I had a great experience here. First off this was down of the hottest (tempo) takeout food Ive ever had. The Chicken schwarma was really tasty and the fried were crispy and fluffy. Great flavors and fresh made. They have some indoor and outdoor seating and you can order online. There was some confusion with my online order when I went to pick it up. So make sure you are very clear you have an online order.

You know a restaurant is doing something right when they survived the pandemic! The food is fresh and delicious, the oil the falafels were fried in was obviously fresh as well. It is always reassuring that the food is authentically middle-eastern when the entire menu is bilingual in Arabic. Clean restaurant and even though I was just ordering carry out, when I sat down to look at the menu I got a delicious thimble-sized cup of Arabic coffee! What a nice treat!

Honestly no idea how this place is rated as well as it is. First, it was filthy (like literally). Flies everywhere, etc. Took a surprisingly long time for the food to come out. The hummus was fine, but a little strange with what looked like relish on top. The pita was very dry. The grape leaves were actually pretty good. I ordered lamb chops but ended up with shrimp - I just rolled with it because the man did not seem to speak any English whatsoever (I had attempted to order by pointing at the menu but that had not helped). The shrimp were fine, but there was so few of them alongside a massive portion of rice. My wife got the beef gyro which was literally the smallest gyro I have ever seen alongside a massive portion of french fries and it was chewy. There was a tray of baklava just sitting out on a table as we left, just exposed. And $40 out the door for all this. Interesting experience but will definitely not be back.

Très bonTrès bonHighly recommendedLooking forward to coming back

Ordered via Uber eats and it arrived quickly. The lamb biryani was mostly rice and a few pieces of lamb with a side of what seemed to be store-bought plain yogurt. Also ordered kunafa (pistachio and cheese dessert) but was given a piece of store-bought chocolate cake. I’m hoping this is not the typical experience for this restaurant because it was not good or worth the money.

One of the best Middle eastern food in Rochester, MN. Very well presented food and great quality of meat used. Lots of options and prices are reasonable for quantity.Must try if you’re in town!

As salam alaikum wa rahmatoulahi wa barakaatu. I just want to thank you for this wonderful mean tonight. After days of driving on the road (almost 2 weeks) myself and my 2 autistic children, I was more than over joyed to get this meal! What an amazing meal it was Alhamdulilah!!! To the owners n staff, thank you for the kindness and we hope to come back to visit again soon in sha Allah. May Allah bless you and make your business successful and grant you success in the ahkirah as well. JazakAllahu KhairnPs. We orderLamb Biriani ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️2 Lamb Shish kabob sandwich ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️Hummus tahini w pita bread ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️French fries ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️dessert ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️we just can’t say enough! Everything was delicious!! best part, halal meat!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Very kind and personable owner, professional staff, delicious lamb and chicken platters and super outstanding services.I highly recommend it to all my friends, co-workers and family members.It was a great memory for my kids, my wife and my self.It’s a five-star restaurant.

REALLY nice place. It is not a FIVE star restaurant you would expect in New York, Washington, DC, Paris, etc. What it is is a very nice comfortable restaurant that truly serves excellent Middle-Eastern food.The flavors are extraordinary.This restaurant is not fully staffed so do not expect McDonalds or Wendys style speed of service.The team that takes your order also cooks your food. And they take their time to make sure it is properly cooked.All of the team at the restaurant are very personable and quite friendly.If you want a very nice meal this is the place to go.

My husband and I really enjoyed eating at this restaurant. We served as Peace Corps volunteers in Morocco, and we love an authentic Arab food and culture experience. The Middle East Restaurant is authentic in service, food, and atmosphere (any complaints you read about this place are based on a lack of cultural understanding). I ordered a falafel sandwich, and it was crispy fried and delicious. My husband ordered a specialty - lamb shank with rice and a wonderful sauce. He thoroughly enjoyed his adventurous plate of authentic cuisine.

The food was SUPER flavorful and delicious! You can really tell it is authentic and they put a lot of work into the food. I had the lamb biryani. The lamb was tender and the garnish added a lot of flavor to the dish. It was a bit dry though. The owner is super nice, and I recommend eating in the dining room because the service is excellent. Overall, I am excited to go back sometime.

Great place to go to tonight! Open late and the waiter brought us delicious tea when we sat down. Super reasonably priced-we both ordered sandwhiches which ended up resembling wraps, but they were yummy, hot and well seasoned. Our waiter was super friendly, and our food was awesome. We’ll be checking this place out again for sure.

The falafel sandwich is to die for! Please keep in mind the bread is like a laffa or manakish bread (similar to tortilla) so dont be surprised, its delicious!

Amazing late night spot, very personable owner and staff, and phenomenal food. Definitely my new go-to spot in Rochester!

I liked their dishes. Upon my request, they got the kebab less spicy. They were quick . Space were available both indoors and outdoors. Had convenient parking lot .

One of Rochesters hidden gems. Classic hole-in-the wall joint offering up authentic Middle Eastern food. Likely due to COVID, we were the only eat-in patrons on a Saturday night. In spite of an impressive array of constant pickups for takeout and delivery orders, the cook treated us as his special guests. We were brought a lovely lentil soup with fresh lemon before ordering, guided through the ordering process, and our platter to share was stunningly presented, with fresh arugula framing it like a crown. Everything was fresh and home-made, with every attention to detail. His home-made pickles were excellent, the rice perfect, the meats cooked to order. The salad was exceptional, with fresh mint, and the humous was studded with herbs/spices, like jewels on an ornament. He was solicitous with the home-made Turkish coffee, wanting to make sure that everything was as we wanted, and seemed genuinely interested in educating us on his Jordanian cuisine. We will most definitely be back. This place has it happening!

I had to order a substitute dish because was I wanted wasnt available to due not having a certain ingredient, and they didnt have coffee so I had to order the tea. The food was overall very bland and seemed microwaved. I hope my experience was just a fluke and not how the restaurant normally is.

Delicious! Served quick and friendly service. My first time passing through Rochester on way home with family. Also my first time writing a review. Our platter of lamb chops, kebab mix, shrimp, rice, and salad was delicious. The samosas were flavorful and falafel fragrant. The interior was a step away from American standards. But that was another thing I liked about it. The atmosphere had character. Will recommend and will go again whenever passing through Rochester. And tasty coffee! Plus fragrant sweets!

The owner was very kind and hospitable. Great shawarma, and the kabobs and rice are delicious as well. Nice and authentic.

We loved the shawarma wraps and veggie samosas. Everything was great and we will definitely order again. We got it through Uber Eats and it was warm and not soggy.

Super delicious food. Great customer service. I got the mixed grill and it comes with a delicious warm soup and some kind of bread (not in the picture, I ate it too fast, it was reallygood). Also the service was fast. I highly recommend this place. A lot of food for an affordable price.

This food was amazing! Fresh & Delicious. I will definitely be eating here again, especially when friends are in town!

Excellent food and friendly. My wife had the lamb chops and is still raving about them. I had chicken biryani and really liked its spiciness. Atmosphere is so-so, but that in no way got in the way of really good food! Highly recommend it.

Food was absolutely incredible, but the wait time for our items was very long. I had to drive my wife to work (we didnt expect it to take nearly an hour for our food to be served and even longer for my drink), so we had to leave our payment and tip on the table under our plate.Fabulous food, but plan ahead to wait even when its not busy.

Delicious hidden gem of a restaurant! Our first time here. Ordered the grilled kabob platter with falafel appetizer...lots of good flavors and a fun mix of lamb, beef, hummus, etc. Enjoyed outdoor dining under an umbrella...which was great for a sunny summer day. Thank you!

So, we really enjoy the food. The flavor and seasoning are amazing. Very Delicious.We order the Large Order of the House Mixed Grill for 2 along with a mix grill entree and both meals had the same portion of food even though the House for two was double the price. We called and talked to the nicest gentleman who said it was a mistake and was quick to make it right. He made us another mix grill combo and it was spot on.The meat is delicious. The shrimp is definitely on the small side. The Hummus hit the spot and we need to go there to get more of it!!!P.S.I wrote something good and to the point. Then my wife rewrote it.....

The food was supremely delicious and the presentation was excellent - a slivered almond, roasted, in each depression in the kabob. Definitely would recommend and go again.

Very friendly staff and delicious food. They did forget part of my order once, but I had no problem picking it up.

Ive been here for 3 days trying a different food place every day, but Middle East Resturant was by far the best I tried during my visit. I ordered the Lamb Kebab and it was fantastic 😍 I tried ordering their walnut baklava, but the man was honest with me and told me it was old so to try it a different day, which I really appreciate! Mind you, I did come to the resturant at around 830pm so its understandable. Once I move to the area, I will definitely come back for food AND to try to baklava 😉

Super nice folks working and running the restaurant. Very generous and gracious. Traveled to Rochester from out of state. Was nice to sit down and have authentic food!Thank you 👍

Foods delicious it remind me back home❤️‍🩹

First time I ate there. My son daughter and I went on April 21,2022. Service was excellent. The waiter was very polite. Food was very good and plentiful. Will go again and would recommend it to others

Lamb chops were delicious. I will definitely come back for more.

If you havent tried this restaurant yet, you really should. The food is great and the service is super friendly. I had the lamb shank and it was incredibly tender and flavorful. I will definitely be stopping by again next time that Im in town.

Have been here so many times with friends or just ordered take-outs. Really good place with wonderful food. The staff are really friendly and the price is reasonable. if you never tried middle eastern or Indian food, this is absolutely a right place to start.

It took a little bit long for the food to get to the table, and the place wasn’t super clean. But when the food got there, it was wonderful! I’d definitely come back.

Good place for tracking down some party food staples from the Mediterranean, & Southwest Asia. Great Turkish Coffee (remember that like Polish Coffee you dont add sugar & you expect it to be strong). Engaging with staff will leave with a positive response. Any difficulties had communicating just be mindful of your goals of service & attempt to convey them in another way. Probably during better conditions than the current pandemic this is a good place to meet to discuss geo-political & sport news relative to the cuisine being produced here.

Quick service. I ordered chicken shawarma platter. The food was good at low price.

Highly recommend the kufta. Friendly staff and good service.

Very good food and good service. Met the owner himself. Anwar is a very pleasant and caring host. My wife and I will go back there again.

First time trying a Middle Eastern meal. The soup as shown in the image, was delicious! The food was delicious, I enjoyed trying the mixed meal as it had a variety of meats. The owner was super helpful with suggestions. 10/10 recommended!

I stopped by this place yesterday and ordered the chicken shawarma and instead I got weird dry chicken wrap and fries. And also, I didn’t get a drink despite ordering a combo meal. I would advice ppl not to waist their money at this place, because that’s what you will experience.

Very good food i ordered homous and shawarma tasty and good price . Friendly staff

Amazing food, especially the pickles and tea, and a very kind owner. I will definitely be coming again!

The food is so good. It’s one of the best restaurants in the area. I hardly recommend to try this restaurant if you would like to try middle East food.

We went today and had chicken Shawerma platter, it was AMAZING with the best garlic dipping and pickles and the quantity is really sufficient, we enjoyed the view outside and the delicious Arabian coffee afterwards, gonna come back for sure to try more Middle Eastern and Jordanian dishes.Sorry we were too hungry we forgot to take a picture, next time we will.

Customer service was great, very friendly. Food was freshly made and great. Would definitely come back.

Yes I enjoyed the delicious buffet. Which had amazing Halal food and great customer service. I will be back soon InshaAllah.

I went here to break my fast, and the food was AMAZING. I loved everything from the chicken shawarma, to the falafel, to the rice and lamb they had. Unique flavors, that really made me feel like I was in the Middle East. Thank you so much, will come again!!! 😊

Delicious dishes with friendly staff that made our dining experience wonderful. Thank you for a great dinner!

No pics on menu. Poor communication. I was overcharged for what I got but the cashier was unable to understand. Or maybe it is a $20 a plate kind of restaurant??? It was flavorful I guess.

My wife and I were in Rochester the past week and we looked up Middle Eastern restaurants. We found this restaurant wasn’t too far from where we were staying and decided to give them a try. I can’t say enough how fresh and delicious their food is. Their tabouleh, hummus, baba ghanouj and falafel are excellent. Having lived in the Detroit metro area and dining in excellent Middle Eastern food there, this place brought back fond memories of the flavors and aromas.

Beef kabob just as I recall from Jordan. Yum. Owner is friendly. Hes from Jordan, so you know the Mansef will be delish!He wont be super successful, however, until the actual restaurant is a nicer, cleaner place to sit.Food is good, though!

The restaurant is clean and cozy, situated right at the corner of the street. The staffs are super friendly, genuine hard-working people who would work until 2-3am on weekends to help you with your midnight cravings!Definitely should try their food and remember to get the baklava. I will go here whenever I’m in town.

I’ve been to this restaurant a handful of times now, and while the atmosphere may be less than impressive, don’t let that fool you because the food is absolutely delicious! The meats are tender, juicy and full of flavor. The rice is cooked to perfection with a fragrant and brothy taste. The hummus, baba ganoush, harissa, garlic sauce and salads are all fresh and full of flavor. The restaurant is run completely by the owner/cook, so while service may be slow it’s absolutely worth the wait. Although delivery or pick up may be a great option, the owner informed me that outdoor seating and grill are on the way. Can’t wait for more to come for this local gem.

Went here for takeout. The menu was great - listed in English/Arabic with descriptions of each dish, corresponding with a number - so there’s no confusion when ordering. The gentleman who took our order was so nice and our food was packed up very well - no leaks on the way home. The food was fantastic. Portion sizes were great, food was spiced well, and we enjoyed the hummus and garlic dip that came with one of our entrees ( the mixed grill for two ). The food here does cost more than a fast food restaurant because the quality is much higher. Can’t wait to eat here again!

The food was amazing and enjoyable for sure

Average!! This is the third time to order food from this restaurant through DoorDash, the first two times were wonderful but today’s mixed grill experience was disappointing!! Kofta was so greasy so we couldn’t even swallow it and the green salad looked like remaining from the previous day . The kabobs and rice were good.

Great delicious food with an affordable price. I ate there many times . Great service and so nice people.I highly recommend this restaurant 👍👍

Really great! This was our first time trying and will be back for certain. The flavor of the food was great. We tried the chicken and lamb kabob, and the falafel. Would highly recommend! The portions were enough to give us some for leftovers too. Make sure to save room for dessert. Also shout out to the owner as they had pivoted to keep their business open during covid. Good food and we will be back.

This place is delicious and filling with friendly service. What a great spot to have in Rochester!

I went in for dinner completely blind, no idea what to expect. Came out satisfied with a full belly. Ordered the chicken tandoora, which was pretty tasty. Perhaps a little bit pricey, but portions are pretty good sizes, so maybe that makes up for it. Would come again.

Awesome....great authentic food!

The food was great and the service was fantastic!

If you are looking for a good middle eastern food in Rochester, this is the place to go. The mixed grill with hummus is very good.

The food is scrumptious. I pre-ordered whole lamb- it was well garnished with cashews, peanuts, pine nuts, and the rice was flavored. It came with cucumber- yogurt and okra gravy. The portion size was amazing for 25 people. With that, the prize, quality, quantity was fair. We also got Walnut Baklava tray- just complimentary on the house, which was kind on their part. The delivery was quick. Highly recommend for a house-party, catering, or dining.

First time ordering from this restaurant, and I was not disappointed. They were out of Falafel so I got the fries and they were good. I also got the chicken shawarma sandwich, which was amazing! The garlic sauce was pickles made it even better. I wish there would have been more of the garlic sauce, but it was still amazing! Will order again.

Absolutely incredible food and the owner was very friendly. This place is going to be a regular for me from now on.

Upbeat, positive atmosphere. This place and the people making it work can always bring a smile to my face! And thats even before Im eating. The food is flavorful, cooked beautifully, and always fresh and hot.

It was ok not as good as we had hoped. We tried to play it safe with the chicken and beef shawarmas. The chicken one was okay but, the (beef?) lacked much to be desired and had a weird sour taste. The fries were ok. The top part of the meal was their somosas which had a nice kick and would have gotten a 4 on their own. Overall I’d rank about 2.5.

Great eats fresh authentic middle eastern food only place open late I usually get the mixed grill the cook it fresh on order

Great food, very kind owner.

Delicious food! Sent us a free hummus a pita bread. Love supporting local, tasty, authentic, and diverse food restaurants. This one checks all the boxes!

This is a very nondescript venue, but the food is amazing.I had the fatoush salad and the manshaf with lamb shank.Fatoush salad is a lettuce salad with cubes of tomatoes and cucumbers, with pita croutons, a basic vinaigrette and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Holy cow. The addition of that molasses electrifies an otherwise acceptable salad to a heightened level of appreciation. Its sweet, sour and spicy at once.The manshaf is a rice dish with a thin, lemony sauce served on the side, like a broth. On its own, the rice was delicately seasoned and aromatic, mixed with parsley and peanuts and very pleasant and mild. With a few spoonfuls of the sauce in your mouth it becomes another level of flavor that was very tasty.The lamb shank was fall off the bone tender and well seasoned on its own, and also paired well with the brothy sauce.There are many other options on their menu I cant wait to try.Its worth your while to come. The owner is very kind, he does a good business, and I hope he achieves great success.

Great customer service! Very delicious food that left us very satisfied. Ordered the chicken shawarma, falafel, and shish tawok (chicken kabab) and they were all very well made. Highly recommend the chicken shawarma which was a hot pressed wrap sandwich with great flavor and a very good portion size for the price. Will be going back!

Was looking for some place for lunch, and came across this place! The food was great with friendly service! Highly recommend!

Great food, generous portions, super friendly service!

Amazing good, 1/2 chicken Arabic with rice, salad and hummed was just phenomenal. Love supports local restaurant. This is one of a kind of local restaurant that need to supports because they delivered fresh, flavorful & just makes me feel like I’m eating at a Arabic family home.Keep it up and thank you!

Very clean and authentic arabian food. Staff very helpful and welcoming kids.

There was some confusion on my part about my order! I called the store they fixed the issue right away! Very professional and the food is super DELICIOUS!’ Definitely will be back!’

Great food. Friendly people.

The chicken shawarma has so much taste and is so good. I also love the rice n lamb! Great spot!

Amazing food! Fresh and so great tasting. A must for you to try!!

We ordered two different orders last night they were incredible their food was very delicious.

I ordered hummus with pita bread. There was no pita bread. How am I supposed to eat it with no bread?The falafel did not come with tahini sauce. Im not eating dry falafel.The lentil soup was like water and tasteless.

I was surprised with their Veggie Pasta. You can customize the amount and type of veggies (I go for mushrooms only) but their SAUCE is a real winner. It’s a house special sauce- not alfredo/not cheesy- but something else. Very tasty and filling. Its decently prized and portioned. The pasta is even better than some of the downtown places. It’s a no-brainer that you can order without thinking while you explore the more middle eastern options. In that, their falafel sandwich (moist and always fresh) with garlic sauce can keep you full for hours. Another surprise is the fried cheese. A must try place.

The food was delicious and the service was great!

They are friendly and welcoming you, food is amazing I will recommend everyone.👍👍

Great restaurant for authentic shawarma! Great hospitality by the owner and also got complementary baklawas! Every one must visit this place.

This is the best Middle Eastern food Ive had in Minnesota!

I ordered the lamb shish kabob sandwich and the lentil soup. The lentil soup was both tasteless and salty. The shish kebab sandwich was just as bland. My friend had the kabab platter and was unimpressed. The peppers looked sloppily cut and haphazardly grilled. Honestly just lazily prepared without any effort for seasoning/taste. Would not recommend.

They got catering- so I got the food done twice- on family occasions. Mansef with lamb shank, maqlouba with chicken, kibbeh, shish-tawook with garlic sauce. They let me sample the dishes prior to order and were very accommodative. The mansef is rather unique dish and the guests loved it. I love the food from here. I highly recommend the place.

The best food I’ve ever had! They have an amazing service, delicious food, reasonable prices and their restaurant is very clean. I felt at home and I really enjoyed it.They provide lots of middle eastern different kinds of dishes, soups, sweets and coffee! This is definitely a worth place to come and eat Arabic food again!

This place is incredible. There are few places that remind of home and this is one of them. The warbat is incredible, the mishawi is fantastic, and the mtabal (babaghanouj) and hummus are perfect. I highly recommend this restaurant, the food is the most authentic Arabic food in town.

This restaurant is wonderful! We ordered the lamb kebabs & the beef biryani. The portions were generous, and perfectly prepared. The atmosphere was friendly, and the proprietor was very attentive to our needs. The restaurant is clean & bright, and pricing was reasonable. Middle East restaurant is a great addition to the Rochester scene, and offers a very healthy dining option. We will definitely eat here again!

Food is delicious!! Huge portions and everyone there is very nice. Highly recommend!

Pre-Covid, I’ve been to this restaurant many a times and post-Covid, I continue to order home-delivery. I am vegetarian and for me the options are diverse- I usually go with hummus, baba ganouj (both come with pita bread).My friends and I have breakfasts from here-foul, massabha, fattet hummus, and falafel bites. I highly recommend falafel sandwich, tabbouleh, fried cheese, & veggie pasta. The dessert favs are- baklava, knafa, and choco pastry. The food is amazing in terms of freshness, taste, combos, portion size, and prepared with care. The staff is very friendly, flexible about requests, and polite. They have an open deck at front and in summers, I used to enjoy some Arabic coffee with baklava. In winters, Lentil soup with falafel sandwich. They let you hang out, work/study. Overall, a pleasant place to be with friends and family with great food and cozy vibes.

Very delicious food and friendly staff!

Excellent customer service!I tried chicken tendoora with rice, Hummus and Kabab. The dish was so delicious!Later on they served us Konafe and drinks of our our choice which was fantastic!I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone coming by Rochester!

Had an issue with uber eats on xmas eve 2020, and lost money because of an issue uber eats created, and middle east restaurant helped me out with a discount to help me compensate the uber eats, and then delivered the food themselves to my place.5/5 ordering again