The Goodness Land Middle Eastern & Mediterranean Food Restaurant

This was our first time eating here and I'm sorry I didn't check it out sooner. Food was AWESOME! Best I've had so far in the Boise area. Everything was so flavorful and well prepared. First time trying Turkish coffee and enjoyed it very much. We went on a Sunday night and it was quiet and chill with a few other diners trickling in and out. I think my favorite dish was the lamb hummus (actually every lamb dish I tried was amazing). The baba ganoush was excellent as well. We definitely left stuffed and can't wait to go back. Everyone was so nice and attentive as well.

Absolutely wonderful Middle Eastern cuisine, style and personality!! I’ll be the first to quality my review by admitting that I am quite limited in my capacity to hand out stars for authenticity. Based on the dozen or so times I’ve had Middle Eastern food (mostly at peoples homes and celebrations) this food fits the bill and expectation for authentic. But, again, I am from the Deep South of the Pacific Northwest, so take it with a grain of salt. And some Falafel! I wish I hadn’t been so eager to dish up before getting a photo; and it is not the prettiest photo, but I am sharing it for context. Check out the “leftovers” from our family platter purchase: 3 of the 4 adults 5 teens/preteens all ate substantially And it was lunch the next day for most of us! It was all so good! I can’t wait to have it again. Easy access off the Interstate or Orchard/Cole, very responsive service, amazing staff, and so fresh and delicious. If you want to consider the value of covering more than one meal for most of the fam, I definitely overstated the cost per person!

Such friendly staff, beautiful and delicious food, and the decor and atmosphere transports you (I’ve never seen such an intricately decorated drop tile ceiling!). Really great value. Had samosas/sambusas, shawarma, babah janoush, hummus. Delicious tea and coffee (although I wonder why they serve bottled water instead of in a glass). We’ve ordered their family platter numerous times, for take out, but dining in is a worthwhile experience, too.

I had an amazing dining experience yesterday! As someone who has enjoyed Middle Eastern food extensively, I was really impressed by how this restaurant brought together familiar flavors in such a delicious way. Mandi is one of my absolute favorites, and they did a fantastic job of capturing its essence with tender, flavorful rice and perfectly cooked meat. Every bite felt like a true celebration of Middle Eastern cuisine, with each element complementing the others. The attention to detail in the spices and preparation was evident, and I really appreciated how they balanced the traditional flavors with a bit of a unique twist. I’ll definitely be back to enjoy this amazing food again soon! Highly recommend it for anyone who loves rich, aromatic dishes!

It should be clear that the service was not cool. Asked a question and answered impolitely. -Experienced in middle eastern food, the food QUALITY is amazing. Little found like this in Boise area. -Atmosphere is phenomenal. Well based prices for the quality of food. Definitely if not experienced in Middle Eastern food ask before ordering. Authentic TURKISH COFFEE

Very nice food and people! Appetiser Hummus is delicious! Lamb shank is slow-cooked to soft. Skewed meat is juicy and nicely browned. Sadly homemade baklava is all sold out today. Hope to enjoy it next time

The family and I went to dinner for the first time here tonight and we will definitely be back soon! Delicious food, beautiful atmosphere and friendly staff makes this restaurant a 5/5 star rating for us. 🙂

This is one of my favorite Middle Eastern restaurants in Boise. The atmosphere and the vide are very chill. The service can be a little slow at times but it is definitely worth it because the food is made to order. The food tastes AMAZInG and authentic!

I am new to the area and just checking out a lot of places to get takeout as I finish moving in. I got the dolmas, banaganoush, and the 1/2 family platter. It was probably the best middle eastern food I have ever eaten. Amazing. The rice in particular was outstanding. So tender and flavorful. The kebabs were mouthwatering. Honestly it was way too much food for two people and it was hard to stop eating it. Excellent price as well!

Wonderful selection of delish food! Amazing Service Classy seating and amazing ambiance.

Quality, value, and nice people. This place is super legit and one of my favorites. Go, now, hurry!

Delicious Middle Eastern food. Family operated. Friendly service. This was our first sitdown dinner after spending five nights in the sawtooth wilderness. Needless to say we devoured everything. The hummus with lamb was so good. The homemade bread was unbelievable. Everything was great. I would definitely come back here again. Great family restaurant. Relaxed ambience.

Great middle eastern food. Especially for the location. I'm originally from Texas with a large middle eastern population and I'd say this food really holds its ground. So much so that we came twice during our visit to Boise. The hummus is a definite go to for appetizer and you can't go wrong with any platter. They stay very busy here so anticipate a long wait. They cook everything fresh so know you're being taken care of. The coffee is something for coffee fanatics to try but be warned that Middle Eastern coffee is not the same as American coffee.

Amazing! The food is absolutely delicious. They really put their heart into making high quality middle eastern food. The staff (family) is extremely friendly and professional. Easily one of the best restaurants in Boise, and my #1 favorite by far!

This is my second visit and I have to admit I didn't take any photos this time. This will be corrected on my next visit which is certainly in my near future. This time I brought my husband who is not much of an adventurous eater. We ordered plate 27 with chicken chunks, ground chicken, salad and a wonderful rice PLUS 3 falafels and hummus. I dare you to be hungry after eating this delicious dish. I had eggplant stew, if you like eggplant don't pass up this amazing dish. I had it on pita bread. Now, onto the STAR of the show - the chicken schwarma sandwich is about 16" long. It was amazing and even hubby raved about it. For him to say "I will definitely have this again" means a total success. If you happen to be in southwest Boise you MUST try this restaurant. The ambience is fantastic and everyone goes out of their way to be nice. I've never written a second Yelp review for a restaurant but this restaurant is exceptional, give it a try, you won't be sorry. I'm already thinking about my next visit.

Fr the best Arab food in Idaho I'm Iraqi myself and this reminds me sm of home :) thank u goodness land for existing.

Really awesome food and welcoming staff! I started with the Dolmas and they are presented in a way that was new to me. Really appealing and mine looked just like the picture on their website. It was drizzled with a sauce that was new to me, red and a little sweet with a little sourness too. All of it was tasty and very fresh. After that I ordered the Platter #28 1 skewer of Chicken Shish Tawook, 1 Skewer of Lamb Tikka along with some Falafel, Hummus, Rice and Pickles. The meat had awesome flavor. The Lamb was slightly chewy but still very enjoyable. All the extras were much appreciated, especially the pickled items. I'd say this is a must try when you're in the Boise area!

No visit to the Boise area can be completed without a visit to this family owned and operated middleastern jam! I'm confident in placing them amongst the BEST in the west coast.

Absolute fire. Born and raised in nyc and have eaten all types of Mediterranean and Middle East food all over. This place is on point. Will be going back. Meat was perfect, bread great and pickles awesome. Hot sauce was fire. Only thing I wish was came with tzatziki as well. And feta cheese. Sure they could, I just assumed came with.

Great food and awesome service -- I was thoroughly impressed! The lamb shank was incredibly tender and cooked to perfection. Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a memorable meal!

Outstanding hummus. I got the pickles, and to me they were a little soggy, and not my total favorite, but I appreciated that they had them. Fun decor. I would go back for sure.

Amazing food! Been here many times high quality great service. I love every single dish

I love the food so much I drive from Nampa just to eat here !!! Love love love it!! Great place to have dinner on Sunday evening- strongly recommend it. Don't forget to also have the best Baklava in town !!! Friendly service and great family ambiance. Jeannette- NYC Girl

My husband and I've become very fond of this restaurant. Moving to Boise from Las Vegas we were worried that we would lose our favorite cultural flavors. Luckily we found the goodness land shortly after arriving and it has become one of our go-tos. The pita is incredible. Hummus is on point. My husband loves the shish tawook and I'm a fan of the shawarma. They have won us over as regular customers.

Excellent food! Fall off the bone - perfectly cooked meat. So flavorful. Everything we've tried here is a bit hit with our kids and family.

Food, service, and atmosphere were all great. We brought our toddler and they were very accommodating and sweet. Super tasty food. Family run. It was the closing hour and they still had a lot of people coming in and out for food. That's how you knew it was good just by looking. 10/10, would return.

We've been visiting Goodness Restaurant in Boise, and it's quickly become one of our favorites. Brother Sajjad and the entire team are genuinely kind and welcoming -- their hospitality really stands out. The food? Absolutely delicious. You can taste the care in every bite. It's refreshing to find a place that's fully Halal and run with such integrity. We'll definitely be coming back again and again.

It's open. After our visit, I am really missing the goodness of this place, it was well off the mark to me. We were seated by the back cushion booth on one side. We ordered the platter #27 and the Iraqi chicken kebab #23 and pickled veggies. $45.60 for this low level food. Food was way below average. Cooks should eat their food or try a restaurant that knows how to properly cook their meats and make hummus, fattoush dressing and garlic sauce too. I asked if I could get anything else except salad, the waiter said fries or a salad. I asked for a salad. He asked which one. I said a salad. He asked which salad do I want. I said the fattoush, no pita. I asked how big the salad is, he said the other half of the plate. I asked if I could upgrade to get a bigger salad, that I would like a bigger salad. He said he will tell the kitchen to fill the plate. If I want more salad, he will bring me out more. I got a little twinge of snide and snarky tone when he was answering my questions and speaking to me. He really rubbed me the wrong way at every communication with me. Definitely not the kind of warm service and attention we get at our favorite middle eastern restaurant back at home at all. The constant call from Val Kirno that no one is answering is enough to make your head spin. It must have gone off some 10-12 times with no answer and the caller ID kept stating the caller name over and over again. They even called back. They just only wanted a chicken shawarma and a side is fries. We have to pay at the front counter after dinner. The pickled veggies are decent. More cabbage would be good, their cabbage is marinated in the beet juice. One look and the chicken kafta looked a bit day, it is dry and flavorless and fatty and gristly too. Gross. The hummus side is about the amount you would get in a small 2 ounce ramekin. The hummus is bland and boring. The garlic sauce tastes like sour cream. It's not garlicky at all. The only thing that wasn't bad was the falafel. I asked for more tomato sauce from our waiter, I told the waiter the chicken was really dry, all of it was bone dry. He said nothing and said he would give us more tomato sauce for it. My husband ate the rest of my chicken kafta and doused it in the tomato sauce to get it down. The chicken kebab chunks are also really dry, Sahara dry. The fattoush salad dressing is oddly too sweet. Doesn't take like fattoush dressing to me at all. Not one of the better Iraqi or middle eastern spots we have ever been to at all.

Great food, great atmosphere, super service... you won't be disappointed. The owners and the server Sultan were diners

Delicious food, large portions, very friendly staff. Sad I did not know about this place sooner and will definitely be going back.

This is the best restaurant in the whole treasure valley area and I'm not even exaggerating. Their pita is so fluffy and fresh every time, delicious hummus and lamb kebabs. The service is also outstanding, everyone is always so nice.

The food is phenomenal and the portions are great also for the money. Ordered here twice this far and will definitely continue. Most authentic I've had in Boise.

I ordered this last night for delivery via GrubHub. I'm giving them three stars but I will try them in-house in the future. My order consisted of only two items: the "bean soup" and "chicken biryani." For this order, plus a reasonable tip for the driver, the charge was north of $32 (no delivery fee) so I have to agree with a recent reviewer's comment about this being pricey. I know costs have increased in the food industry, but this just didn't make any sense to me. About 30 minutes after I placed the order with GrubHub, the promised delivery time window suddenly increased by another half hour so you might want to call the restaurant directly to nail this down. The bean soup arrived with half of it spilled into the plastic bag which created an unfortunate mess on our counter when we opened the bag. The soup was just a very basic thin tomato soup with white beans, nothing to write home about. The chicken biryani consisted of two thigh/leg pieces of baked chicken, and the chicken was tender. The spices used for the chicken were, like the soup, unremarkable-- turmeric forward and not subtle. The rice was OK, cinnamon and/or cardamon forward and a nice portion. I've heard compliments about Goodness Land and, as I said, I plan to try them again but this experience left me feeling kind of disappointed; maybe something wasn't right in the kitchen last night. For middle eastern in Boise, I still have Mazzah at the top of my list.

Wow! Legit setting and cook team knows Arabic so you know it's good. Hummus with lamb was fantastic and our lamb kabobs were great too. Will return next time for the baba ghanoush!

I haven't posted in a while because I only post 5 or 1 star reviews. I'm excited that this is another 5 star! ... You walk in the door and instantly feel warm savory feelings. We went on a Sunday evening so it was quite busy. Their busiest night. But it was also very family friendly with lots of big families there. The ambiance was very enjoyable and made the wait (about 30 minutes) a non-issue. The food was outstanding! Super fresh and just the right amount of spice the best lamb kabobs and falafels I've ever had. They don't serve alcohol there so you may want to sneak in a nice Chardonnay in a water bottle. It works albeit unglamorous. We will be back often!

The food here is absolutely incredible. We ordered the Turkish coffee to start followed by the main course: 1/2 Family Platter. It was incredible. The spices and texture is so dead on to authentic Mediterranean food. My husband and I have been to Turkey, and I to also Jordan and Greece. We were told that we can substitute the rice for other things so we'll definitely do one side salad and the other the darker color rice. There are two types in this platter. Absolutely mind-blowing. We're coming back with some of our foodie friends for sure.

Inside out: this place is tucked in a small spot off overland, but seemed to have ample parking. The design was beautiful inside, my 89 year old grandma said it was a peaceful environment and she loved the decorations as well. The ceiling alone is sparkling! Food: my grandmother had the lamb sandwich, I had the falafel sandwich, both of them were the freshest most flavor packed lunches we had had in a long time. It was a bit of a wait for the food even though the place wasn't that busy but I think it's because they were making things very fresh. The bread was out of this world! I also caught a Turkish coffee and having made many attempts at it myself at home, I finally have a goal because it was delicious. My grandma had some hot tea and she said it was lovely. The prices were incredibly reasonable for the portions. Service: our waitress was soft-spoken patient and kind. We were a little confused about if we should go up to the register to pay or if she would take our payment at the table. As I mentioned it was kind of slow I don't know how fast it can be, but it's not a place to go if you only have 30 minutes for lunch. Maybe if you ordered ahead. Overall I would highly recommend this place! It seems like it would be a lovely first date spot to try something new together, or a great place to go if you're going to have a long conversation with a good friend.

This is a small mom and pop restaurant tucked into a shopping plaza. The food is delicious with just the right sized portions. The service is friendly and they're attentive. The only thing i'd change is to have metal flatware rather than plastic, and a larger variety of beverages rather than just canned and bottled drinks. Overall great food and service.

Amazing middle-eastern food in an authentic setting! We ordered an Iraqi kabob platter; tender spiced ground lamb skewers over amazingly aromatic rice. We also ordered an Iraqi lamb kabob sandwich; a tender kabob in a soft bread, and hummus with lamb, all excellent. The Iraqi tea, an aromatic reddish tea with a taste close to an Earl Grey went great with the food. The decor and music, along with the authentic food take you on a cultural voyage to a distant place. Service is super friendly, food is made to order, so be patient, it's worth the wait! We will return to try the rest of the menu.

5 stars ! This restaurant is amazing ! They've gone over the top in decorating it authentically. There are comfy couches, with pillows, too. The food was so good. So many different flavors. We got the platter, so we had the opportunity to try just about everything on the menu, so we got a good idea of what we'd like to order next time. We were so shocked to find this restaurant in Boise. The staff was so chill. They were so kind, and so professional. We waited a few minutes for the bread to arrive, then realized that it was all made to order. When our bread arrived, it was fresh out of the oven. It was the best pita bread we've ever had. It was about 1 inch thick. Cooked perfectly. The hummus was delicious. Everything was just amazing. We even tried the chocolate cake for dessert. WOW. So good. We can't wait to go back again.

One of my favorite places for takeout in Boise! Their dining room is also cozy, make sure to check it out.

Best Mediterranean food I've had ever. We ordered the lamb and chicken kababs which were seasoned to perfection and juicy. But what stole our hearts and blew our minds were the felafel and babaganush. The felafel were fresh, soft, delicious little disks of flavor. But the babaganush was Smokey heaven. We were fighting over who got to scrape the bowl with our flatbread. Ambiance was amazing as well. Lots of seating for a range of group sizes and very clean! Service was prompt, personable, and kind. Highly recommend on all accounts

The food is amazing! I've tried quite a few items from the menu and the lamb is amazing. They do take a while to cook your food since it's not all pre made and tossed in the microwave.

The staff were amazing and the flavors of the food was amazing. Definitely a gem of a place! Try it soon!

The flavors are so unique here. I really enjoyed the hummus and the lamb as well as the rice! Our waiter was so kind and explained all the different options. The restaurant looks so cool. I really felt like I was eating in the Middle East! Can't wait to come back

The food was okay. The service okay. Ambiance, it too was okay. It's not the best or worst food. Just mediocre.

Soooo good! Portions were decent, but I would want trays of it, so that's not fair- lol. It is such good and authentic food. Love this gem- highly recommend.

Good food, humble service and pocket friendly. They serve complementary lentil soup to their customers for starter, no matter your order. And then your order arrives. Almost everything is served with their speciality bread samoon. We requested to modify our order of falafel plate to have falafel on a bed of rice. The rice was fragrant, fluffy and delicious and so was the falafel and hummus that came along. The breads and soup served warm and were comforting as well. The place is decorated with their cultural traditions and items and could give a peek into the Iraqi culture. They do offer some yogurt drink and Turkish drinks on the menu along with regular soft drinks. Definitely a must try place if you want to have some experience with the Iraqi cuisine and culture.

Best Middle Eastern food I have ever tasted. Having said that they could up their game to make this a spectacular success. I felt that the people working there were not a happy bunch. There was no rudeness just a quiet sadness? Maybe it was just an off day so it's hard to judge. What I was a little worried about was the water I was given. It was bottled water instead of water in a glass but it looked like the container had been used before. I didn't open it to hear a click so again it's hard to tell. Water in a sparkling clean glass would have been more appealing and maybe more sanitary. It's been days since I've been there but I'm still thinking about their wonderful food.

We had to stop for lunch on our way through Idaho and were looking for a good place to have dinner and this restaurant did not disappoint. They have the most amazing homemade pita bread still warm and so fresh and absolutely delicious. It's worth it to go to this restaurant just for the homemade pita bread. The hummus was a little bit mild. I think they could add a little bit more garlic but I think it's the style. The chicken and Lamb kebab I had was absolutely delicious. My wife really enjoyed the falafel. Their saffron rice is fairly heavy on the saffron. I like it that way from eating Middle Eastern food in Ottawa Canada years ago. We will be back.

5/5 hands down!! We were so blown away by the flavors. We got one of the combo platters with the falafel, chicken, and Iraqi kebab. The rice was spiced so perfectly, falafel crunchy outside and perfect inside, and the Iraqi kebab flavor was amazing! We also ordered a side of the lamb kebab, lamb hummus, and tabbouleh - wow! The only thing we didn't love was the chicken, the flavor was awesome but it was dry. Overall, we'll be back to eat here a lot!!

We ordered takeout from here blindly, just looking for something that wasn't typical burgers or tacos. I knew when we got in the car that I was going to love this food just from the aroma. The food was so flavorful and delicious. I did slightly prefer the kebabs over the chunks of chicken/lamb. The hummus was so creamy and convinced one person in my party that hummus can be so much more than grocery store refrigerated tubs. I am not local, but will insist on returning here every time I come back to visit family.

So good! The lamb shank was very tender and flavorful The creamy lentil soup was perfect and is only served in the winter. We also had multiple chicken kebabs and rice dishes. The pickle salad was also good The atmosphere is charming. The music was pleasant. The service was excellent. Will definitely dine here again.

the best food ive had in my life 10/10 nicest people beautiful inside well priced so much food beautiful i love the goodness land. if i could give a million stars i would. ive ate here so many times and its always 100000/10. i love you

It has been a long time since I've been to Goodness Land. My oldest, Hungry, wanted a Gyro and I thought that it was about time that she tried a real Middle Eastern sandwich. The Goodness Land was open on a Sunday and we were the only customers so we felt comfortable dining in. Staff is fully masked and wearing gloves. They only gave us disposable utensils, bottled water and had hand sanitizer on the table. I also watched them sanitize the menus and many touch points while I was there. We ordered the Baba Ganoush for an appetizer. Hungry ordered the Iraqi Lamb sandwich and I had the falafels. I'm not sure what was my favorite, because they were all equally amazing. The baba ganoush was topped with fruity olive oil, pomegranates, fresh tomatoes and spices. They served it with the sandwich bread, called a sabich, which is ten times better than pita. We enjoyed dipping while waiting for our meal. The sandwich came out first and it was a large feast for my kiddo. But she devoured half that sandwich. She kept saying, "This is the best meat I've ever had!". We asked for the pickles on the side, but we should have asked for more. They were delicious! My falafels were absolutely incredible. I wish I hadn't filled up on so much bread. The outside is crispy and crunchy, with sesame seeds and course chickpeas making a beautiful shell. The inside is creamy and perfectly complimented by the hummus, fresh vegetables and more sabich. The only thing that was not delicious were the fries. They were actually pretty terrible. Undercooked, pale, and greasy. But of course, we didn't go there for fries. So next time I will ask them to hold the fries and just order more dips. The interior is absolutely gorgeous. Every surface is carefully designed, even the ceiling tiles are made to look like you're in an Iraqi cafe. There are beautiful kettles, pots, platters, hookahs, cushions and other traditional pieces all over the restaurant. Admiring them kept my 5 year old busy as we waited. Love this wonderful establishment and I'm so glad that my kid can now join me in my love for real Mediterranean food.

My meet up group landed at this place called The Goodness Land yesterday. I will start with the positive. This was my first real experience with ethnic cuisine, so I looked forward to this night. We arrive at 6pm. There was only 1 other couple in the restaurant. My 1st though was caution thinking this might mean that no one liked the place, but this soon disappeared. Most people seem to like to eat later on a Saturday night. Once 7 came around, the place began to fill up. I instantly felt as if I had been transported to Iraq, Iran, or some other place in the middle east. For me, this is a HUGE plus. I love a full experience when I eat out. If I eat Chinese, I want to feel like Im actually in china. Same with Thia, or any other place. The 1st thing we saw was a young lady in traditional Muslim type dress. Another huge plus in my book. She seated us in a corner with exquisite looking couches which also added to the look that I was sitting in a restaurant far away from Boise. She began to tell us that we might want to consider getting platters for variety. We were all intrigued by this since we wanted to try as much of the fair as possible. We ordered 3 platters to share. This is where the story takes a less than good turn. She asked us if we wanted to have all 3 platters on 1 big plate. We thought sure, so we told her to go ahead. When the food came out, it was on what appeared to us to be 1 small platter. We did not think at the time to question this because we were hungry. After we had were well into the platter, we began to question among ourselves the things that seemed to be missing. We ordered 3 different platters with a lot of variety including some hummus and other things that they included. This platter that we got seemed to only have 3 different meats and no hummus or bread or anything. The lady that served us was now gone, so we asked the man waiter that was no serving us. he told him that because we combined into 1 platter, we did not get hummus. We thought what?? you have to be kidding, We still paid for 3 large platters yet we got 1 platter with a lot of things missing from it. We did not want to cause a fuss, please the meeting was over, we were full, and ready to go. So we just left. The full menu for The Goodness Land is no where to be found on line, so I have no way to prove what we did not get. From a food point of view, this place is a success. The only thing we did eat that I did not like was the Falafels. They were very dry and bland. Everything else tasted great and very ethnic. From a Service point of view, they failed. This is why I had to take away 3 stars.

Fantastic and authentic kebabs, dips, and veggies. Would definitely recommend for those looking for more unique ethnic options in the Boise area!