Queen Mama’s Kitchen serves vibrant Saudi Arabian fare in a chic cerulean-and-brass setting, offering standout meze, fragrant mandi, and luscious desserts.
"This ornate, gold-and-blue-hued restaurant started as the area’s only explicitly Saudi Arabian cart, and it remains one of the few options for the country’s cuisine in the city. Owner Maha Alhabi serves a rotating special on a daily basis: Thursday dinners involve saleeg, a Saudi Arabian take on risotto with juicy roast poultry and Egyptian rice, while Friday’s smoky lamb mandi is fragrant with cardamom and dried lime. Meals should start with the restaurant’s take on stuffed grape leaves, bright with citrus and pomegranate molasses, as well as meze classics like a smoky baba ghanoush and silken hummus. After dinner, the restaurant’s coffee service, served in shiny brass dallahs with dates for sweetness, can arrive alongside a slice of cheesecake drizzled with pistachio sauce." - Rebecca Roland, Eater Staff
"This downtown Saudi Arabian restaurant, with its brass and cerulean touches, is a luxurious spot for a weekend brunch. Start with a cup of green-hued, super lightly roasted Arabian coffee, served with dates or baklava; from there, it’s best to opt for one of the flaky breakfast pastries or ful, a pot of gently spiced fava beans. Save room for a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Brunch runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays." - Rebecca Roland, Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Paolo Bicchieri
"Gilded and coated in cerulean and Tiffany blues, this downtown Portland Saudi Arabian restaurant looks as regal as its name suggests — and its food matches the decor. Meals here should begin with meze, particularly the velvety and tangy stuffed grape leaves; afterward, the special of the day is a must, whether it’s a silken saleeg — similar to a risotto with chicken — or a smoked lamb shank with mandi rice. Desserts are essential here, particularly slices of the sauce-smothered cheesecakes; when served on a platter alongside gorgeous brass dallahs filled with delicately roasted Arabic coffee, they’ll scream “celebration” more than most dessert courses in town." - Michelle Lopez, Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"Queen Mama's Kitchen is opening a second location within the Flock food hall and is mentioned in the article as still being signed on for the project." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"This downtown Saudi Arabian restaurant, with its brass and cerulean touches, is a luxurious spot for a weekend brunch. Start with a cup of green-hued, super lightly roasted Arabian coffee, served with dates or baklava; from there, it’s best to opt for one of the flaky breakfast pastries or ful, a pot of gently spiced fava beans. Save room for a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Brunch runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Jenni Moore
