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Harissa barbecue duck at Sarma
Harissa barbecue duck at Sarma in Somerville
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Where to Eat Middle Eastern Food in and Around Boston

Shawarma, falafel, kibbeh — and everything in between

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Harissa barbecue duck at Sarma in Somerville
| Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Boston area isn’t a hotbed for Middle Eastern cuisine like, say, Dearborn, Michigan, is. But it’s not a Middle Eastern cuisine desert, either. Fine versions of street foods like shawarma and falafel are widely available, and one can enjoy more upscale dining options as well.

Head to these 18 Boston-area Middle Eastern restaurants and eat as much tabbouleh, baba ganoush, hummus, and fattoush as you can handle.

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Noor Mediterranean Grill

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Get the Noor trio at this Somerville Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant: beef kebab, chicken kebab, and lule (marinated ground beef) kebab.

Noor Mediterranean Grill
Beef skewers cooking at Noor
Noor Mediterranean Grill/Facebook

Sarma — part of the Ana Sortun empire, along with Oleana and Sofra, which are also essential destinations — draws its inspiration from Turkish meyhanes and from the cuisine of the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean regions, with a focus on small, seasonal plates by chef and co-owner Cassie Piuma. If it’s available, try the tabbouleh crusted flounder with tahini tartar sauce, a Middle East-inspired version of a classic New England fried fish. And when the tray of fried chicken comes around, definitely get a serving.

sarma
A Middle Eastern take on a New England classic: Tabouleh crusted flounder with tahini tartar sauce 
Sarma/Facebook

Kareem's Restaurant

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Chef Ahmad Yasin is doing good things over in Watertown at his weekend-only restaurant, serving what he describes as “‘Middle East meets West’ cuisine.” Try the muhammara, which is a mix of ground walnuts, pomegranate, Aleppo pepper, and spices. Great for dipping flatbread. Yasin also offers catering and cooking classes.

Kareem’s Restaurant
Pretty hummus at Kareem’s
Kareem’s/Facebook

Aceituna Grill

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Get the lamb shawarma with baba ganoush and fattoush at this fast-casual Kendall Square spot, which serves a mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food. There’s a newer location in Boston’s Seaport District as well.

Aceituna Grill
A spread at Aceituna Grill
Aceituna Grill/Facebook

Garden Halal Meat

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Garden Halal Meat is part market, part lunch counter. The jam here is a mix between a submarine sandwich and a shawarma.

Garden Halal Meat
A mix between a shawarma and a sub
Joey C./Yelp

Pita Thyme

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Bring on the puns! The salads at Pita Thyme — especially the steak kebab salad — are the play at this Lebanese and Mediterranean cafe.

pita thyme
Lunch from Pita Thyme
C.C. H./Yelp

Falafel King

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Falafel King has been doing its thing in Downtown Boston for almost 20 years. Trust the name and get the falafel (and grab some grape leaves, too.)

falafel king
Falafel fit for a king
Falafel King/Facebook

Shawarma Falafel

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Shawarma Falafel isn’t pulling any punches with its name. This Lebanese spot specializes in both, so go with a friend and get both.

Shawarma Falafel
Beef shawarma plate from Shawarma Falafel
Shawarma Falafel/Facebook

The Chicken & Rice Guys

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The Chicken & Rice Guys have three brick-and-mortar locations and some food trucks. Go to any location or truck, and get the halal chicken.

The Chicken & Rice Guys
A lunch plate from the Chicken and Rice Guys
The Chicken & Rice Guys/Facebook

Garlic ‘n Lemons

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An excellent counter-service spot in a neighborhood full of excellent counter-service spots. The move at Garlic ‘n Lemons is the shawarma plate: Get it with half spicy chicken, half spicy beef, half potatoes, half rice pilaf, half hummus, half garlic dip, and the Greek salad. (The math works.)

Beef and spicy chicken shawarma plate at Garlic ‘n Lemons
Beef and spicy chicken shawarma plate at Garlic ‘n Lemons
Angela L./Yelp

Tarboosh

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Another Allston gem. Get the shawarma wrap, and get it with french fries (the way things should be done).

tarboosh
A sampler plate from Tarboosh
Tarboosh/Facebook

Cafe Jaffa

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Cafe Jaffa is a Back Bay mainstay, serving folks on Gloucester Street since the early 1990s. Go with a friend or a date and get the Cafe Jaffa feast for two: falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, chicken and lamb or beef shawarma, Greek salad, and pita bread.

Baklava from Cafe jaffa
Baklava from Cafe Jaffa
Cafe Jaffa/Facebook

This is one of the best restaurants in Coolidge Corner. Rami’s has been serving kosher Middle Eastern-Israeli food since 1990. It’s all good, but the grilled chicken is the order.

rami’s
Falafel at Rami’s
Rami’s/Official Site

Dates and Olives

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Brighton’s entry on the map. Get the farro salad, which comes with butternut squash, kale, and a bright citrus dressing.

dates and olives
Farro salad from Dates and Olives
Dates and Olives/Facebook

Shawarma King

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Truly the king of the shawarma in Greater Boston. Get the pan-fried chicken liver roll-up, and get a side of tabbouleh.

shawarma king
A little bit of everything at Shawarma King
Shawarma King/Facebook

Boston Shawarma

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Lamb shawarma wrap. With french fries (inside the wrap, of course). End of story.

Boston Shawarma
Boston Shawarma
Boston Shawarma/Facebook

Pita Restaurants

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The shish kabob combo plates are essential at Pita, which has three locations in Boston and one in Cambridge. Try the lamb, and get a bowl of lentil soup on the side. (The same folks are also behind Moona, which you should also check out. We know you love it.)

Lamb, rice, and salad sit on a white plate on a picnic table
A pretty little grilled lunch from Pita’s Cambridge location
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Sami’s food trailer has been serving the hungry folks of Longwood for almost 40 years. It’s known for its wraps — and probably contributed heavily to popularizing wraps in America — but it’s all good at Sami’s.

Chicken and tabbouleh from Sami’s
Chicken and tabbouleh from Sami’s
Sami’s/Facebook

Noor Mediterranean Grill

Get the Noor trio at this Somerville Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant: beef kebab, chicken kebab, and lule (marinated ground beef) kebab.

Noor Mediterranean Grill
Beef skewers cooking at Noor
Noor Mediterranean Grill/Facebook

Sarma

Sarma — part of the Ana Sortun empire, along with Oleana and Sofra, which are also essential destinations — draws its inspiration from Turkish meyhanes and from the cuisine of the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean regions, with a focus on small, seasonal plates by chef and co-owner Cassie Piuma. If it’s available, try the tabbouleh crusted flounder with tahini tartar sauce, a Middle East-inspired version of a classic New England fried fish. And when the tray of fried chicken comes around, definitely get a serving.

sarma
A Middle Eastern take on a New England classic: Tabouleh crusted flounder with tahini tartar sauce 
Sarma/Facebook

Kareem's Restaurant

Chef Ahmad Yasin is doing good things over in Watertown at his weekend-only restaurant, serving what he describes as “‘Middle East meets West’ cuisine.” Try the muhammara, which is a mix of ground walnuts, pomegranate, Aleppo pepper, and spices. Great for dipping flatbread. Yasin also offers catering and cooking classes.

Kareem’s Restaurant
Pretty hummus at Kareem’s
Kareem’s/Facebook

Aceituna Grill

Get the lamb shawarma with baba ganoush and fattoush at this fast-casual Kendall Square spot, which serves a mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food. There’s a newer location in Boston’s Seaport District as well.

Aceituna Grill
A spread at Aceituna Grill
Aceituna Grill/Facebook

Garden Halal Meat

Garden Halal Meat is part market, part lunch counter. The jam here is a mix between a submarine sandwich and a shawarma.

Garden Halal Meat
A mix between a shawarma and a sub
Joey C./Yelp

Pita Thyme

Bring on the puns! The salads at Pita Thyme — especially the steak kebab salad — are the play at this Lebanese and Mediterranean cafe.

pita thyme
Lunch from Pita Thyme
C.C. H./Yelp

Falafel King

Falafel King has been doing its thing in Downtown Boston for almost 20 years. Trust the name and get the falafel (and grab some grape leaves, too.)

falafel king
Falafel fit for a king
Falafel King/Facebook

Shawarma Falafel

Shawarma Falafel isn’t pulling any punches with its name. This Lebanese spot specializes in both, so go with a friend and get both.

Shawarma Falafel
Beef shawarma plate from Shawarma Falafel
Shawarma Falafel/Facebook

The Chicken & Rice Guys

The Chicken & Rice Guys have three brick-and-mortar locations and some food trucks. Go to any location or truck, and get the halal chicken.

The Chicken & Rice Guys
A lunch plate from the Chicken and Rice Guys
The Chicken & Rice Guys/Facebook

Garlic ‘n Lemons

An excellent counter-service spot in a neighborhood full of excellent counter-service spots. The move at Garlic ‘n Lemons is the shawarma plate: Get it with half spicy chicken, half spicy beef, half potatoes, half rice pilaf, half hummus, half garlic dip, and the Greek salad. (The math works.)

Beef and spicy chicken shawarma plate at Garlic ‘n Lemons
Beef and spicy chicken shawarma plate at Garlic ‘n Lemons
Angela L./Yelp

Tarboosh

Another Allston gem. Get the shawarma wrap, and get it with french fries (the way things should be done).

tarboosh
A sampler plate from Tarboosh
Tarboosh/Facebook

Cafe Jaffa

Cafe Jaffa is a Back Bay mainstay, serving folks on Gloucester Street since the early 1990s. Go with a friend or a date and get the Cafe Jaffa feast for two: falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, chicken and lamb or beef shawarma, Greek salad, and pita bread.

Baklava from Cafe jaffa
Baklava from Cafe Jaffa
Cafe Jaffa/Facebook

Rami's

This is one of the best restaurants in Coolidge Corner. Rami’s has been serving kosher Middle Eastern-Israeli food since 1990. It’s all good, but the grilled chicken is the order.

rami’s
Falafel at Rami’s
Rami’s/Official Site

Dates and Olives

Brighton’s entry on the map. Get the farro salad, which comes with butternut squash, kale, and a bright citrus dressing.

dates and olives
Farro salad from Dates and Olives
Dates and Olives/Facebook

Shawarma King

Truly the king of the shawarma in Greater Boston. Get the pan-fried chicken liver roll-up, and get a side of tabbouleh.

shawarma king
A little bit of everything at Shawarma King
Shawarma King/Facebook

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Boston Shawarma

Lamb shawarma wrap. With french fries (inside the wrap, of course). End of story.

Boston Shawarma
Boston Shawarma
Boston Shawarma/Facebook

Pita Restaurants

The shish kabob combo plates are essential at Pita, which has three locations in Boston and one in Cambridge. Try the lamb, and get a bowl of lentil soup on the side. (The same folks are also behind Moona, which you should also check out. We know you love it.)

Lamb, rice, and salad sit on a white plate on a picnic table
A pretty little grilled lunch from Pita’s Cambridge location
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Sami's

The Sami’s food trailer has been serving the hungry folks of Longwood for almost 40 years. It’s known for its wraps — and probably contributed heavily to popularizing wraps in America — but it’s all good at Sami’s.

Chicken and tabbouleh from Sami’s
Chicken and tabbouleh from Sami’s
Sami’s/Facebook

Related Maps