Ya Hala Lebanese Cuisine

When we good in the door ,floor was dirty.Waitress not pro. It started with ordering simple Ice tea,was water. I recommend the Feta Cheese Salad and Bread was good. The Main Core ,Lamp On Bone in a Sauce,was no taste at all,not spiced ,just bla.I told that the server and when she was coming back,she told us that she tasted it and agreed.No Taste at all .Then we ordered the turkey coffee,the taste was good but there leave the coffee seeds in it, so your teeth getting all black and bad taste. I eat a lot of different kind of food ,but this restaurant not surfing middle eastern food ,i not go back there. The prices was fair. Stick with the appetizers. more

used to love thish place but since the man that owned moved to the beaverton store we've noticed a decline in food. spent 31.00 for lunch and we ordered a rosewater and cherry drink. we wanted a refill and the waitress said no she would have to charge us. after spending 31.00 for lunch you would think she would have been happy to give us a free refill; drink was $3.00 and it only cost the restaurant around $.50 if that. the waitress talked herself out of a large tip. husband is a chef and he always tips nice when we get good service. the lamb was old and dry. am really sad at how much this restaurant has declined. Cons: old lamb, bad pita bread; too small and hard more

Heard good things. Tried it. Service was beyond slow. Perhaps the slowest I've experienced in PDX. Food was ok. Had a friend who wanted to go, tried it again. I cant stress how poor the service was ie got only water for 25mins (we were caught up in conversation before we realized this) tried to wave over a waiter- no luck. walked out. I wont go back nor recommend it ever. Pros: Im sorry I couldnt give this a minus star rating Cons: indifferent service, dirty! more

Just went in there & wow was it gross. Atleast 8 tables not bussed & food all over the floor. That might be understandable, but there was only 3 tables occupied. After the rude waitress did her best to ignore us, she told us to sit wherever (yeah right, where?). We decided to brave it anyway & bus out own table & piled all the leftover food onto another table full of leftover food. All the while watching employees walk around the back just talking to each other. When the waitress finally got to our table, I asked her what was going on with the place & she made a snide comment, making it aware to my girlfriend & I stayed or left. We left & will never be back. Cons: Everything more

I have been here twice for 2 occasions with a group... some of the items that I consider as safe choices (kabob, chicken shawarma) did not turn out to be that way. Chicken shawarma was not so good on one visit and was good on the other. Kabob was okay. Veggie choices were good like their falafel was very good and Bamyae (okra dish) was surprisingly nice. Their Makloube (with lamb) wasn't appeling enough for me (probably a little undercooked for my taste). Considering that Portland has a lot of other good middle eastern place (like Nicholas, Hoda, Karams, etc), I give it 3-stars, but definitely not a bad place to go. Pros: Nice interiors and good service Cons: Not so great food more

I grew up with a large arab population and love the food. But this joint is only ok. The meat is good. The hummus is surprisingly not very good. Very bland. They give you fresh baked bread but not on sandwiches. The veggie mezza is so so. Mainly because the hummus. The only plus there is the Baba. The veggie Mezza is far better at Nicholas well as is everything. Just go to Nicholas Pros: Actual Middle Eastern Food Cons: Not the best more

Service takes forever, and is only so-so. But the food is excellent, except the artichoke, with the humus being the best I have had in the city. Know that you will have to wait a while, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. Pros: Humos, Food Cons: Wait, Service more

All i can say, is that this restaurant is the best restaurant i have ever eaten at!!! Pros: Best Everything! more

I've eaten here often. Usually I get the lentil soup and Greek salad, but this December night I was cold... more

I've eaten here often. Usually I get the lentil soup and Greek salad, but this December night I was cold and wanted heartier food. So I chose a b... more

Beautiful decor (especially the murals), very considerate staff, and excellent meal. (1) Falafel: This was... more

Beautiful decor (especially the murals), very considerate staff, and excellent meal. more

My falafel was soft and mushy. My grilled tuna was overcooked. The service was unbearably slow. I can see why the prices are so cheap. The chef wore a frown the entire time and seemed to hate being there. Too bad because I do enjoy middle eastern cuisine, when it's good. I'll be getting my falafel from the guy on 22nd and Division from now on. Pros: cheap in price, but also production unfortunately Cons: Bad service, Bad food. The chef has an attitude problem. more

The falafel was terrible! It was not fresh, and infact was microwaved and mushy! Very disapointing since cripsy falafel is a favorite of mine. The Foul Mudamas is definately from a can, and the wait for food is so long, I felt like they were holding me hostage! With a microwave and canned food, why should it take 45 minutes for appetizers? I am surprised they are so busy, it must be because it is cheap. I will never eat here again. Pros: Next to another place to eat Cons: Food does not taste fresh, slow service more

OMG you have got to try the moughrabieh! It is like what would happen if I had a sweet old Lebanese grandmother who just happened to be the best home cook in the world and she was making me an extra special dish for my birthday. Two separate bowls, one with braised beef shank in a rich brothy sauce, one of braised chicken, perfectly seasoned, served with a dish of flavorful Israeli type (large grain) couscous and a big spoonful of thick whole milk yogurt. This is REAL, REAL food, not some sort of contrived restaurant dish that is trying to be as good as homemade. My boyfriend was totally jealous when I ordered this and he ordered something else (we don't even remember it compared to the delights of the moughrabieh). Get a couple of light mezza to start and then share this and you will be so satisfied. We have also tried several of the various mezza and they are all great. I don't usually order kebab because I don't think they're very good most places, but here they are indeed tender and well-seasoned. The Veggie Mezza sampler is a great deal, as it is a surprisingly large amount of food, sometimes we are so full after just sharing it that we can't believe we still have an entree to eat and end up taking a lot of food home. So yes, I think this restaurant is a great value, by the way. And finally, the service is pleasant and friendly. One time we had a problem where two sisters who work there each thought the other one was taking care of our table and so we didn't get any service for quite a while but I think that was an isolated incident and actually it was kind of funny. Pros: Delicious food, try the moughrabieh! Cons: Service is occasionally slow, not always though more

True that sometimes the food can take a while (up to thirty five minutes), but every dish is cooked to order and well worth the wait. There is an extensive appetizer menu to help pass the time while you wait for your main entree. It is a little weird how the food trickles out one plate at a time, but it appears to be a vey small kitchen with not a lot of staff. Highly recommend the stuffed artichoke heart platter. This place is very friendly to omnivores and herbivores alike. Pros: Great selection for meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. Cons: Sometimes there is a little wait for a table. more

I found Ya Hala in the AAA travel guide while trying to find a hotel in Portland. It was a little hard to find, but WOW! This is the best restaurant I have eaten at in a long time. The food was excellent and a great price. I found my new favorite dish-the vegetarian kibbeh. Everything we had was very tasty, and I enjoyed the smallish portions so we could try a variety of different dishes (they were still bigger than we imagined and we had plenty of leftovers). I would definitely give Ya Hala a try if you haven't been there before. I will be back again and again! Pros: Great food, good price more

The food is wonderful but on a Friday be prepared to wait for a table and your meal. The service was good, however I decided to pay close attention to the kitchen to see how it works and was appauled to see who I think was the owner bully her employess when she thought no one was watching. This left me with a bad taste in my mouth. more

For the most part, I really enjoy this spot. The veggie mezza is great, and foul was excellent. When you get a good server, the experience becomes that much better. Top 2 for lebonese in pdx - more

The food here is amazing and it is very inexpensive for how much you get. The wait can be really really long on the weekends but they are very good about putting you on the wait list as soon as you get there and giving you updates on how long it will be. I definitely think this is the best Lebanese restaurant in Portland. Pros: Delicious food Cons: Long waits on weekends more