Habibi Lebanese Cuisine

by Senthil R.

Habibi is my favorite place for dinner while I worked in Portland downtown for about 18 months. The owner is very friendly and the food is very good.My favorite dishes are the Meat Mezza, Meat Combo and the Chicken Kabob. I should add that the rice served with the kabobs is fantastic. And did I say the prices are very very reasonable. Most dishes are less than $10. Can't beat that.

by Skylar L.

I went here last night for the first time. With money getting tight (damn you Portland job market), I was on the lookout for value. You can't beat this place. Save for the weird Bride of Frankenstein vases still on the table a week after Halloween is over, the place is nicely decorated. For the unbelievable prices I was expecting a shabby little hole in the wall. This place is not that. It's almost date worthy (maybe midweek, been dating for a while date). The food ranged from OK to delicious. I wasn't impressed be the grape leaves. They were dry and not very flavorful. The pita, hummus, baba ganoush were definitely return worthy. My favorite dish was the artichoke heart casserole. I don't know how it's a casserole, I would define it more as a stew, but regardless the hearts were tender and the tomato sauce was tart and complex. The end of the meal brought Turkish coffee and rice pudding. The quantities of both were huge. The coffee was served in a ornate percolator looking thing and had four cups of coffee for the coffee drinking unk and I to enjoy. The rice pudding was served in an oversized margarita glass. It was too much for the three of us to finish, however hard we tried. The rice pudding had a strong flavor of pistachios instead of cinnamon. I liked it, but I do love me cinnamon rice pudding. Extra points for all the vegan and vegetarian options.

by Kody L.

After having dinner here again, I have to update this to five stars.  My dinner was so amazingly good I can't stand it!Meat Mezza platter:  What cracked-out spice is on that chicken?  I can't get enough! Yummy hummus, beef kebob, and dolma among other tasty samples.Lamb and Egglplant Casserole:  So good!  Of course, you have to like eggplant, which fortunately I do!  I want more...Rice Pudding:  I didn't want to try it, but my friend insisted and I'm glad he did!Lebanese wine:  very dry (not a bad thing, just an FYI)Service:  Amazing and friendly.  I like him a lot, very funny.I think this might be the best Lebanese in town.  I'm a fan! I got in for lunch at 11:45 am, but the place started filling up pretty quickly by 12:15 pm.  Do…

by Theresa H.Jayne R.Venerable V.Sasha S.

I have been going to Habibi regularly for 4 years now and I still love it. Everyone who works there is friendly and genuinely interested in chatting and making sure you are happy with your food. The restaurant is pretty small, but there is rarely a long wait. Even when I've eaten here with large groups, they have accommodated us by moving tables together or sitting us upstairs. I could keep going on about the service here, but more important is the food! Every meal starts out with a huge piece of warm, homemade pita bread and typically hummus for dipping, but you can order tatziki or baba ganouj as well. I have tried a lot of different dishes at Habibi, but my favorite are the mezza platters. There are various platters, but the vegetarian one comes with falafel, mini pizzas, tabouli, spinach pie, vege grape leaves, and dipping sauces. It's probably enough to split with someone else if you eat enough pita bread in the beginning. Also delicious are the kabobs served on a bed of rice with a side salad. And if you are trying to really save money, the chicken gyros are less than $6 and they are both filling and tasty. This place is a must-go, you won't be disappointed with anything you order. The service is great, food comes out fast (and pita fills you up in the meantime) and the variety of dishes is endless.Craving Lebanese food I remembered this recommendation from my friend, and chose to meet a guy here for our first date.  It was the perfect atmosphere for this!  Small but roomy with high ceilings, quaint but not quiet, and plenty of other people in the restaurant (but we were seated right away).   It has two floors of standard table/chair seating, and can accommodate small or large groups (I saw plenty of both sizes on a Friday night).  Service was great, very attentive and friendly.  It felt like you were in someone's home, with a total family vibe.  The menu is completely authentic and is not lacking any dishes you would expect, and the place smells amazing.  I was on a mission for lamb, so I chose the lamb schwarma plate, and my date chose the lamb shank.  Both were hot, fresh and flavorful.  We split the feta/pita appetizer, which paired perfectly with the Lebanese red wine we were working on.  Overall this is a great neighborhood spot for delicious, authentic Lebanese food any day of the week.I actually used to work here years ago when it was Long Island Cafe and managed that restaurant for just over two years so I've got an interesting perspective on this place.First, the noticeable differences - they've done an amazing job turning the inside of that place into a good looking, small restaurant.  It used to have this immensely huge NYC skyline (complete with twin towers) and a HUGE American flag.  The previous owner was proud to be an American citizen.As I used to work there, the new owner warmed to me and has always remembered me when I would come back.  He's always nice and upbeat which makes me feel good.Service is so-so.  Aside from the owner who knows me, the staff is really only bringing your stuff to your table - I wouldn't say there's really any 'service' going on here.Ok, so here's my gripe - I usually get the mezza here and have to admit that the portions are paltry at best.  Granted, when I worked here, I would eat all the food I wanted but didn't take that into consideration when I pay nearly $10 for a mezza (which I usually split with a friend) and we have to fight for the hummus.  I mean, that stuff is so inexpensive and easy to make.  Pile it on!  Everything looks like it's portioned with an ice cream scoop.  Barely any tabouleh...The food tastes great and all is well, they've just gotta give me more bang for the buck.Just a quick little update- I talked to Habibi, the owner, recently. He said despite the rise in groceries he's opted to keep prices low because of the economic crisis.. so people can still enjoy food even if their pockets are smaller.Thought I should mention. I love Habibi, I was there when they first opened their doors, and I am still there whenever I need…

by Chrissy S.

There are certain restaurants that talk a big game.  You know the ones. Every Yelper has been Yelpin in their damn pants about these spots. And it's hard to live up to that kinda hype. My problem with Habibi has always been one simple thing. Whenever I want to go, they are CLOSED. Not their fault. It's mine. It's like when you consistently crave a food only on Sunday's and that happens to be the only day you cannot get said food. Horribleness. Just plain bad timing.Imagine my surprise and exuberant delight to find all the lights glowing on those pretty kitchy chandeliers, and an open sign smiling back at me. HUZZAH! great success.So this restaurant is my Chuck E. Cheese. It is absolutely so happy and clean and cool. Bottles upon bottles of Hot Lips sodas line the walls of shelves. Wine bottles too. Filling the shelves instead of books. Over the loud speakers pumps out the new Britney Spears album, which would normally annoy but in this setting it almost seems joyful, dorky and perfect. I bop my head along and I wait for my Lamb Schwarma sandwich with patience. When it arrives via the super nice and constantly smiling dude, it looks amazing. I almost need a minute to appreciate just HOW good it looks before I can bite it. And I do.  And they flavors hit me. Hard. This amazing and beautiful combination of spicy juicy pipping hot lamb meat, drenched in THE BEST Tzatziki sauce that you are gonna find, and fresh tomatoes and lettuce wrapped in warm garlicy pita. Oh my GOD. Is this love? YES. Yes it is.And it came with a really yummy salad of mixed greens and amazingly awesome killer hummus. AMAZING. We got an extra plate of Tzatziki and pita. I couldn't decide which was better; The Hummus or The Tzatziki. Seriously it's a toss up, because they are both SO DAMN GOOD.So in the end. I love this place. I love almost everything about it. The only thing I don't love about this place, is that I'm not there more often. I've died and gone to food heaven. And I will be back. Especially for my birthday. Though, it's not quite as good as a creepy singing dancing mouse from Chuck E Cheese....but it's damn close.

by elaine l.

Habibi haiku:warm and friendly stafffalafels, yummy hummusa delightful find

by Zachary Sam Z.

A dilemma: My SO and I are both starving, the sushi places I was craving are all 1 hr + wait and don't take reservations for two, and we're getting crabbier by the minute. We need food and we need it soon. PS, it better be delicious and reasonably priced.Habibi delivered on all fronts. After a quick 10 minute wait, we were seated in the upper area. I ended up getting the Chicken Schwarma plate, and E got the Vegetarian Mezza.At first, we were a bit disheartened: Given our ravenous hunger, it didn't look like all that much food. But appearances were deceiving, because after we had finished, we were full and satisfied. The food was all around delicious.A relaxed place with a great environment and very courteous wait staff. Love it.

by Jayne R.

Craving Lebanese food I remembered this recommendation from my friend, and chose to meet a guy here for our first date.  It was the perfect atmosphere for this!  Small but roomy with high ceilings, quaint but not quiet, and plenty of other people in the restaurant (but we were seated right away).   It has two floors of standard table/chair seating, and can accommodate small or large groups (I saw plenty of both sizes on a Friday night).  Service was great, very attentive and friendly.  It felt like you were in someone's home, with a total family vibe.  The menu is completely authentic and is not lacking any dishes you would expect, and the place smells amazing.  I was on a mission for lamb, so I chose the lamb schwarma plate, and my date chose the lamb shank.  Both were hot, fresh and flavorful.  We split the feta/pita appetizer, which paired perfectly with the Lebanese red wine we were working on.  Overall this is a great neighborhood spot for delicious, authentic Lebanese food any day of the week.

by Olivia T.

Just because I got a big hug from the manager of this place, I had to write an update review. They have the "People love us on Yelp" sticker on their door now, but it doesn't change anything.Five stars quality of food....yup!Five stars service....yup!Five stars lamb and eggplant casserole that I truly love...yup yup!Five stars place...yuuuuuuuuuuuuup! I love Lebanese food. No, let me rephrase that, I LOVEEEEEE Lebanese food. I've been craving for…

by Rob W.

The food: Pretty damn good. I ordered the beef shwarma plate on hummus, and the meat was cooked and seasoned to perfection.  The Pita bread seemed very fresh, and the hummus was fantastic.  My baklava, however, was a little on the dry side.I was surprised to find a rather healthy beer selection, from which I ordered the Hair Of The Dog IPA.I found the portion to be smaller than average for the $8.50 price, however.  I found myself ordering a side of rice ($2.50) to get the portion to where it needed to be.Beyond that, the menu is fairly exhaustive.  Every section is broken down into Vegetarian, Vegan, and Meat.  Everything sans the beef in my meal was in fact vegan, which leads me to infer that the meatless options on the menu are terrific.  I'm sure my lady friend would approve.  The atmosphere is typical of Lebanese restaurants, though there's a lot more Persian techno.  The service is on point.  Food times were good, though the restaurant wasn't especially busy.And a quick side note - To my server:  I appreciate your enthusiasm and your attitude, really.  But I'm not your "buddy" or your "pal", you do *not* have license to invade my personal space and/or engage in bodily contact with me. (repeat patting on the back).  You may think that it is endearing, and many of your patrons may tolerate it, but it's just not that cool to me.