and ask for extra garlic sauce, I do not get any garlic sauce at all. I wish they would bottle the garlic sauce and sell it.

I was visiting from Cali and decided to check this place out. Literally the best I have ever had!!!! The owner was so accommodating!!! The pita bread was so fresh! I would fly out just to go back!!!

Great food and amazing service Very authentic and delicious i tried the falafel and the stuff cabbage the cabbage was Wowww and also the hummus thank you leo for a great service definitely will come back again

I had a lamb shawarma. Lamb was very tough and chewy. Was famished so gulped down half of it with a drink. I told the woman at the counter. Silence. Not a word. Trashed it into bin.

Wonderful little restaurant here in Portland! Amongst all of the activity going on outside their doors this is a cute little place and you feel very comfortable inside. The (owner?) I think, was extremely sweet and quick despite being on his own since there didn't seem to be other workers as we came in. The food was amazing and came out quickly. We will be back when we crave middle eastern food again!

The portion at this place is huge! We definitely over-ordered for 3 people with the Habibi Mezza, Lattakia Mezza, and the Eggplant Specialty... However, the dishes were fantastic! I'm a big fan of their hummus and gigantic pita bread that was soft and warm; it was a lot of fun tearing the bread and dipping it into different condiments. The Habibi Mezza came with a lot of meats: lamb shwarma, chicken shwarma, and kibbeh. The meats were cooked well, perhaps a little charred on the outside. The Lattakia Mezza had a cabbage roll and an ahi tuna skewer. I liked the flavor of the skewer a lot and would get it again on its own. The Eggplant Specialty was something that I've never tried before. It was a tomato stew with chunks of eggplant. The eggplant was super tender and naturally sweet. Dipping the pita bread in this was heavenly!

Excellent food and great conversation! Owner Leo was wonderful! Forgot to take a photo because I was enjoying so much.

Had lunch and was greeted by a very friendly owner who took time to talk with me and made recommendations . Started with Hummus and Pita bread and then had the tabouli salad. Finally had the lamb and rice which was cooked perfectly and with really incredible flavors! Really enjoyed my visit and thanks to the owner for taking time to share.

Was told this spot was phenomenal for Lebanese food and WOAH did it exceed expectations! Food, drinks, service - all was amazing! Literally some of the tastiest grub!! Highly recommend and will definitely return!

The owner is delightful! Warm and knowledgeable and willing to share stories as much or as little as interests you. The food was authentic and flavorful, in generous portions. I enjoyed each thing I tasted and would recommend the lebney yogurt-cheese appetizer as a must-try.

I work in downtown and this place has been awesome. The owner is very sweet, the food is delicious and I order from here at least once a week. The chicken shwarma sandwich is so tasty and their hummus can't be beat! Definitely a must eat while in downtown. They also have really tasty baklava! Check it out!

The best food, the friendliest service ever. All of the food is amazing. Hummus, labneh, falafel, lentil soup, chicken, garlic rice....yum yum YUM! Eat here, you will be glad you did.

Still amazing every time. The food is delicious. Lentil soup is my absolute favorite.