Salam restaurant

Extremely disappointed with our experience today. This was our second visit to this place, and unfortunately, it confirmed that we won’t be coming back again. We gave it another try hoping things had improved, but it was a mistake. The food was below average completely lacking flavor, poorly cooked lamb kabob , and definitely not fresh. Presentation was careless, and the taste didn’t justify the price at all. For a place that claims to offer good food, this was far from acceptable. What made things worse was the overall service and attitude of the staff. I was here with my family, including young children, and instead of feeling welcomed, we felt uncomfortable and even embarrassed. To our surprise, they insisted on charging gratuity even for kids under 2 years old. That’s not just unreasonable, it’s disrespectful. We’ve dined at many restaurants with our family and have never encountered such a practice. It clearly shows that they’re more focused on squeezing money out of customers rather than creating a good experience. The environment wasn’t family-friendly at all, the staff didn’t care to check if we were satisfied, and we had to wait longer than expected for cold food that didn’t live up to even the most basic standards. We had come with high hopes and good intentions, but left disappointed and upset. This place seriously needs to re-evaluate their food quality, customer service, and billing policies. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone especially not families with young children. Very bad experience overall. We will not be returning, and I hope management takes feedback like this seriously.

Attentive service from owner and coworker. They were helpful with suggestions and very nice to the toddler who was pestering them with questions. We absolutely love the food and drinks. They bring fresh pita bread to the table and you can order dips to go with it. They do have a kid menu but my kid ended up loving their rice. We've been here a few times and will be back.

We love this place. I usually go there with my wife and my 1 year old. The service is amazing and food is great. Great vegetarian options as well. Highly recommend. The pita bread is awesome and the whole ambience supports a family style eating which we love !!!!!

Fresh bread was excellent reminds of being back home. Baba ghanouj was great. Cheese pizza is plain no marinara sauce at all. The grillwd kebob 5 starts out of ten. The services is great and the owner is kind gentleman. Only thing I’m not satisfied with was the chicken shawarma was big chunks of chicken when shawarma supposed to be shredded big pieces of lettuce!

Nice place. Clean atmosphere and good service. Food was great and flavorful and came on time. It did lack spice and I didn't see any hot sauce or chilli oil. Fresh bread is always nice to have. I wish they gave more of that green thing with the bread. A large peice of fresh pita and only a teaspoon of the green topping

I've been going to Salam's since before the Pandemic. The food quality and preparation has consistently been 5 stars. We eat there when we can because the food is both reasonably priced and healthy. The facilities are kept spotless. One big plus is that both the vegan and non-vegan food are equally delicious.

We really tried to like this place. Gave it a second shot today, hoping it would be better than last time, but sadly it was worse. The food was underwhelming, and the service felt rushed and careless. What completely turned us off was the fact that they insisted on charging gratuity for a baby under 2 years old. That was the final straw. We came with family and left feeling embarrassed. This place used to be decent, but it’s gone downhill fast. We won’t be back.

What a really nice find. Authentic dishes, beautifully prepared. The lamb shawarma was so tender. Not shaved meat, but tender pieces. The tabouleh salad was fresh and tangy just as it should be. The freshly baked bread straight from the open fired oven was a wonder in itself. Like a soft puffed up pillow. Service was fast, efficient, and with a smile🙂 I’ll definitely be back.

The conversation with the owner is as warm and genuine as the freshly baked bread awaiting every table. Healthy, tasty fare awaits, and I highly recommend a visit!

What a lovely place! Imagine yourself walking into a place and then being served a warm big pita right from the oven almost even before you order your food. The food is delicious and healthy. Best part is that the pita is complimentary. So dine in there and enjoy the warmth of the place.

Food was good. Service was good. Nice little spot in Orenco station. Would definitely return.

My friend and I had the Mezza Family Chicken Plate and Shawarma Lamb Plate. Both were amazingly delicious!

I ordered the Fessenjoon which is traditionally a Persian stew made with chicken simmered in a pomegranate molasses and walnut sauce. As a Persian myself, this was nothing like the traditional, I was shocked to see the amount of oil in the stew. Nonetheless, the taste was horrible and quirky, the appearance was unappealing and not appetising at all. I would never come back to this place, due to the horrifying experience and would not recommend to anyone at all.

Friday night date night with Wife N, continuing our quest for great local shawarma. Tonight's dinner out finds us at Salam Restaurant in Orenco Station, Friday evening, 6:30. The place was pretty lightly filled for a Friday evening, maybe 30% capacity. We were immediately seated and the biggest fresh pita I've ever seen (probably 16") was brought to the table along with some olive oil and a lovely dried herb mix to dip. Pita was fabulous. I ordered the Veggie Dolmeh (rice wrapped in grape leaves), and we each ordered a lamb shawarma wrap. The veggie dolmeh had a recipe I couldn't resist trying: rice, lentils, raisins and dill. This unusual combination gave them a sweet, almost pipe-tobacco-like aroma and flavor. I'm not 100% convinced I loved them, but definite points for the unique recipe. The shawarma wraps hit the spot, though both Wife N and I thought the meat itself was under-marinated and not as flavorful as some other places we've tried. In all, a perfectly fine spot for a quick Mediterranean dinner and Orenco Station itself is a beautiful place to stroll around after.

Good food for Middle Eastern cuisine in Hillsboro, Otrnco Station. We got free bread for starting. No need for a reservation.

I was hungry and this was the only decent place open near our apartment. They were friendly and welcoming though the place was completely empty on Friday one hour before closing... I'm still glad I tried their falafel wrap and fries (they're $1 off if you get them as a side to your wrap). The fries weren't crunchy but they were real potatoes which I think is difficult to find lol. The wrap wasn't the best I've tried but it was huge compared to other places I'd say it's like twice the size. The downside was the bread which was tough and the falafel which was soft and not crunchy at all. Maybe it's their style but I expected the falafel to be crunchy. Oh and if you don't like raw onions don't forget to ask them to remove them :)

Lack luster ! The food requires more flavor My wife and I had the lamb/ beef in a wrap with falafel.

The service is great but the food is just ok. The plates were, as coined by my co-diner "kind of sad looking". It was meat with some fries on it. Taste was fine but overall felt like a cafeteria with someone handing us food truck plates.

Salam is my favorite place to eat in Hillsboro and west of the river. The vegetarian dolma is the best I have ever had. I love getting kebabs to customize my meal. Each of the dips are amazing. The restaurant is locally owned and the owners work in the restaurant.

We've eaten here in person and have thoroughly enjoyed the food. However, we just ordered their food from Grub Hub and what a disappointment. The lentil soup exploded in the bag. What a mess! Packaged terribly. AND we ordered one side skewer and it looked absolutely NOTHING like the picture of it. It ended up being 4 pieces of meat thrown into a package with sauce. No tomato, no rice (as seen in the picture). How disappointing.

We went during a slow time between normal lunch and dinner hours. The restaurant was pretty quiet, but they seemed to have a lot of to-go orders working and locals coming in to pick up. We ordered the hummus with chicken and a shawarma plate. We were really impressed with the meats, very tender and highly flavorful! The hummus was so smooth and nutty. They have huge pita bread which is also delicious even on its own. We ended up here after two of our regular favorites were closed and we are glad we did!

While the euros are nothing to write home about, the tabouli salad and baklava are incredible! Even though they were clearly short staffed, the staff were calm and professional. Ambiance was peaceful and the restaurant was very clean.

All of their food was great! The most memorable dish was their baklava. Their gyro was really delicious too.

The food is good and I specifically enjoyed the HARRA PIZZA - the spice just feels right ...if you don't like spicy food stay away from it Their hummus is awesome too

We picked up food from here. The food was okay. Nothing special but not bad. I would have been content with it if I had not bitten into what I can only describe as a small rock?!? It really turned me off from finishing my food. They also forgot one of my items and I didn't realize it wasn't in the bag until I got home (it was on the receipt).

We ordered online last night for pick-up, first time visiting. We wanted to share a variety of kabobs, so we ordered the chicken, beef, and veggie...along with one side salad. The kabob meals are simply the meat and rice, granted it's a load of rice. The flavors of the meats were ok, a bit uneventful, but cooked very well. The veggie kabob was good, although missing the potatoes and tomatoes as described on the menu. The salad was forgotten, although paid for. The kabobs were good, just a tad overpriced for what you get in my opinion.

The food was amazing and service was very kind and welcoming. We don't usually eat Persian food and the crew made it very welcoming and easy. We let them order for us and I believe they chose a family style dish. It was enough for 4 people! The variety of eggplant was delisted and loved the chicken with rice! Their flat bred was so fresh and cooked perfectly! I'd Rec come t to anyone, vegan or carnivore. Great variety in options and fla

Absolutely worth trying! You can dine in at the restaurant and all the seats are well separated. We arrived around 6:30 PM on Sunday and the place is quite empty but then more customers started to come. The food is amazingly fresh and flavorful. We ordered the veggie Mezza and it comes with their homemade pita bread. It is so good and still warm when they bring it out. The hummus is absolutely my favorite and reminds me how tasty real food can be! The baba ghanoush is amazing as well. Definitely recommend ordering a Mezza plate if this is your first place visit there so that you can try different appetizers. For the main dish, we ordered the beef and lamb kabob and chicken shawarma dishes. The meat is so juicy and fresh, and one thing I particularly like about their food is nothing is too salty. The chicken shawarma has a strong cardamom taste, so if you don't like the flavor then this dish might not for you. We ordered baklava for dessert and it is amazing. The phyllo dough is super crispy and the bottom is well soaked in syrup. The sprinkle of rose water is definitely a perfect touch. The desert comes in two and is perfect to share it with someone.

The food was terrific. The service was excellent and accommodating. We had a large party of 11, and they were able to make space for all of us. I recommend trying the hand-cut fries and the beef kabob.

I've had a lot of kabob in my life, so was looking forward to these. Unfortunately, the kabobs were not worth the price (lamb, beef, chicken, etc.). Almost $20 for a serving of greasy rice with 6 pieces of dry meat. No thank you. The meat and rice did not have any flavor - which is supposed to be the heart of kabob. I suspect it was prepared much earlier and kept warm and dried out. There was one other family in the restaurant, very quiet during lunchtime.

Been here a few times very good food very friendly staff. Celebrating my boyfriend's bday. He had to help me eat my food so much.

Great Mezzanine & Kafta. And the bread is amazing. We've been here several times and everything is delicious. You won't be disappointed.

Garlic dip is amazing!! Food is great! Always did take out but friendly staff and service

First I want to give a shout-out to our fantastic and amazing server Rosie (not sure spelling). She was the only server there and it was really really busy. She was very pleasant and helpful. She even had to bust the tables. The owner was somewhat helpful but not very pleasant. Our food was so so. Meats were dry. I came to visit from Southern California where we have lots of great Persian eateries. We wanted to go to go other Persian restaurants but they were either closed or ran out of food. The portion of rice is tiny here which is fine for us but I'm not not up to Persian standard .

Never again.... tasteless, blah, overcooked mess..... No crunch, everything falls apart... One star for delivering it warm...

good food for a good price. i ordered late night for a tabouleh salad and baba ganoush, and i was very happy. just wish there was a bit more salad portion wise? flavor wise, it was good and hit the spot

Dropped in for a quick snack on the weekend... We ordered the Veggie Mezze starter and it was delicious. The lavosh was fresh out of the oven, the Turkish coffee was the perfect pick me up. Service was fast and friendly. My tummy is very happy.

Went for the Lebanese fare. Super good, great service. My daughter asked me to write a good yelp review because she looooved the falafel wrap

The food is pretty good. My wife and I enjoy going here. The service is great. I enjoy their family dishes as it can feed 2. But if you are really hungry, just order something else. The gyros are decent, I prefer them at other places but I still enjoyed them here

Salam restaurant is located in the Orenco Station area. They have been operating since 2013. The restaurant bills itself as Lebanese, Persian/ Iranian and Mediterranean. They serve some very nice Mediterranean dishes including hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouleh etc. But some of my favorite items here are listed under their Persian fare. I've ordered food delivered from Salam several times lately and it's worked out well. I've enjoyed their Veggie Mezza, Vegan Mezza and their Veggie Wrap. My favorite items are their Gheymeh Bademjan, Kashkeh Bademan and Mirza Ghasemi. Entrees come with fluffy saffron basmati rice and a huge pita bread that is soft and delicious! Salam offers many vegetarian and vegan choices. Items that are vegetarian or vegan are clearly marked on their menu, making it very easy to order. You can reach Salam by taking the blue line MAX train to Orenco Station. There is also street parking and a nearby parking garage. I highly recommend trying Salam restaurant for delicious food!

My first meal on the west coast after a very long time. So pricing is something I cannot comment on since I am not familiar with what is nearby. As for quality of food, Salam definitely has some good options. Ordered the chicken kabob and beef kabob. Meat was cooked very well, but I do agree with other review's that the meat to rice ratio is unbalanced. There is an overwhelming amount of rice. Maybe if it was packaged differently, like skewers of meat separate from the rice? Just a thought. Also ordered the rice pudding, very generous serving and tasted great. Looking forward to order from here again in the near future.

This place was amazing. The food is absolutely wonderful. Just moved up here and tried it for the first time recently and came back twice in the same week. The service is excellent and there are so many choices for multiple kinds of diets (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, omnivore, carnivore). I plan to become a regular here.

Nice place as we went there during our visit. Food was great but fun for us was the fresh baked oven bread. That was the best

Location and ambience were nice, service was fine (no issues at all) but food was very bland.

Hard meat,not cooked well.Food not seasoned.But good bread.Service was also good.Meat pizza has a weird taste and smell.

My friend & I were in Hillsboro for a Holiday event, and had a lovely dinner at Salam beforehand. Clean, well-lit & friendly, was our first impression, which was followed up with great food & nice service! We shared the Mezza plate of kebabs; the saffron basmati rice was delicate & fragrant, and the lamb was tender & delicious. We would happily return for another great meal!

Fresh made pita bread, heavy use of pomegranate in drinks and food, and yummy phyllo dough/cheese dessert. Solid food, personalized service. Small place but good location, atmosphere was relaxed yet minimal. Parking was a bit of a challenge. Good place to try new things for a seasoned Mediterranean food palette like mine.

Literally the worst for door dash. Multiple times waited over 20 minutes. If you are ordering here from door dash know that it will take forever.

Interesting menu, pleasant ambiance, food was short on flavor/spices. Dinner for four here last night. We tried several appetizers (meat mezza) and entrees. I had the chicken and Basmati rice (see photo) with lentils and raisins as my entree (Adas Polo). The meat mezza was a large portion, and I really liked the felafel, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Prices were reasonable, service was prompt and friendly. I really liked the fresh pita that comes to your table straight from the oven. The menu had several very authentic Persian dishes. The consensus was that the food was good, but could have used more flavor. I expect middle Eastern food to be a little spicier (not talking about heat here), and everything was good but lacked the intensity of flavor I'd like to see. I'd like to go back and give it another shot. At the table behind us someone had ordered a lamb shank, which looked excellent.

Ordered takeout from Salam yesterday and it was a wonderful experience. Considering the COVID crisis, their online ordering was easy and had their full menu. My order was ready in less than 30 minutes, I barely had time to drive there and pick it up! They have a table set up to pick up your order, they have social distancing signage and follow the guidelines, and the food was better than ever! I miss going into the restaurant, but it was nice to see them still up and running and that we can still get the giant wood-oven flatbread in our to-go order, even though we didn't order it! This is one of the best places to get take-out right now!

After a long gap due to Covid 19 pandemic, went for a delivery from Salam. Chicken shawarma wrap, gyro wrap (lamb & beef), mini chicken skewers with fries & lamb shank were ordered. What we got - no shank ( got lamb skewer) & no fries with skewers (rice instead). It would have been better if they let customers know in advance what they have instead of substituting without our consent. Taste wise all good. But like I said, please talk to your customers incase you are short on items that we order.

Found this by chance and it was terrific! Very kind staff, super helpful and patient with our 18 month old granddaughter. Excellent food--fresh, cooked to perfection (loved the beef gyros w/feta sand!) Humus was OUTSTANDING and son loved his chicken kabob with rice. Will for sure return to this gem with wood fired oven and lovely vibe!

Salam is the best Persian food ever. Their bread is really good as well as good food. All their food is cooked perfectly. I would eat here every day if I could. (Aedan my 10 yr old son's review)

I wanted to order everything on the menu--it all looked delicious! I got the zereshk polow and the knafeh and both were really, really tasty. And the service was really warm and wonderful. I loved the big, warm pita they bring out before everything. The staff was incredibly accommodating. They have Coke products! And they had tons of side order options in case you don't want a full meal. The only thing I'd change is to add tahdig to the menu! Salam is delicious--definitely check it out!

Excellent place to eat. Very very good food, reasonable pricing, and you get a lot of food with your order. Complimentary pita bread with your table. Staff is very welcoming and check in on you regularly. I would 100% come back!

This place is fantastic! The lamb kabobs were the best I've had! I love just about everything they make! Very very good service and food!

Wrap was cold as ice. No moisture like hummus/tzatzaki or any kind of spread was added, one piece of falafel for an entire wrap, a few pieces of stale shredded lettuce and no other salad or pickle toppings over an uncooked bread? What kind of service was that? With a new born in the car we ordered while we were parked outside the store and patiently waited for our order to get ready and started eating as soon as my husband picked it from the store and walked with it to the car. I hate to say this, but the food went in the bin. My husband have had better food their but this time he couldn't eat his wrap and had to pickup food from chipotle before we reached home (because mama has to eat) I have no doubt the place would be great before Covid times. But I only had this version of food from this place so I can't rate them any better. I am trying hard to rate them higher but I so wish they took the effort to warm the whole thing in the oven before handing over to their customer. There are many decent Mediterranean restaurants in Portland area, but this one wouldn't be in any of my recommendation list.

The pros: Very prompt and friendly service, even when there were a lot of diners. Like others said, the pre-meal bread with olive oil and spices is delicious!!! My man's beef and kafta kababs were delicious. I appreciate the traditional Middle Eastern music. The cons: The atmosphere is far from warm and cozy - very bright lights, high ceilings where noise bounces everywhere. My chicken was a bitt overcooked.