Ya Hala Lebanese Cuisine

by Lisa L.

This place is awesome. My brother took me for lunch on a visit home as it is one of his favorite places and now one of mine. The place is dark and hasn't been updated, but the chairs were wide and really comfy, and it is pretty quiet no matter where you sit. We had falafel to start. I found this dry and not too flavorful although my brother was wolfing it down, so to each his own. We next had the Shawarma plate. The waitress brought out a basket of warm pita bread, and a plate of grilled chicken (you can also have lamb sirloin, which is what my brother usually orders but now recommends the chicken), surrounded by hummus and pine nuts. I was seriously licking my fingers and the plate at the end of this. It was a simple dish that was really delicious.I would like to try a dish other than the falafel next time but would not go there without ordering the Shawarma plate.

by Mark H.

I love Ya Hala, my family loves it, my friends love it. Great food, good prices, very lively at any time of day. Vegan, vegetarian, meat, it's all there and all good. I'm confident enough that I have taken my New York City friends here and they were quite happy with the food. The owner is around much of the time to direct traffic and greet customers.They tend to be very busy, and they are expanding their floor space. The servers tend to be super busy so sometimes service is a bit challenging, but hey, I'm not complaining.

by Donald E.

Trying to sum up my experience at Ya Hala's, all I really can say is "meh."  I've definitely had better.  And with so many Lebanese restaurants all around Portland, why settle for mediocre?We ordered take-out, and the food was prepared in a decent amount of time.  Granted the vegan in our group received not his ordered dish, but something meat-filled instead.On top of that, the food was just... okay.  Horribly underwhelming. The food almost had a pre-prepared taste to it. The lebna was more of a cream cheese than a yogurt, and the falafel is green on the inside.All said and done, was it a bad experience? No. If this was my only Lebanese option, would I be back? Yes.  Given the current circumstances, will I be back?  Probably not.

by Kris W.

A 4.5 star joint - the inexpensive hot and cold mezze choices are great for sharing. Very nicely spiced dishes with a good variety of options on the menu. Skip desserts.The stuffed grape leaves were small but very tasty; hummus was light and creamy. The salad with the grape leaves was dressed in a tart, garlicky vinaigrette with a little sumac in the dressing.On a par with Aladdin and a bit less expensive but comparable quality to Karam.

by rick r.Robb W.Donald B.Peter A.Marc M.

This gets my vote for Best Lebanese in Portland.  Ya Hala has come a long way since its humble beginning as The Falafel King, more an extension of the market that it has since supplanted.The baba gannouj is amazing.  Creamy, smoky eggplant that goes with everything.  The skewers are fantastic.  I do recommend going with a large group and getting one of the family-style feasts (ya hala mezza maybe), it's amazing.  You will run out of table and tummy before you run out of food.The dinner wait can be a bit of a nightmare.  They don't take reservations (though kudos...I called once to warn them of a large party on a friday night and there happened to be a table waiting for us, despite the crowd at the door).Ya Hala, while by no means fancy, is a bit nicer than Nicholas'.  If you're craving street food, the cheaper Nicholas' might be a better destination.  But for some dining, hit up the kibbeh, dajaj, makloube  whatever.Since I'm recovering from yet another food-induced brain lock, I will keep this short...These fine folks do what they do very well.  I've had lunch there a handful of times and have been duly impressed every time.  When it comes to Middle Eastern / Lebanese food, I generally try to use a couple of items as a measuring stick - Falafel and Baba Ganoush (sp? yeah yeah...I can eat it better than I can spell it...sheesh...)The baba is really nice.  You can taste the eggplant (rare it seems) and it has an unusual smoky flavor that I really like.  However, it's the falafel that's the real showstopper.  As others have said, it's crispy, light and very flavorful...little green hockey pucks of LOVE...Their hummus is solid (tasted a little eggy, which I thought was odd, but not unpleasant) and the tahini is very good as well.While I'm certainly no expert on this genre of food, I've had enough to know good from bad...This is good!Everything seemed quite good.  Unless you are knowledgeable about Lebanese foods go with someone who knows what's what and try a sampling of as much as you can.  This is a very safe place to try out Lebanese and our waitress was very helpful.For those of you who have hangups about sexual orientations, you're really missing a bet if you don't try out some Lebanese food.Was great!  I love trying new foods, the service was quick, and even though I was very hungry it seemed the food came quickly!  I am definetly going again!Unsafe food handling!  I and two other homecare nurses became violently ill 36 hours after eating lunch here.

by bobby d.

This is a small lebanese restaurant serving traditional foods. It's on the one way road going west from 82nd ave.I went here a few times for lunch and it was always good. My recent visit was also good except they didn't serve the really giant size loaves of bread like they use to. They now have more of a flat type bread. However, the service was still good, you can still sit at tables outside if you want, and the prices were still reasonable. They also have the traditional desserts there. I ordered a lamb dish which was really good.Parking can be a problem since there is on street only. I will definitely go back when in the area.

by Robb W.

Since I'm recovering from yet another food-induced brain lock, I will keep this short...These fine folks do what they do very well.  I've had lunch there a handful of times and have been duly impressed every time.  When it comes to Middle Eastern / Lebanese food, I generally try to use a couple of items as a measuring stick - Falafel and Baba Ganoush (sp? yeah yeah...I can eat it better than I can spell it...sheesh...)The baba is really nice.  You can taste the eggplant (rare it seems) and it has an unusual smoky flavor that I really like.  However, it's the falafel that's the real showstopper.  As others have said, it's crispy, light and very flavorful...little green hockey pucks of LOVE...Their hummus is solid (tasted a little eggy, which I thought was odd, but not unpleasant) and the tahini is very good as well.While I'm certainly no expert on this genre of food, I've had enough to know good from bad...This is good!

by Laurie S.

My favorite place for middle eastern food.Don't miss the vegan stuffed artichoke hearts. They are served with rice and salad. A lovely big meal; plenty to take home. The pita is homemade. The baba ganouj the best. I always ask them to serve the mezza without the extra oil on top. I love the aranabeet--deep fried cauliflower. It gets crowded in the evenings unless you go early, like 5:30. Lunch is fun there too.

by Jeffrey L.

Excellent Meza Plate! The falafel is superb...  Hands down better than Nicholas

by Liz S.

I love this place. I think it is probably the best Lebanese food that I have ever had the pleasure of putting into my mouth.  I have only ever gotten one dish - the vegetarian mezza platter of course! The roasted cauliflower is wonderful - it kind of melts in your mouth. I have to say I have never had a bad experience here. You get a huge amount of absolutely wonderfully prepared food that will satisfy people of all different food preferences. Vegans, vegetarians and carnivores alike. I think the prices are very fair for what you get. Only complaint - sometimes the dining area and bathrooms don't seem as clean as I'd prefer.