Karam Restaurant and Bar

Attentive service. Seated right away. Great setting. Clean tables and floors. The aroma from the kitchen was heavenly When my food came. I was literally blown away. Such flavors. Best hummus and falafel I have ever had.

Absolutely delicious food and very good service. The restaurant was not busy when we arrived, and we were immediately seated and attended. Portions are large, drinks are refreshing, and the bread comes hot!

Outstanding find! Unfortunately I ate all my food before I remembered to take pictures. Many vegetarian options, clean light flavors, excellent and friendly service.

Came on a recent trip to Portland and was VERY pleased with this spot. Had the Meat Mezza and with an extra side of Tzatziki and everything was fantastic. Prices were extremely reasonable and the order was enough for me and the wife with a snack to take home. The lamb and chicken were standouts for sure and I am personally extremely picky with my lamb. Our server was attentive and accommodating as well as extremely nice. Definitely a new go-to spot when we're in town.

We were a group of 5 and they seated us right away. The hummus & falafel were the stars of the show, some of the best I've had. The fried cauliflower was excellent as well. I was today years old when I learned that Lebanese nachos fries were a necessity in my life thanks to this place. The service couldn't have been more gracious and friendly. Highly recommend this spot and I'll be back next trip to Portland!

My family and I decided to have dinner before we headed to a show at PSU. Karam was a great choice because not only do they serve delicious food, but it is easy walking distance from the Lincoln Center on campus. We arrived around 5:30 pm at the restaurant. It wasn't too busy at that point on this particular Saturday. However, as the evening went on, the place started to get packed. The food and service here were excellent. The portion sizes are generous, and the prices are very reasonable. My sister's boyfriends and I can eat. An entree and appetizer here was more than enough to satiate our large appetites. Also, if you love hummus, make sure to check theirs out. It is delicious. If you are ever by PSU and are craving some Middle Eastern/Lebanese food, look no further than Karam!

Delicious food, great price as you can see we needed a decent size to-go box after :) Our waiter was awesome! Thank you guys!

Delicious, varied menu in a chic, modern atmosphere. Everything we had really delivered in perfectly balanced flavor. The Meat Mezza feature amaaazing chicken and lamb and included the creamy hummus and my favorite, their basmati rice. Beirut Salad was very refreshing and the beef pies and dolmas were very tasty. We didn't have room for dessert so we'll have to return! Their homemade ice cream pies looked very tempting...

After visiting the Portland Art Museum, we settled in for a nice lunch just down the street at Karam PDX. On a midday weekday, we were the only ones having lunch when we visited. The extensive menu was challenging to narrow down what to order, so we opted to share the Grand Meat Mezze platter and added the Baba Ghannouj option to it. The GMM platter includes 2 meats: Chicken Shawarma and Beef Kabob, and basmati rice, dolmas, tabouli, hummus, pita, and falafel. This variety plate was excellent. Every component was delicious, with surprising and noteworthy rice and the Baba Ghannouj that we added. Having every element be so tasty made the meal a true delight. If there was a low point, maybe it was the pita, but only because everything else was so well done. There was certainly some interesting people-watching in our window booth. Downtown Portland has a fair bit of flavor. Service was friendly and efficient. Being the only table at lunch (why?) surely helped that, but still always welcome. We'd love to come back and explore their menu further.

The food, service and workers were great. The food was fresh, light and flavorful. Our food was out within a reasonable time.The server was very helpful. I like the fact that she knew I wanted to sit at a booth and once it became available, she let us know and was able to change our seating. I wasn't too fond about the neighborhood during the late evening hours but overall everything else was great.

Looks great but just not that good. Ordered the grand meat mezza and salad-add olives and feta. Salad was ok but some lettuce was starting to turn and the tomatoes tasted like they were sliced the day prior and left uncovered in the fridge. The grand meat mezza was awkward. Every item was barely lukewarm and each item had its own plate. Pretty sure nothing was homemade, not even the hummus. The pita was very good. The grape leaves tasted like they were out of a can and flash fried on the flattop. The rice was good but just not hot at all. We saw the waitress once and never again. We got our bill from another gentlemen at the end and that was it. We will stick with Nicholas Restaurant in the future.

Not super busy for a Wednesday night so service was quick and personal! The food was tasty and there were so many options I had a hard time choosing. I ordered the mdradara platter and it was aromatic and filled with cinnamon. The cauliflower was perfectly crispy!

Walking in, I loved their backdrop and ambiance inside was nice and clean. Don't let the outside fool you! We did a catering order of the falafel wraps, which were absolutely delicious. Their drinks were Mediterranean-theme which were unique and very decent. And their pricing was reasonable as well. 10/10 worth it

We came here for happy hour on our anniversary. We order a sampler, the cauliflower, and both kinds of kabobs, plus beer for me and a gin martini for her. Everything was great with a few exceptions; the chicken kabob was breast meat and a bit chewy. My date's martini wasn't very flavorful, but it was good. Food was served quickly, and they came by to check on us. Overall, recommended and we'll return. And the neighborhood is fine.

We waited till our fourth visit before writing this review. Ever since our very first visit we have been remembered and made to feel like old friends. Ghada (the proprietor?) always offers a warm welcome. We've only had to order drinks once. Ever since, we're asked Pepsi?, martini? And the drinks quickly arrive . I love all kinds of food, especially Lebanese and so I haven't ordered the same dish twice, except of course for hummus. I have to have large quantities of hummus and Karam's is delicious and perfectly textured. I'm eating my way through menu and,so far, each dish is at least as good as the one before. One thing I like is that the menu is composed of foods I cannot copy well st home. Everything is delicious, I'm not seasoned food critic so I won't say beyond the food is scrumptious and portions are generous. I always bring a heavy container of leftover's.

The food was delicious, service was immaculate, the waitress was very kind and funny and the restaurant is very beautiful. I'm so glad we came here to celebrate my shahada and birthday.

Food was delicious. Tried the meat mezza platter which was served with perfectly prepared tabouli. Both the lamb and chicken shawarma were flavorful and the lemon tahini sauce was a bright note to the dish. Really enjoyed the feta stuffed eggplant rolls. A lovely find.

Food, Amazing! Had the Beef awarma, it was a recommendation of the friendly staff, and it did not disappoint, SOO good! The falafel was to die for, great flavor and texture. If you are looking for great Lebanese Food, This is the place.

Delicious Lebanese food and so many gluten-free options, a necessity for me. The GF pita bread was fantastic! The service was friendly and prompt. Great place to fulfill your yen for Middle Eastern food, or be introduced to it!

Stop here for lunch and ordered whatever was recommended! I got the Meat Grand Mezza platter which included marinated chicken shawarma and ground beef skewers, that came with basmati rice, rolled meat grape leaves (dolma), falafel, hummus, tabouleh, and tahini sauce. This really gives you a taste of everything so I would highly recommend getting this if you can't decide what to order. The dolmas were a bit liquidy for my liking but the basmati rice was very fragrant and buttery which I loved! Next I got Baba Ghanouj which is one of my favorite dishes! It's a creamy roasted eggplant spread with garlic, lemon juice, salt/pepper, drizzled with olive oil and served with pita bread. I also got the shawarma pizza which was something I've never heard of before! The flavors and toppings really came together to create an amazing Mediterranean fusion dish! We ended our meal with some Turkish coffee and an amazing Peanut Butter and Chocolate ice cream cake served with a homemade raspberry sauce that served as the perfect end to our meal. It wasn't too sweet and the coffee paired really well with ice cream cake dessert.

We got the chicken shawarma and falafel platter. Overall it was very tasty. I liked the shawarma better than the falafel. I wish they had better hot sauce, they just had Frank's red hot.

A middle eastern restaurant that can't get its Falafel right doesn't deserve any further visits. Falafels were dry and inedible. Chicken was pretty good.

Just had dinner at Karam and had a great experience. We shared spanakopita and lentil soup for appetizers and the shawarma and kebab plates for entrees. The staff is very friendly and the food was delicious. Also had a cocktail that is a twist on an old fashion that was very nice. Skip the burger joints and try something new.

We hadn't eaten at Karam for 2 years. So glad we took the short walk from our condo and tried it again. We were not disappointed. Our server was prompt and friendly and our meal was delicious. My husband and I shared the Grand Veggie Mezza and we added on the baba ghannouj. Included with the mezza was hummus, tabouli, falafels, stuffed grape leaves, fried cauliflower and tahini sauce. We will return.

I love this place. It has the best Lebanese food in Portland in my opinion. All of the staff is so friendly and warm, especially Fatima. I am always excited when i get to order a meal from here. They have really good cocktails too! And despite it being on a really sketchy corner of Portland, they always remain very clean and inviting.

I wrote then via their website, with no acknowledgment so I will just post this review here. This place has promise. We live close by and would frequent this place more if they: - didn't grill the shawarma - this makes it brittle and crumbly. Not to mention hot lettuce and tomato isn't that appetizing. - use better alcohols in the drinks. - Customer service seems tired and flat. The location is great.

Got a few quick nibbles from here and they're tasty! The Fatayers were warm with flavorful fillings. The Zaatar and Pita bread were also surprisingly very nice. Super glad I dropped by. Quick and easy!

The fact that it's in my apartment building has nothing to do with how great the food is. I'm not biased. I got a few things and they tased great, tbh idk what it's supposed to taste like and I can't remember what any of it was called but my mother (who was also there) really liked it. The decor goes hard too, feels fancy but modern + the bar section doesn't intrude on the food part.

I love Karam especially their Chicken kabob salad HOWEVER the location on Cedar Hills Blvd is heads and tails above the downtown location. I was super disappointed. No grilled veggies. Dressing already on the salad. They do offer free pita which is cool. Service was friendly also. My rating is only based on comparing the salads.

We were invited to Karam's to try some of their amazing food. This is their newer location in downtown Portland. This place has a great ambience, very bright, friendly staff, and delicious food. They have a bar and some delicious craft cocktails, we had a Tamarind Whiskey Sour and Arak-Arak and water, has that black licorice flavor, delicious ice cold over a king cube. The tamarind was so good in the whiskey sour. For our meal, we had the Falafel burger and the Grand Meat Mezza platter, which had chicken shawarma, basmati rice, crispy falafels, dolmas, hummus, tabbouleh salad and pita bread! What a feast! The falafel burger was probably my favorite part, super crispy with tons of yummy sauce. The chicken shawarma was sautéed with onions and just delicious. We ended our meal with baklava and a traditional Turkish coffee, which was the perfect bite. Check out Karam's! They also have a location in Beaverton I need to try.

Great restaurant! Friendly owners . First time trying a this style of food and I liked it a lot !

Unfortunately you did a DISSERVICE to OUR incredible CITY of Portland by doing your interview with "Fox news" today. "Fox News" who instead of highlighting your small businesses and its decline after Covid in Portland, or such thing; instead ONLY highlighted the crime and destruction of our city, the ONLY thing they are focused on. They politicized your beautiful restaurant and interview; and for what, for more clickbait to scare those who don't know any better. The interviewer didn't allow you to explain further on the parts where you were explaining the comeback from Covid, the economy, etc. but instead, high-jacked the article titling it: Portland restaurant is last business in building as crime drives out tenants Co-owner of Karam Restaurant & Bar Karam Karam on why he is keeping his business open amid escalating crime. What a shame!! To allow yourself and your restaurant to be used so shamelessly by this company who cloaks itself as a news station, but then have been proven by absolute facts, their own texts, emails words, to lie to their viewers; and aboute VERY importantthings! Who, in a court of law, have been proven to be an entertainment network so they don't actually *have* to report real news but they report it as real news when it suits them. It's as if parents told their children to follow the Bible but then were strippers and smoked marijuana, robbed banks and stole cars but got away with it all because their parents were the judge and the priest. They tell their viewers lie after lie to brainwash them for what, money. Just plain money. Viewers. And YOU allowed them to use your beautiful and incredible restaurant as a vehicle to do so, as they use our city as a weapon in their fake news arsenal. Your food is awesome, scrumptious. But unfortunately, this is something this Portlander cannot turn a blind eye to. They say no advertising is bad advertising, I will have to agree to disagree in this case. Fox news has had a target on Portland since George Floyd and before! Our intelligent citizens pushing back on Trumpism and the brainwashing of their cult-like tactics; that they will do anything, use anyone in our city to disparage us. Simply disgusting "Fox News" uses people and businesses this way

From the start to the end of the meal, the service was fantastic. The server was pleasant, knowledgeable, and accommodating, especially considering we came for their last seating at 8:30pm and they close at 9pm. As an industry professional myself, I had called ahead to make sure we weren't imposing on them. Still, I felt a little bad showing up so close to closing, and made sure he knew we would be super quick. However, he assuaged our concerns completely and made up feel extremely welcomed. On to the meal! We started with the Cheese Fatayer and the Beef Cabbage Rolls - both were excellent. The three cheese blend was creamy with feta for a pungent kick, mellowed out in its richness by the baked homed made dough surrounding it. The presentation was pleasing and hade a home-style touch that warms you up. The Beef Cabbage Rolls, my personal favorite, were deliciously tangy. Filled with ground beef, rice, finely diced tomatoes, and spices, all wrapped up by silky cabbage - the juxtaposition of the textures left an epic mouth feel. For the mains, my partner ordered the Lamb Shawarma plate and I, the Meat Mezza. My partner enjoyed the rich flavor of the lamb that was both full but clean, perfectly complimented by the soft seasoned rice. The Meat Mezza, which I highly recommend, comes with the same lamb and rice, as well as super tender pieces of chicken. This, for me, is a huge selling point. Many chicken shawarma or shawarma-esque dishes I've had have tougher chicken that isn't pleasant to chew. I have sensitive teeth, so I avoid chewy meats. This chicken was awesomely tender and flavored very well. In addition, this plate comes with tabouli, hummus, and pita - all which were very fresh and clearly made in-house. We finished our dinner with baklava and the server was kind enough to add in an extra confection for us to try, on the house. It was past closing and he really was giving the best service possible, far exceeding the expected or norm. In addition, the house Pinot gris was cheap and balanced, and the Lebanese mulberry soda was delicious. All in all, a great experience, and only for $56.25. Two apps, 2 full dinners, 2 drinks, 1 dessert - and plenty of food to take back home for enjoyment later! We will be making this a regular stop for us.

Outstanding Lebanese food at both locations. Service was impeccable. Went back 2 days later for extra sauce for my leftovers and they offered me multiple (!) for free (!!) and with a smile (!!!)

I decided to stop planning meals so much and just stop by whatever I happened to come across. Whoops. Maybe planning isn't such a bad thing. Wanted a quick bite to eat and ended up ordering a falafel sandwich to go. It was terrible. Falafel was decent, but the rest was sad. Basically shredded iceberg lettuce and pickles (akin to what you would get in a McDonald's burger). Don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with burger pickles, but seemed out of place in a falafel sandwich. Where's the delicious tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onions, anything to spruce it up?? What a total disappointment. Can't say I'll head back.

Good news / sobering news for me on my first amazing dinner at Karam: falafel, pitas, hummus and spanokepitas are terrific. The sobering news? Turns out Trader Joe's isn't a go to destination for authentic falafel, pitas, humus and spanakopitas. Complete bummer. The service was attentive and our waiter explained the options and combinations that might go together well, along with a delicious Lebanese wine. It was a glorious night of dining--we lingered over platters of food for over two hours, a rare luxury for me. I eagerly await my next grand night out here.

Very warm and comforting atmosphere! Beautiful music and vibe! Very saucy and contagiously funny waitress named, Ghada My friend and I were from out of town! Absolutely delicious flavors of different styles of food. Would most definitely visit again. Reasonable prices!

Have always driven by on my way home from work and boy am I glad I finally stopped by last night. The quality, the price, the atmosphere, the drinks. Amazing! I could not get over the flavors and how well everything was done. Seems like a great family business too. Will definitely be back.

Not what I remember this place being I used to work around the block from this place at the Outside In community health center. I walked past this restaurant daily and would love smelling the food. Eventually I got to dine in after work and the lamb shank was marvelous. That was in 2019. I tried this place again after being in the neighborhood (been staying away from DT Portland due to unrest and my friends car getting broken into just down the road at Safeway) and was excited to stop in and get some grub. I ordered the shawarma rolls and the waitress informed me that it was like a wrap that was cut up into individual sized rolls. Perfect! I needed to eat on my drive, and smaller sized bites would be great. The food came out quickly but to my disappointment it was not cut up. The garlic sauce was bitter and tacky and only glued my mouth with the first bite. The fillings were good on their own but to couldn't eat anything with the garlic sauce. Might have been a bad day for the sauce??? The service was very helpful and quick though! I'll have to try something else and dine in. I hope this was an off day.

This place is awesome!! It was my first time in and we got happy hour plates, which were an excellent value and absolutely delicious. The service was outstanding and ambiance was very comfortable! Can't wait to come back!

I really really REALLY want to support downtown Karam. But I just can't. I have tried many times and I just can't. I live across the street. When the Sky3 apartment building was built, and we heard that a restaurant was going in the street level... The whole neighborhood was very excited! When the restaurant "Karam" very first opened, I was excited and went over and talked to the owner. I thought we had a great conversation. I offered to post any sort of flyers in our building, and suggested they might want to do a discount to incentivize us to come. They said they'd think about it. That was about three or four years ago... I have eaten in the restaurant multiple times and I have ordered out from them dozens of times. You would think they might recognize me but they don't.....ever. The food is incredibly expensive for what you get. I always order exactly the same thing for takeout, a Greek salad and french fries. it's about $21. That's kind of expensive for a Greek salad and french fries....What I receive is very inconsistent in quality and content. I have put up with it and actually complained about it... But last night was the straw that broke the camel's back for many reasons....Last night there was so much salt on the french fries I couldn't even eat them.... They finally offered a discount to our building, as I said across the street... 220+ units. You would think Karam would be willing and savvy enough in marketing to offer the discount to those of us in the neighborhood who might be repeat customers...Nope, last night when I picked up my salad and french fries I mentioned our discount (10%) And the owner's son, Who is always the one who helps me when I order... said that the discount was last month only. their Beaverton location and catering business must be doing so well that they don't care.... I realize this review is long and sounds somewhat like a diatribe, but I will never go back to Karam and I will share with my friends in this building how the owner and his son have treated me consistently since they opened. I will share with how inconsistent the food is and how expensive it is for what I order. I hope that when their lease is up, they don't renew and we get a better restaurant there who values the neighborhood clientele, serves consistently good food and beverages (I won't even mention their "bar") and are nice friendly people. I'm more than happy to pay top dollar for good food, good beverages, and good service. It's not about the discount, it's about the inconsistency in food and consistency in the way they treat repeat clients poorly.

Idk how this place has 85 4.5 stars! (Prolly from family and friends SMH!) The 3x I've ordered from here were all bad experiences and I'm a firm believer of giving places another try or 2. I'm not going to get into detail about my first 2 visits but it was all similar. My third visit did it for me! So I'm prolly never returning. First off the service isn't good. I phone ordered a $14 chicken shawarma salad and when I got there I waited 20mins, as if they were busy but in reality it was just me and 2/3 other tables. The way the workers moved was as if they were human turtles (never seen anyone move this slow!). After 20mins of waiting the guy hands me a wrap and said here's your order. I told him I ordered a chicken shawarma salad and this guy had the audacity to tell me we have lamb! TF! If I wanted lamb then that's what I would have ordered! So I basically waited 20mins for nothing! Long story short I ended up wanting a refund. And the thing that sucks with refund is if you use your debt card you don't get the money back til 3-5 business days which they didn't tell me! So hopefully I get my money back if not I'll be back and to complain about getting my $14 back! For all who read this! Y'all been warned what you guys are getting into!

Excellent food and many choices. Attentive service. We asked the owner to just bring what he recommends. Perfect.

The food is so delicious and the restaurant is very well lit with natural lighting, making it a very nice place to eat in. This was my first time trying Lebanese cuisine. Highly recommend!

amazing tasty food the best baklava as well as Arabian breeze was very nice

The service was excellent, staff was so incredibly friendly. The food came out so fast as it wasn't too busy when we came it. Truly stumbled upon a hidden gem. They happened to be just starting to serve Bloody Mary's and they were excellent served with a falafel on top. The lamb tasted great and you can tell everything was made fresh. Great for lunch or dinner.

On a rainy Sunday we wanted lunch.....not brunch, the usual weekend offerings around noon. So glad we tried Karam! Staff was friendly and responsive. Food excellent. Marc had spanakopita (spinach stuffed pastry) and lentil soup. I had the vegetarian Mdaradara platter: lentil/rice pilaf,vegetable salad,tahini sauce, and cauliflower (except out of cauliflower so offered to sub baba ganoush or tabouli), so I got tabouli....plus hot pita bread. Yummy and satisfying lunch for a reasonable price. We will return for sure!

They are the same owners as the restaurant in Beaverton. This one is a bit fancier. It has the same great food and desserts. I am sure it's going to be one of the best Lebanese / Arab food restaurants in Portland. They also have a full bar. You can either come here for the desserts or the food both are crazy good. You can take my word for it. They just 4 days I go, so the service might be slow. The space is wide open and bright, so it's inviting and contemporary.

Absolutely delicious food! The veggie platter was huge with so many amazing flavors, and the drinks were amazing as well. Also the staff are friendly and helpful! Will definitely come again next time I'm in Portland

I work nearby and was waiting patiently for it to open, and it finally is! Beautiful interior and friendly, smiling workers. Best part? The prices are incredibly reasonable for the quality and amount of food they give you. I ordered the chicken kebab plate which came with a lot of rice, onions, peppers and chicken. And the chicken... wow. So tender. What's also nice is that they have a full bar as well as a cold case for hummus, tabouli, and other pastry items. A kebab plate, half pound of hummus and tabouli only set me back $19 and it was well worth it. A fantastic addition to the neighborhood and will definitely be back!

I'm a big foodie and because of such, I'm always looking out for something new and rarely eat the same place twice. Stumbled upon Karam from an Instagram ad earlier this year and stopped in March for a date with my girlfriend. We ordered multiple apps, drinks, and main courses since everything looked great. All the food not only lived up to but often exceeded expectations. The staff was gracious and really down to earth, which made the experience even better. Fast forward to last night when I took a dozen people in for a holiday party. EVERYONE left raving about the food and atmosphere, even my buddy from overseas said it was the most authentic awarma and mezza he's experienced in the NW. All in all, I couldn't recommend Karam more. Thanks for giving me my favorite two meals of 2021

We will be back. The lamb shank was perfect, tabouli salad excellent, and (surprise!!) loose-leaf tea came served in a French Press. [N.B.: it is NOT an easy thing to find Tea Done Right in any restaurant-- usually the best you can expect is a teabag brought on the side of a cup or teapot w/ sorta hot water.] We also shared a CASHEW baklava for dessert. Nice change-up there (spouse can't eat walnuts, so it was a plus). Prices are steep, but the quality is as good as anything I've had before. There are multiple items on the menu I want to try (majadra is a favorite dish of mine) and we are willing to pay for great food. Service was friendly and helpful, dishes arrived only minutes after we took our number and found a table by the floor-to-ceiling, south-facing windows. Great first experience here.

Absolutely delicious! You can really taste the how fresh the ingredients are. A little tiny bit expensive for the amount they give you but what the lack in quantity it makes up for in flavor. Server (possibly the owner?) was nice and our food came out extremely quickly.

Food was good Small things need to be taken into detail more Waiter was soft spoken and sensitive of hearing Water was cool but had something in it Plate of food had hair.

We eat here nearly every week. The food is fresh, tasty and very affordable. The staff are wonderful and fun.

I'm always looking for a good Lebanese restaurant and this restaurant does it right. We went for my daughter's birthday, group of seven people, and they easily accommodated our group. Everyone thought the food was delicious. I wish they had more Oregon wine options, but the one we ordered was good. Our waiter and the staff were all friendly. The restaurant is very clean and feels COVID safe. Overall I would definitely recommend this restaurant and we will definitely be back. If we lived nearby, this is the kind of place that would be a weekly staple.

Best food best service Lebanese hospitality at it's best ...if you are looking for a real Lebanese food experience that's your place they have been in Portland since the 80's these people know what they are doing so gifted in bringing out the best and nothing less.