Sitti

First time having Lebanese food, and after this place, it probably won't be my last. The music playing here totally fits my vibe. Lighting is gorgeous. We got lucky enough to be seated near this pretty little Xmas tree. The only thing we were not lucky with was being sat next to a couple, one of which was quite trashed and annoyingly loud. I don't think they knew or cared that the whole restaurant heard their each and every word. I wish an employee would have said something, but I guess they didn't want to start trouble. Despite that minor setback the food was great and we all had a great time. The prices were very reasonable and it was only a short walk from the theater so it made for a great early dinner stop.

I always love dining here. The menu has quite a bit of options without feeling overwhelming. The dishes are described perfectly so you know what you're getting. The service and food are fantastic.

The sitti tasting menu is incredible! A good mix of all the best dishes and appetizers. It's great for tapas style eating or a fun date night. Everything is seasoned and cooked to perfect. The hummus is pretty average, but the pita is fresh and delicious. The servers are nice and very knowledgeable about every dish.

Great Lebanese food in the heart of downtown. The food was very flavorful, and the drinks were strong and cold.

Disappointing Experience with Poor Service and Quality Control We ordered two chicken shawarma, two chicken kabobs, and a falafel as entrees. Instead, we received three chicken shawarmas, one chicken kabob, and one falafel. The order took over 40 minutes to arrive, and when we pointed out the mistake, they took back the extra chicken shawarma and quickly brought out a new plate of chicken kabob within a minute. However, it was clear they had reused leftover chicken kabob pieces from the first plate to assemble the new one. When we questioned this, the first server was rude, but another staff member eventually stepped in and replaced the plate properly. While the issue was resolved, the overall experience was far from pleasant. As for the food, the chicken shawarma was good, but the kabobs could use more flavor, and the falafel was undercooked. This level of service and food quality was disappointing, and I wouldn’t recommend this place unless they make serious improvements.

loved trying the lebanese sampler and falafel with vegetables. both were delicious and paired great with the pita! will certainly be going back!

First time trying out authentic Lebanese food and it was quite good. We took Beef Kabob Platter and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers. We wanted beef to be medium rare. In my personal opinion, they could have been a little bit more tender, my partner thought they were pretty good. And yes, other than that, this is quite a good dish. Also we asked for halal options, theh mentioned, other than chicken, everything is halal, that means, beef and lamb should be halal there. Goat cheese has a slightly different taste than normal, so I will suggest ordering it keeping that in mind. Their complimentary pita bread was outstanding! The overall ambience is really nice. And the service is also very good. Definitely a place you can give a try if you are in Downtown, Raleigh! Recommended! ✊

Food was not authentic.I know how a dish should look and taste because I am half Palestinian and half Lebanese. The shawarma was not authentic at all. Grape leaves were canned. The waitress said politicians come in here and she has the audacity to ask me to pay my bill before my entree came because she had to leave. Not satisfied with these services at all. Not recommend if you're looking for authentic Lebanese food.

Everyone on staff was friendly, attentive, and helpful! We ordered a dip trio to start with Labneh, Feta, and Hummus. All three were absolutely delicious and the pita was warm and soft. My husband ordered the Beef and Lamb Shawarma entree and loved it! He had some leftovers and was thrilled to get to eat it again for lunch. I ordered the Chicken Artichoke entree and it was phenomenal. The chicken was perfectly fried and the lemon butter sauce balanced all the flavors out perfectly. We are excited to go back to try more of the menu!

Terrible first experience for my friends and I. We sat 15 minutes before our waiter came. He finally introduced himself and said he'd be right back. We told him that's fine because we were ready to order. After another 15min and seeing him literally just walking around we finally made eye contact and we gestured him over. He came and took our orders. The food took a little while and mine came out cold. The manager came over and replaced it with a hot plate that was the same thing I ordered but looked totally different in portion size and presentation. I'm almost wondering if the first plate I got was someone's old plate they sent back. I ordered chicken artichoke and it was not good. The spritzer drink was good but had a little aftertaste. We waited again to get our waiters attention to ask for the bill. He took forever so we had to get the manager again to ask where he was because it had been over 20 MINUTES and one of my friends husband was outside waiting to pick her up. He finally came back with the checks and 3 out of 4 were wrong. The manager said he'd fix it. They stayed at the register and that took 15-20 minutes. I've never seen anything so ridiculous in my life! The manager didn't even come back and apologize! He's just as bad as the waiter. We just found out they charged one of my friends for someone else's bill. They did refund it later but never told her they made the mistake. They charged her for an amount significantly over her bill. As you know pending charges come out immediately but take up to 3 days to be credited back. We will not be back. The manager handled this situation poorly and didn't seem to care. I'd think twice about visiting Sitti unless you like poor service, bland food, and have an extra 2 hours to waste sitting and waiting.

I love the chill, low key, ambiance of Sitti; from portraits of the owner's family to their early 19th century advertisements that you will periodically find throughout the restaurant. I always love the food at Sitti, my favorite all time dish will always be the mixed grill with extra beef tenderloin and extra garlic whip. Beef bacon wrapped goat cheese stuffed dates were incredible and my friends loved the salmon dish. The service very good though it wasn't necessarily impressive.

I have eaten at this restaurant twice for work related dinners with our team. The food has been excellent. We tried several appetizers and shared them among all of us. I have tried the bacon wrapped dates, halloumi cheese with dates, hummus, dolmas, baba ghanouj, Fattoush salad plus the chicken Shawarma and chicken kebab. The baklava dessert is incredible. Parking on the street can be a bit difficult. However, there are many parking lots nearby. They also have a good selection of vegetarian and even vegan dishes. Highly recommended and great for large groups.

Lovely place for a group dinner. The service was good and attentive. The food was delicious. The bread was hot and fresh. I had the vegan sampler and it was delicious and the wait staff reminded me of which was which. The olive oil drizzled on top was also delicious.

Service was indifferent at best. The interior is a classic Raleigh space, nice accents on the wall--images of Lebanon. But, the interior needs sprucing up. The food though, is excellent. The vegan platter is a collection of many tasty middle Eastern delights. I'm a fan of this food, and this was about the best of all these items I've had. The chicken with artichoke was also very good. Tender chicken with a flavorful sauce and tasty artichokes and capers in it. Definitely worth going back to, I hope they can work on the service aspect.

Attended a group dinner for 30 people. It was held in a private room in the basement. The food was buffet style.I would rate this 3.5 stars and am sure it would be 4 if the food was made to order versus buffet style. Enjoyed the hummus, beef kabobs, and, of course, the baklava. The main restaurant was full at both 6pm when arriving and 8pm when leaving.

Easy place for a vegetarian to eat. I had the vegetarian sampler, which came with 6 little servings of hummus, baba ganoush, salad, falafel, cheese rolls, and dolmades. My faves were the dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice) and baba ganoush (eggplant dip). Served with pita bread and a olive oil, it's a great offer to try a little bit of everything. Restroom was clean and service was friendly. I sat at the bar, but they have plenty if table seating. I found street metered parkin, and after 6 pm it is free.

This used to be my favorite place to dine when I am in the Raleigh area. We ordered food from our office for delivery today. It was not the same. It looked like the substituted kale in our dishes with spinach. The fried calamari seemed baked and the sauce on it included dairy that was spoiled. I am not sure if they changed management, but this was nothing like my previous experiences. Extremely disappointing.

Very cute place! I chose to go here for my birthday dinner with friends and they were able to make a reservation the day of (given it was just a weekday). Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations food-wise. The staff is friendly! However the service did get a bit slow once we sat down, despite the restaurant not being very busy. The food itself was extremely average and honestly did not taste very authentic nor high quality. The worst experience we had was with the pizzette. The menu said it included pesto, but we tasted absolutely no pesto on this. The pizzette was DROWNED in balsamic to the point where the entire thing was soggy from it. It absolutely ruined the taste and the entire thing was inedible. Other items like falafel, chicken, lamb, etc were okay, but just did not blow us away and I would not ever get them again. Is it very nice that there is complimentary pita bread and oil though! I wish this included hummus as well. The overall restaurant has a nice ambiance and look, but I would say it's not really the place to go if you want a really good food experience.

This was my first time here. I went for a birthday dinner for a friend. I love the atmosphere especially the front sitting area. The bread was amazing and I could have eaten several baskets. Overall had a wonderful experience. The staff were attentive and made my friends birthday dinner super special.

I hadn't visited Sitti in years, but it was a pleasant return. We opted for a Lebanese wine, crisp and light, though I can't recall the name. The dip trio was a hit--each one delicious in its own right. The chicken kabobs with garlic whip stole the show, so tasty and moist. The entire evening was bomb with friendly service. Just don't be clumsy like me and slide on the refurbished wooden floors in your cute heels.

Nothing but good things to say about this restaurant! It feels like it's a bit of a treasure known only to locals yet it's big enough to pack a big event. My main rant is about the pricing - $6-9 for an incredibly flavor packed large salad with noticeably fresh ingredients?! Incredible. We also got pita bread and the dip trio (feta cheese, baba ghanouj, tabouleh). Everything was excellent and the servers were super kind!

As a Chicagoan, it was a treat to have my coworker recommend an absolutely amazing Lebanese restaurant! Decisions decisions on the menu, and everything was flavorful from start to finish! The goat cheese peppers & shrimp kabobs were delicious, as was the Ashta dessert! A quiet unassuming locale, but a nice vibe that feels like home. Highly recommend taking a chance on Sitti!

Ok so I forgot what the thing is that i got but it was a vegetable thing and like, it was so vinegar-ey that i was like... hmmm. You know? The beef salad thing my dad got and he said it was good. My mom got some salmon thing and also said it was good. Just be prepared for like an amount of vinegar that might be unpleasant on the vegetable things. But like it was cool otherwise like nice inside there and the service was good. Just a lot of vinegar. Which if you like that, i respect you.

We dined her for dinner prior to going to first Friday. Our server came over when it was just me at our table, dropped our waters and didn't even acknowledge my existence - even though I was prepared and ready to order us a bottle of wine. It took a while for him to return to take our drink orders and he just seemed bothered to be there most of the evening. The appetizers were definitely the best part... the fresh pita served was great, the baba ghanouj was incredibly flavorful, the grape leaves were awesome and the kibbee was one of our favorite things we had all night. We ordered a myriad of entrees including the chicken artichoke, the mixed grill and the lamb chops. The chicken artichoke was the best of the three but had an overwhelming amount of lemon. My husbands mixed grill was okay - the steak had no flavor, the chicken was dry but the kafta was delicious. Our friends lamb chops were also just okay, unfortunately. They were quite bland and very chewy. The baklava was also very heavy on the honey but still somehow very dry. The vibe of the restaurant was great but the service and food definitely has room for improvement.

Sitti Restaurant INTRO: Sitti is a Lebanese Restaurant in down town Raleigh. They have an authentic Lebanese vibe and great restaurant for dates. Chicken Artichoke ($22): Lightly breaded chicken breast sautéed and served over basmati rice, topped with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and capers; finished with lemon butter sauce. Chicken was flavorful and tender. Parking/ Location: There is a parking garage nearby where you can park. We had no trouble finding parking. Ambience and Service: The place is clean, good and has good interior décor. Customer service was amazing. Good wall art and ambience was cozy.

"Delicious Middle Eastern Food in Downtown Raleigh" Came here on a summer Thursday evening at 7pm. We had a reservation (group of 3), but it would've been fine to have shown up without one. There's a large bar to the right and general tables off to the left. We were seated right away. The setting was fine... some framed photos of people that were taken a very long time ago on the walls, and comfortably lit (I did appreciate the large windows in the front). Our server was excellent-- she provided great advice, she checked on us after each course was served, and she was generally helpful without being at all intrusive. We started with a vegetarian appetizer tray (falafel, cheese rolls, hummus, baba ghannouj, fattoush salad, stuffed grape leaves). I then had the shrimp kabob for my main, and I finished with a bit of berry sorbet for dessert. The food was SCRUMPTIOUS! The stuffed grape leaves had a pickled flavor that was wonderful. The hummus & baba ghannouj were delicious, and falafel was good. One small awkwardness to the appetizer tray-- it gave "two" of each item (e.g., stuffed grape leaves, falafel), so that made it a little hard to share with a group of 3, and some of those seemed silly (e.g., giving more than 2 falafel would not break the bank). As far as main dish, my shrimp was amazing. I don't know what it was marinated or seasoned with but the flavor was amazing-- tiny hint of spiciness with excellent flavor. I liked the mango salsa and rice that came with it too. And the berry sorbet had whole berries mixed in as well as being delicious. I was STUFFED by the end of the evening. The price was a little higher than I may have preferred, but given the quality and service as well as the central downtown Raleigh location, I won't fault them. Overall, I'd give this 4.5 stars, but I'll round up given how happy I was with the good quality and service. Would happily go back.

This is my boyfriend and I's favorite dinner place in Raleigh. It always has great host, delicious food, and is very reasonably priced for the amount of food you get!

I had high expectations coming into this restaurant experience, and I walked away a bit disappointed. The flavors were overall lacking. The chicken was a bit dry. The hummus was nothing notable. And I wouldn't recommend the cookie dessert. Our food didn't come out hot, and if I'm being frank, it didn't taste fresh. I've heard lunch may be better so I'm gonna give it another chance, but I can't yet say if this deserves to be labeled shwae.

I cannot think of a thing that would have made this meal better. Noah was phenomenal in answering all of our questions and helping us order. All of the food was great and was brought very quickly. I would encourage anyone in Raleigh to check out Sitti!

The service was great. But the food was bland and not up to par in my opinion. It seemed overpriced for the quality and taste.

I am an absolute fool, and totally forgot to take photos of our entrées. However, there is a delightful photo of the mini vegetarian tasting platter, which deserves all the praise. If you are looking to try and sample the different cold and hot plates, you NEED to order this one!!! (I was able to sub the baba ghanouj for the feta cheese due to food allergy) We ate here in the early afternoon, and it was empty, which was great for our timing. Ambience, service, and most importantly, food were absolutely wonderful. I am Middle Eastern, and was able to appreciate their dishes. We also also ordered the chicken kebab, and chicken artichoke (which came in the form of pizza); both were great choices. Would highly recommend this place and totally come back.

Everything was fantastic! The staff, chef (Chef Kay) the ambiance, wine, food... top tier!!

Delicious food. Just loved it and eating outside on the back patio. Our server was amazing but it took quite awhile for our meal to arrive. We were there at an off rush hour time so maybe that is why it was delayed. We tried the vegan sampler and it was outstanding. Gave us a lot to taste and all of the samples were full of flavor. Couldn't have been happier with this dish and introduction to their food. We both ordered dishes for our main meal. Mine was a vegetable curry with basmati rice. It was good but not great. Just didn't pack the punch flavor wise as I was hoping. My friend loved her salmon dish and said the meal was done perfectly. She especially commented on the noodle/rice combo it was served on. For a first time visit for both of us we know we will return to try more of their offerings. Oh portions are good size, too.

Sitti has a wonderful environment, excellent service, but I wasn't a complete fan of the food. I ordered the Sitti sampler so I could try a little bit of everything since it was my first time trying Lebanese food. I thoroughly enjoyed 2 of the 6 items on my sampler, but didn't finish the other 4. The restaurant itself was fantastic, so I may just not be a fan of this style of food. Definitely give it a try if you're adventurous or are looking for a nice place for dinner in Raleigh.

If you are in downtown Raleigh, Sitti is an absolute must. The ambiance is fantastic, and the food is better! I've always experienced great service, and the cocktails are fantastic. Sitti is one of my favorite "go to" restaurants in Raleigh.

An excellent restaurant experience, in every way. The food was delicious, and for me, novel to eat Lebanese food. The waiter was perfect, attentive, but not overly so. The ambience was pleasant, warm and welcoming.

We went to Sitti last night for our anniversary dinner and it was the one thing in our day that was disappointing. We love Mediterranean food because it's always so full of flavor with herbs, spices etc. So experiencing bland food at a restaurant that has a rating of 4.5 was unexpected. It took a while for the appetizers to come out but when they did we enjoyed most of them - the falafel, mouhamra, feta cheese dip, goat cheese salad, tonic punch were good. The fried cauliflower was just ok. Their version of baba ghanouj wasn't my favorite but it may just be a difference in how different regions make it. The entrees we got were disappointing - the salmon had no flavor/ seasoning outside of the sauce on top of it. The kale tasted like it was blanched and absolutely nothing else added, not even salt. It definitely didn't have garlic like my waitress said. I ordered the eggplant kabob and it wasn't until a few mins after my dish was brought out without the main item that I was informed that they ran out of eggplant. The mujaddara rice seemed over cooked. It may have been an off night for them but we won't be back. There are several other Mediterranean restaurants in the triangle that haven't disappointed.

Always good even the simple things like the salad with house dressing with mint is just lovely Its nice for a group or even a business lunch

Pretty impressed with the food at Sitti. Really loved the warm, freshly baked pita bread. It was so good that we definitely filled up on bread before the entrees. My favorite cold mezze was the baba ghanoush; it was sweet, savory, and perfect for dipping. They will also give you fresh vegetables to dip with if you ask! We got a plate of bell peppers, cucumbers, and carrots. My favorite part of the meal was definitely the curry with lamb. The curry was slightly sweeter because of the vegetables, almost like Thai curry. The lamb was perfectly braised inside the sauce. The only disappointing things were the drinks. I ordered a gin spritz that tasted like cough syrup. I only took a few sips of it and left it at the table. Overall, food and atmosphere gets it 4 stars, -1 star for the disappointing cocktails.

Sitti used to be good. The management/chefs must have changed hands over the past several years because it's just your average food now. This used to be a family favorite with our 5 kids. We won't be back.

This review is based entirely on a catered event attended onsite. I've heard the typical dining experience is better. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever risk it. The only thing good about the experience was the ambiance--and the staff were nice. The food came out earlier than it was supposed to and it was terrible--nearly all of it except the bacon wrapped dates. The pita was stale, the rice was flavorless, the meat was VERY dry and overcooked. You were forced to use a sauce for it, but unfortunately the tzatziki tasted like pure garlic. I love garlic, but even a tiny drop was spicy with garlic. There is no way it's supposed to taste that way. Overall, I could not recommend this place for catering.

Came here for a date night last week and it didn't disappoint. For starters it's in a nice location downtown and the restaurant is large, clean and service was good. The menu is larger that on your average Lebanese / Mediterranean restaurant so there were many options. They bring you fresh pita so be sure to order at least one dip. The baba ganoush was very good. Tried the pumpkin hummus and it was ok ( I guess I just like regular hummus better ). Tried another dip as well, can't remember the name though but it was very good ( the red one on my picture ). Ordered the feta and orange salad and it was amazingly good ! We also got a salmon dish which was ok and the mixed kabob grill that was also just ok. Because the main dishes were just ok for us that's why I took one star away from my review. Everything else was really good including the whipped garlic sauce that they brought and the Ashta dessert at the end. Price was ok ( not cheap but not super expensive either ). I will probably go back at some point to try something else.

We had not been to Sitti in many years, so we decided to give it a try for a special occasion. Sitti started off as the offspring of Neomonde and frankly the simpler menu at Neomonde is less expensive, better, and generally fresher than Sitti. We tried the dip trio for an appetizer. The red-pepper and walnut puree Mouhamra was great; it was my favorite. The hummus was a bit bland while the baba ghanouj needed more olive oil and seemed a bit grainy. Next time I'd just get Mouhamra instead. The freshly baked pita bread was fantastic. Three of our party ordered the "Lebanese Tasting" for our entree. It was very obvious that everything had been cooked at some point in the past because nothing was hot, except the pita bread. For $22 I expected my meal to have been cooked to order. The cheese rolls could have been fantastic if they were served fresh out of the fryer, but being served almost cold was a big detractor. Same thing goes for the kibbe. Fried food is best served hot - frying a big batch of cheese rolls and kibbe and serving them as orders come in may be great for the kitchen, but the diner tends to end up with a greasy, bland, cold mess. The chicken shawarma had been sitting around for a while as well, but it was very flavorful and my favorite part of the "Tasting". We tried the fondant (think Dominos Pizza's chocolate lava cake) and the chocolate torte for dessert. The fondant was very good and could have been great if it had been served at least very warm instead of room temperature. I got to try a bite of the chocolate torte. It was very dense and chocolatey, but I preferred the fondant. The dining area has aged well; it has a comfortable, timeless feel with lots of room between the tables. It's a great place for a relaxed meal with friends. Service was well intentioned, but was very slow and inattentive. We had to ask for refills, and at one point had to flag down the manager for assistance because our server was nowhere to be found. Sitti's big draw is the location and the dining room. The food is OK but much of the menu is also available at Neomonde a few miles away on Beryl Road and tends to be better and less expensive. In return you trade the downtown location for an industrial park and the comfortable dining room for standing in line and bussing your own table.

After walking by Sitti a few months ago and checking out their menu I knew I had to return and I am so glad I did! Sitti has a warm and relaxing atmosphere as soon as you step in the door. It is larger than it looks from the outside with a long bar to the right, a community table in the middle, and several small tables on the far left. I picked a single table to the left with a bench and sat down. It took a little while for someone to acknowledge me, but finally a waiter came over and brought me a water. I got up and asked another waiter for the wifi password. He was kind and happily gave it to me and I sat down for a very long time until the original waiter greeted me. I asked him about the three course menu for restaurant week and he gently explained to me that it was not available during lunch. So, going on his advice I decided to get the avocado hummus and the shrimp kabobs. The hummus was so amazing! Creamy, thick, and just a hint of spice. It made all my senses tingle. I had to stop myself from dipping any more pita bread into that or the olive oil and sesame seed dip that came with the bread! Wow! Now the shrimp kabobs were okay. The shrimp came on top of basmati rice with onions, half a tomato, peppers, and a spicy sauce. The sauce and onions were actually the best part of the dish, but overall it fell a little flat. I think I was expecting a little bit more in the way of seasoning and spices, and it just was not there. Plus the waiter never came back to check on me or refill my water--and it wasn't that busy. But, I know with everything we are experiencing now I am being patient. So, would I go back? The jury is still out. For $30 for lunch plus tip, ouch, I feel like I could've gotten more.

Why does this place have such good reviews? Nothing up to the mark. Very bland food, No taste and expensive. Do not even try their pizza will go in trash.

Definitely a winner! We came here on a date night and super happy we did! Started out with the vegetarian tasting along with some drinks that were absolutely amazing. I loved the baba ghanouj as well as the rolled grape leaves. The dips paired great with the piping hot pita breads that were brought in a basket. My husband got the old fashioned and I had the Phoenician Fizz and both were expertly made. We even opted for a second round. We decided on splitting the falafel and vegetable entrée. The dish was plentiful and filling. The falafels were perfectly crispy on the outside and moist/ fluffy on the inside. The vegetables had a delicious seasoning on them that I can't pinpoint; however, I will be back for it. The blend had snap peas, cabbage, Brussel sprouts and squash. It tasted super fresh! Our server was awesome and very helpful in deciding what we got and was never away for too long. The space was large and open. I loved seeing into the kitchen through a window. The place didn't feel stuffy and honestly I'd feel comfortable coming back with our toddler.

Delicious! This was our first time trying Sitti and it was really great quality food. We were not disappointed. The pita and olive oil was yummy; nice and warm. My husband got the chicken shawarma and he loved it. I tried a few bites and it was really perfect. I loved the combination of flavors with the grilled tomato, garlic yogurt, and pickles. My stepdaughter enjoyed the kid's beef plate. I'd love to come back again.

Sitti has been on my to try list for years and I was finally able to go yesterday. I almost never go downtown Raleigh so we pounced on this opportinity and we were quite hungry. The restaurant itself is very pleasant. Awesome place for a date with great background music that is enjoyable but not so loud and distracting you have to shout over it! You know those types of places and they are annoying. We sat in the window high top seats. It was midday so we appreciated the view of people walking by during our little chat and chew! Service was top notch from the time you stepped in the door and throughout our entire meal. No complaints on service at all! They served pita and olive oil and I was excited! It was hot and there was a lot of it! Bread is my best worst friend! So they nailed it. We ordered 3 dips to go with our Pit and they were also amazing. My favorites were Mouhamra and the Baba Ganouj. My son ordered the Chicken Swarma entree and I ordered the salmon. This is pretty much where all the compliments stop. We had the same Sitti rice on our plates and both agreed it was bland and needed something so we used salt as that was all we had. My son said the Chicken was just whatever. Right after that he said he would not come back. I was not asked how I wanted my salmon cooked but I can tell you it was welL. It was well done which is not my preference as it tends to come out dry. My dish had a kale side and it had a lemon dressing on it but it was the dressing was way too tart. I was personally underwhelmed but the portions were great and the rice (now salted) helped by leveling out the flavors by mixing with the salmon and lemon kale. I personally "would" go again and give them a second change but I would not get the same entree!

I have been hearing rave reviews for Sitti for a while so I decided to finally check them out this weekend during the downtown Raleigh restaurant week. The business is located downtown so depending on when you dine in parking may be a little difficult. Luckily I was able to find free street parking right away since it was the weekend. I made a reservation & was seated right away. The restaurant had a nice ambience and had several tables in the dining area along with a bar. I believe that there is also seating downstairs as people were ushered to that area as well. The barcode for the paperless menu was on my table when I was seated. After a few minutes my server came over. She was nice but wasn't really enthusiastic or talkative. She took my drink order right away & I also told her what I wanted. She then brought over complementary pita bread. The bread was soft and tasted good. My appetizer was brought out quickly. I ordered the salmon kibbee which is basically fried salmon croquettes. It was served on a bed of greens with a watery mint yogurt sauce and pistachios. The salmon wasn't bad but I thought it would be better & more flavorful. It tasted like something was missing from the dish. I chose the lamb ragout for my entree. The lamb was braised in red wine and was served with vegetables over goat cheese polenta with a tabbouleh on top. The lamb was very tender and the polenta was creamy and very tasty. There was a large portion of the lamb. But I wanted more of the cooked vegetables on the dish. I also felt like the tabbouleh was out of place on this dish. My favorite part of the meal was the pumpkin cheesecake. The cheesecake was drizzled with caramel & topped with whipped cream and had a ginger cookie crust. The cheesecake was creamy and flavorful. After my meal my server gave me my bill with a barcode that I could scan to pay my bill online. I would come back & try other food options.

Sitti was terrible! Ambiance ok.. service was good and the best part of the restaurant. I've been to many middle eastern restaurants and giving this one a 2 out of 10 is a stretch. 1) Hummus.. mmehhh 2) Cheese cigars didn't taste fresh.. 3) Mixed grill total failure - meat was chewy - chicken was ok but borderline undercooked - Kafta was totally raw and inedible. Would never return or recommend. Please try harder .. customers are your life line

Been here 3 times and every time had a great experience! Food is so good! Great bar and drink options. Went here after 8 on Saturday night after a bad experience at Oak City Meatball and was seated right away. Waiter brought pita right away, meals came out promplty and food was delicious. Love the atmosphere and decor. Definitely reccommend!

Really enjoyed our evening visit to Sitti. We were a party of six with a reservation. The restaurant has a really pleasant and inviting vibe. It's a bit noisy but in a good way. The menu is extensive and makes it hard to choose, but everything we tried was excellent. Highly recommend the samplers. Wait staff was remarkably professional and good at what they do.

Great service by both Jaycee and Ebony! Food was delicious. Oh that bread ! Chicken shawarma and trio great choices

Excellent food and service. Only thing a bit lacking is the ambiance. A bit plain with large open spaces and lots of tables.

Sitti means grandma and that's the type of food you enjoy when you go to this place it taste like the grandma is cooking. I love it recommend to try this place.

A nice restaurant near the capitol building in downtown Raleigh, Sitti offers lebanese cuisine and an assortment of drinks. The location was clean and well-designed, and the service was excellent. A bit of a louder and more festive environment than other restaurants, similar to a bar. We came for dinner on a Tuesday night. It was well-attended but not so packed that you couldn't get a table without a reservation. I imagine weekends are busier. All in all, it was an enjoyable dining environment. I would agree with other reviews here that the food was a bit of a hit or miss. The complimentary warm pita bread was great. For appetizers, we ordered the goat cheese stuffed peppers (excellent) and chicken shawarma (chicken was very moist but almost looked boiled rather than roasted, not much browning and I really couldn't taste much in the way of spices). For entrees, we got the samkeh harra (pan-seared salmon) and kafta kabob. The salmon was well cooked and tender, but a bit underseasoned for my preferences. The kafta kabob really had minimal seasoning and was quite bland, probably my least favorite of the bunch. We've only come once so this is a review for a small subset of their offerings. For those who wish to try lebanese food in downtown Raleigh, might be worthwhile to try other dishes.

I must say I was disappointed because everyone knows across the Middle East what exceptionally delicious food Lebanese food is but it is here where you will experience an exception most significantly. The service is fine, the vibe is right, the atmosphere is brilliant, but down to the food we must draw the line in the sand, for the rest of us who come from lands with sand! 1) The rice is not the slightest Lebanese, it's served in the same manner, with vermicelli throughout and slivered roasted almonds on top but no Lebanese rice taste like bland American rice decorated with nuts. My riz Al Libnani tasted like rice served at American Hospitals and nursing homes. 2) The beef kabob had zero taste. I almost cried! 3) The Kofte, which along with Lulu/lulya Kebab is usually one of Lebanese pride but my Kofte came out like a half cooked American hamburger and tasted like it. Add more garlic and parsely and Kofte spices! A regular hamburger tastes better for half the cost! 4) What was that thick paste served with hardly cooked chickpeas? Please don't tell me that was the Hummus? That wasn't Hummus, if I wanted that I would eat it out of can with canned chickpeas. 5) The Fatoush was Fresh, finally something good in my mouth. You would have to bribe me or like Mr Ed, do certain things to me to make me open my mouth to even eat any of that other stuff! 6) The chicken Shawarma with Toum, ok , now finally something that is worth craving for that was tasty. So lastly, I do realize you have to cater to the people of Raleigh but no excuses! Make them try authentic Lebanese food,pretend you are making the food for your own Sitti, and give them this kind of food!

I can't believe I even have to leave this review. But I ordered online, and chose the option for tofu. Because there was no tofu they cancelled order. It would not have been a big deal if the woman(African American girl) who came to help me didn't act like I was not entitled to a receipt or an explanation for the cancellation after I pissed her off by having my order cancelled. I waited 15 minutes inside the restaurant to only have the order cancelled. When the woman came to assist me, she was pleasant. But something in the back must have set her off, because her response to me was "well they cancelled, and I don't have anything to do with it". Not to add insult to injury but when mentioned I wanted a receipt she said, "well the customer will have to request one". Confused ... me too, I told her I was the customer, and she said "oh, I thought you were DoorDash"as if to say the treatment I was getting for being inconvenienced was justified by where I supposedly worked. Needless to say I walked out without asking for a manger in complete disbelief that the customer service went down this way after my order was cancelled with no notification, and no resolution presented. I waited 15 minutes with no notification Of a cancelled order. I typically love Sitti for its vegetarian options, and otherwise very nice staff, but tonight this woman must've had a bad night, And my experience alone will make me and my friends think twice about returning. If she had mentioned the order was cancelled, and given me options to still have gotten food, this would have been different , but her immediate rude attitude, I assume because of the color of my skin, makes Sitti a place we will not return to.