Yalla

Everything was so tasty! My friends and I went back twice during our visit to DC. Our server Daniel took good care of us. I can’t wait to visit DC again so I can eat here again. I loved the atmosphere and there is a belly dancer that comes in during the weekend.

The food is fantastic- so glad I saved room for dessert! (I dug in too quick for a photo) 😆 The vibes are immaculate and service is friendly. Definitely will be coming back for the belly dancer!!

I was invited by a friend to visit Yalla Rooftop, and it was my first time there. I was pleasantly surprised from the moment I arrived—everything from the valet service to the professional security at the entrance was impressive. While the first floor was quiet, I took the elevator up to the rooftop and was immediately struck by the vibrant atmosphere. The music, ambiance, and exceptionally friendly staff made for a great experience. Prices were also very reasonable. Although I didn’t get a chance to try the food, I did see someone order the rack of lamb, and it looked excellent. Overall, I would highly recommend Yalla Rooftop.

I’ve been a regular at this place, but under the new management, I can’t shake the feeling of being othered—despite being well-known here, especially as a prominent Egyptian American bellydancer in DC and proudly trans. First, I wasn’t greeted upon arrival and had to seat myself. No big deal. I said hi to manager Sam, whom I know, but he acted like he didn’t recognize me—fine. The real issue came when, during an event, some guests invited me to dance with them . I hesitated at first but eventually joined in. Moments later, the manager pulled me aside to say it was a private party, accused me of inserting myself to the party, when I LITERALLY told him they invited and insisted me to dance, and he insisted I “stay in my lane,” despite being no complaints from the guests. To prove that even more, two or more people from the private party, came to ask me to join them, and I explained what happened, and they weren’t pleased, . Ironically, other patrons who arrived after me freely danced with the same group, with no intervention from management. That’s when I realized something felt off. I shared my frustration with few kind servers who listened and tried to make things right, which I appreciated. Still, the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Hospitality—especially in an Arab space—should feel welcoming, and this didn’t. It’s a beautiful venue with great food and drinks, the servers and bartenders are lovely, but the service from Management could do better, and be more inclusive, especially in a diverse city like DC (This isn’t Virginia, habibi) . I still have hope for this place, but only if the hospitality improves—particularly for those of us who don’t fit the mold. It’s a fun place nevertheless.

DO NOT BOOK HERE FOR SPECIAL EVENTS! The management doesn’t care about reservations and lied to me multiple times. I made a reservation for 10 for a celebration through the website and it was confirmed on Resy and confirmed the day prior. When we arrived we were told that 2 large groups were running late with their reservation because they arrived late due to traffic but they were finishing up. It was a few minutes before the belly dancing performance but we were assured that they would delay the performance until we were seated because that was the reason we were there. We ordered drinks at the bar downstairs and after 30 minutes I went upstairs to check and the belly dancer had started! I found the manager and he said we could come up and watch but it was almost over at that point. We continued to wait because we were assured we would be seated. Finally 1.5 hours after our reservation time they seated us. We sat there for 10 minutes without anyone coming over to us to take our orders, so we left. So frustrating because I planned months ahead for this special event and even the guest of honor wasn’t offered anything special to make up for the insane wait. It might be nice for date night but not for groups, and it’s very poorly managed and I am so upset that I was lied to multiple times.

Terrible Experience – Never Again! If I could give Yalla zero stars, I would. This was easily one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had in DC. We had a reservation, yet we were left standing around for 1 hour and 10 minutes past our reserved time before they even seated us—absolutely unacceptable. No updates, no apologies, just indifference from the staff. Once we were finally seated, the service was just as bad—slow, inattentive, and borderline rude. By the time our food arrived, we had already lost any appetite from the frustration of waiting so long. To make matters worse, the food wasn’t even worth the hassle—mediocre at best, definitely not worth the hype or the price. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. If you value your time and money, do yourself a favor and dine elsewhere. Plenty of restaurants in DC offer better service, better food, and actually respect their customers. Avoid Yalla at all costs!

Yalla is absolutely the greatest hidden spot on U street. The food beautifully presented, the portions are huge, and it also tastes fantastic. The bartenders are also great because they have a large selection of alcohols, but I highly recommend any of the arak based cocktails. It’s a great spot for happy hour because the roof is glass and the space feels open and airy. As it gets later, they start with a DJ who turns an already cool atmosphere into a clubbier space. Overall fantastic

2 shots of tequila were $50 here and cocktails were $20+ but the vibes were insane. Belly dancers, fun dance floor, good music, and fun dinner crowd. Food was pretty good and plated nicely.

My friends and I visited Yalla on Friday night! Our reservation was for 7:30, but we were able to stay for the belly dancer who performed at 10:00! I had the jibneh rolls, which looked similar to cheese taquitos. The sauce was supposed to have a harissa kick to it, but it wasn't spicy at all, mostly tasted the apricots in it. I also had the beef and lanb kafta, which was delicious! It was nice to have rice with it. For drinks, I had the Saffron Paradise (loved it, not too sweet), margarita (yum!) and an espresso martini (also delicious!). All in all, with the live entertainment which had my friends and I dancing in the restaurant, Yalla was such an amazing experience!!!

This is a difficult review. I liked the place and the food was good, but the location and access was off. We can here with a friend and it is located in the main drag of U street. Not my favorite place, but there are nice places on the strip. When we got there we entered what looked like a night club. The front door attendant walked us to an elevator in the back that took us to the top floor where the restaurant was. We came early so the nightclub was empty, but I can only imagine it would be difficult to get to the restaurant if the nightclub was packed. Once upstairs we had a good time, with attentive servers and good food. The beef skewers were very good but it was a small plate with only 1 skewer that had 4 pieces of beef. The humus was very good as well. Being Mediterranean food, it was mostly gluten free which I always appreciate.

The service was great. It was a Friday night and we were late to our reservations (our bad) and i am so thankful they still allowed us to sit without any hesitation. The people who worked there were very friendly and sweet. The food was great, i loved the carrots they give you for free, the sweet potato was amazing, and the chicken kabob and beef kabob were delicious. It was tender, and seasoned so good. They give you some pita bread with it and spread some sauce (not sure what it was) on it, and if you put the chicken with the pita and that sauce OOF. The only thing i was not crazy about was the labneh and pita. I guess i was hoping for more of tzatziki dip. I know labneh is supposed to be different but i had better labneh before and pita bread. I give it 3 stars only because the music was extremely loud. TOO LOUD, like i mean uncomfortably loud, it actually made me mad and grumpy the whole time. It was impossible to eat and conversate and it gave off more of a club than dinner vibe. It seems like something so dumb but it was REALLY LOUD. I wish they had some variety with the music too. They had hookah for a good price from district hookah. The cocktails can be better. Everything had Arak in it which is a anise liqueur and all the cocktails tasted like licorice. They should change it up.

Yalla, which means "Let's go!" in Arabic, has recently opened up in the U Street Corridor. Located at the Space Lounge at their penthouse level, they have Chef Chehaieb serving up some Lebanese eats. We decided to check them out for a later dinner, and we ordered: +Some dips - Hummus with Duck Confit and pine nuts; Labneh (strained yogurt with mint garlic and olive tapenade); and, Mouhamara (Syrian red pepper walnut dip and pomegranate molasses) +Beet Kibbeh Naye - with chopped beets, bulghur, rose petals, mint, scallions, and pistachios; I was curious about this, as I love kibbeh +Kibbeh - stuffed with ground beef and pine nuts with orange tahini +Jibneh Rolls - cirpsy sheet feta-mozzarella and zaatar sticks with apricot coulis +Tamarind Lumi Shrimp - sweet and sour sauteed shrimp, covered in shredded filo dough +Beef Skewers - strip steak, charred tomatoes, pomegranate sauce, sumac onions, and a parsley salad +Sish Taouk - aka, chicken skewers; with charred tomatoes, toum, and grilled bread with pepper paste I love that they had homemade sodas, so we tried both: +Sama - prepared with plums, ginger, orange blossom water, lemon, and club soda +Almandrin - with mandarin, rosemary, lemon, and ginger ale We couldn't pass up on desserts, so we tried their baklava (layers of phillo dough with walnuts and covered in pistachio), the Aish al Sayra (sweet palace bread pudding with cream and pistachios), and their Middle Eastern-inspired ice creams and sorbet (cardamom coffee ice cream, apricot sorbet, and misitika ice cream). I'd like to try their octopus next time. Staff were friendly! Limited metered street parking can be found in the area. +good dips +tasty skewers +friendly staff +limited metered street parking

The owner / managers are trying hard to be hands on and involved, so you can feel the quality control happening in real time. Small kinks like a proper coat check or coat stands for the tables still need to be worked out. More bathroom cleaning / checks as well. Also reminding patrons, if you want hookah at the end of your meal, you may need to have it at the bar if the tables need to be turned around (which completely understandable, esp if folks have been sitting for 2 plus hours ! ). Food is high quality and delicately prepared / deliciously executed. I am surprised at the critiques as I think places like this are going to be slightly smaller sizes, better ingredients, etc like a higher end restaurant.... The bartender engaged with us directly even though we were at a table and he was amazing- my 66 year old mother who does not really drink, drank her mezcal strawberry lime shot AND drank mine, I was SHOCKED!! They even provided us bday Prosecco's for her bday !! She is very very picky about her cocktails and she was impressed. Service is exceptional, the DJ was spectacular- everything from Persian Arabic Hindi Latino beats and more. Even the bellydancer was high quality and did a fantastic job engaging everyone at the establishment. To be fair, this concept always is hard in the DC area - high end Arabic food, plus hookah, plus a whole vibe, plus a bellydancer, plus a DJ- its A LOT to pull off.... most places will pick 2 of these things and focus on them... my reviews are relative to considering the whole picture, and given all of that, yalla was truly impressive !

Upon entering the rooftop, it's evident that Yalla has curated an elevated dining experience. The dim lighting with neon lights compliments a bright beautiful bar. There's a ton of greenery that fills the space, and the covered roof simulates a beautiful greenhouse vibe. The cushioned seating area was comfortable and was perfect to sit with friends! The drinks were very impressive: the Yallab had a great presentation of being lit on fire! The Very Beiry and Dalia were sweet and light - with the perfect foam! All dishes we ordered were great representations of classic Mediterranean dishes - with modern twists and beautiful presentations. We also got great recommendations from our server, which we appreciated! The Labneh had to be our favorite - it was a great pair to the pita! Additionally, we enjoyed the Tabbouleh's mint flavor and freshness! The shredded filo dough that covered the tangy Tamarind Lumi Shrimp provided a fun crunch! The crispy Batata Harra was another favorite for the table - they were so addicting and incorporated the perfect spices! The chicken skewers were also cooked to perfection - however the star of the show was tje Branzino on special! It was butterflied and flaky - with a kick of spice that we appreciated! Lastly, we ordered the Aish Al Saraya for dessert - a cream filled bread pudding topped with pistachios - and it was the perfect end to our dining experience at Yalla! If you want to experience elevated Lebanese cuisine with great service - come here!

A beautiful rooftop bar with the perfect vibes to curate a night out (neon signs, aesthetic bar, lots of plants & mood lighting). Definitely the perfect spot for a girls night, date or special occasion! First for the cocktails: all of the drinks they offer have a beautiful presentation & were delicious! I ordered the Dalia which had a nice foamy top layer & was sweet. The Very Beiry & Safrah paradise were both fruity cocktails with fun flavors of sweet & sour underneath. The Yallab cocktail was lit on fire in front of us to add the smoky aroma to the cocktail and it definitely added to the class! For food my favorites were the labneh dip (creamy), tabbouleh (minty, refreshing), & batata harra (flavorful roasted potatoes)! I also enjoyed the tamarind lumi shrimp (tangy!) the sish taouk (chicken was cooked well) & the menu special the branzino (flaky & flavorful!). For dessert we ordered the Aish Al Saraya (bread pudding) & it was super creamy with a nice layer of pistachios! Our server was from the Mediterranean area and was very knowledgeable on the menu & was super attentive! Our waters were filled frequently & silverware was switched fast. Overall a classy vibe for a night out!

very average service, food was below average, I should have continued with my previous Mediterranean restaurants.

Really fantastic dinner, superb cocktails and a friendly service clearly so excited about their still almost brand new space. The flavors and the vibe are a great addition to the DC restaurant scene.

Nice instagram-able vibe, but very small portions for the price. Food was all decent - but nothing remotely outstanding or interesting. The biggest disappointment was $28 for a single, small octopus tentacle. The actual serving size of this dish looks nothing like the main picture here on Yelp. Went to Medina after to keep eating and drinking - should have started there.

"The cocktails were fantastic, but the food didn't meet expectations. The baklava was dry and lacked sweetness. We left at 7:30, and there was only one other customer in the restaurant. The service was excellent, but unfortunately, I won't be returning for the food. London has amazing Middle Eastern and Lebanese cuisine, and a place like this wouldn't last there. There are way better choices in DC as well. Hoping for improvement, Yalla."

A beautiful environment, the rooftop patio is gorgeous and the service was exceptional during my last visit, especially Adam. The food is delicious and adds a sense of home style warmth. -Dr. Ohri

it was my best friends birthday we made reservations and drove three hours to eat at this new establishment. once we arrived we had to wait an additional 20mins they tried to seat us at a table two women were sitting at. The hostess told us to sit there and walked away the women became hostile with us because they refused to give up the table. after an argument we were asked to leave. very unprofessional I've never experienced something like this in my life, I would never ever recommend someone to this place to anyone. if this is how they deal with their screw ups they have a lot to learn with running a new business

I had a great experience at Yala Restaurant! The food was absolutely delicious, with a variety of flavorful dishes that truly stood out. The customer service was excellent as well--friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed. I highly recommend Yala for anyone looking for a great meal and top-notch service!