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Al Aqsa Fine Middle Eastern Cuisine
Categories: Restaurants Mediterranean Restaurants Middle Eastern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
1130 Royvonne SESte 103
Salem, OR 97302
(503) 586-3682
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
11 reviews for Al Aqsa Fine Middle Eastern Cuisine
11 reviews in English
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Review from Daniel R.
Salem, OR
5/21/2012
I'm not a big mediterranean fan, but this place is awesome. They have a "salad" bar, but you can get a variety of foods for a great price. The owners are really helpful, they always offer me coffee (because I come here a lot) and their coffee is very unique and delicious, definitely not like the coffee you get anywhere else. They are also very very tidy and clean, and that's how they do business. They serve their customers with the utmost respect and they help you figure out what you might like. I always get this lamb shwarma....FREAKING DELICIOUS!!!!! I ask them to put their spicy sauce in it...when I bring it home I'll mix a little sriracha to give it an extra kick...I always order two because after you eat the first one, you'll want a second one for sure. Give them a try, they're very helpful and such great business owners.
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Review from bobby d.
Gales Creek, OR
5/2/2012
This is a small restaurant on the south side of salem. They have a small buffet style table of various mediteranean salads, appetizers, and desserts that are sold by the pound. They also sell sandwiches including a falafal sandwich.
I ordered a beef shwarma pita sandwich for $5.99. The pita bread was very soft and puffy, the beef tender, and sauce good. The service and food was good and I would go back. -
Review from Zoe D.
Salem, OR
1/4/2012
I love the Palestinian family who runs this place. The mother is the primary cook and does a fabulous job. Yes, as others have mentioned, the food is made and then much of it kept on ice awaiting your request to be reheated. Some may find this off-putting, but, honestly, most of it is so yummy I eat it cold!
I'm Greek but have also lived and traveled in many places and have had the privilege of having many home-cooked meals by fabulous cooks. Thus, I'm pretty damn picky..
Dolmades (rice wrapped in grape leaves) simply melts in my mouth but I'll admit it's a taste that may take some people a time or two to get accustomed to. The spinach pie is fabulous. I don't remember everything else I've tried there on several occasions but even my Mexican friend who was totally unused to these flavors loved the place!
Can't wait for the permits and so forth to go through for the State St location, as I'd get there more often!
Current Hours: Mon-Fri 11 am to 8 pm, Sat 11 am to 9 pm, Sun 12 to 7 pm
Oh, and anyone wondering (like me!) what was up with the phone, it had been listed under the son's cell # rather than the actual store # but that seems to be fixed now).
Phone: 503-584-1325 -
Review from Chuck B.
Updated - 12/5/2011
The food here is so fresh and good. I won't run through the litany of items we selected from the ice bedded buffet/salad bar today, as it's nearly identical to what I reported, in detail, back in June.
I'll leave it at this; If you like Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food, you're gonna dig this place!
Note: The owner says the long delayed opening of the State Street location should happen next week!2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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6/25/2011
SWMBO and I lunched there today. Their menu is good but somewhat limited. (It changes daily,… Read more »
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Review from Angel H.
Salem, OR
My hubby and I, on our nightly walk, decided to pop into this place and give it a try. We walked in at about 8:30 PM and were greeted very nicely by Monaf, the owner, and his dad. They were cooking something, I don't know what, but DANG it smelled GOOD!!!
Everything was very clean and tidy. The kitchen/cooking area was clean. I saw no flies, no left out food, no grime, no dirty tables, no trash.
There is not much of a menu; but Monaf has it all written down on a whiteboard and is very happy to discuss everything with you and tell you what it all means. I have never had Arabic/Mediterranean food before so I was not sure what everything on the sign meant nor what to get. Hubby and I finally opted for a Chicken Shawarma (Think Gyro type of thing) for $5.99. At first I thought that was kinda high but I figured hey this is my first time here so we'll see what I get for $5.99.
The salad bar was all put away but if there was anything we wanted to sample, they were more than happy to get it out and let us have a sample. I spotted homemade Baklava but since it was dinnertime I tried a little bit of the Tabouleh...it was delicious so I bought a $1.12 worth and then went outside and sat at their little patio table to await my Shawarma.
Well, about 10 minutes later, Monaf brought out our Shawarmas and said "You will LOVE these". I took one look a it and thought "Yea, I will!" For $5.99 I got a HUGE freshly cooked and very tasty pita/gyro bread kinda thing filled with chicken, tomatoes, onions, pickles, some other type of veggies, and some sort of pestoy ranchy chivey sauce all squished together in the bread. I took one bite and that was it! I was sold!! All of the different tastes came together wonderfully and I was actually full after eating this along with my Tabouleh. This beats ANY $5 footlong, anywhere! Even my hubby, the pickle HATER, loved this thing!!
(I took a photo of it. It's in their gallery here on Yelp.)
While we were sitting outside eating, another couple came up to eye the menu. We told them it IS delicious!! Even though Al-Aqsa was suppose to be closed, they gladly served them. Soon after that, Monafs dad brought us all out a sample of Arabic coffee. The stuff was pretty good, and I drank it BLACK! I NEVER drink coffee black but this was a rare exception.
Hubby and I stayed a bit after closing just chit chatting with Monaf and his father about the different foods, culture, etc... They were more than happy to share their information with me and invited us to come back anytime to snap more photos and have more coffee. As nice as these people are I may just do this...Soon!!
NOTE: Everything here is COOKED to order. No microwaves or freezer burnt stuff!! So please be patient...it may take 5-10 minutes to make your food but you WILL be glad once you get it. It is FANTASTIC!! -
Review from Aaron W.
8/20/2011
(EDIT: After trying the State St. location, this location also gets an extra star. Basically the same people and same menu in this case. Very few differences.)
I arrived promptly at 11 a.m. on a Saturday, just as the place was opening for business. One woman basically ran the show at least for that morning, and she was hastily getting the food out for the "salad bar" as I contemplated what to get. Ultimately, I tried some of the food from the salad bar, just getting a few ounces of food ($2 worth at $6/lb). I also got their chicken shawarma sandwich ($6). In total, I paid about $8.
(Contrary to what another reviewer said, many of the salad bar items were refrigerated or frozen, and would be heated on request).
The chicken shawarma was not the best (but not horrible). The chicken was on the dry side and the spices didn't pop in my mouth. The tahini sauce and tzatziki were nothing to write home about, either, but at least they gave this sandwich some creaminess. The vegetables (basically pickles, onions, and tomato) added some freshness and/or crunch to the dish. The side of Sambal Oelek really gave a much-needed pop and extra layer of flavor to the dish. I am a bit puzzled that Al-Aqsa serves an Asian condiment with a Mediterranean dish.
The salad bar experience was also largely unremarkable. Perhaps the best of the dishes I tried was the Moujadara, a vegan dish of lentils, rice, and onions. It was quite tasty and, for a second, I was fooled into thinking I was eating meat. The dolmas (rice-stuffed grape leaves) were too briny, and the rice inside was too mushy for my tastes. The green beans were OK, nothing to really make me want more of those. The hummus was also not really up to par; I wanted more pop in flavor in that bad boy. Finally, the tabouleh salad (parsley, onions, and bulgar wheat) only left a parsley taste in my mouth...other than that, it had no flavor.
I will say the woman running Al-Aqsa on the day I visited was extremely friendly and let me sample various items from the salad bar. One star for the food, bonus star for the service. Regardless, I'm not planning on returning here, as I feel I can get better Mediterranean food elsewhere. -
Review from Wendell H.
Salem, OR
7/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
There are no proper words to describe how utterly amazing this place is. I had the chicken shawarma (a much better version of a gyro) -- the chicken was grilled and the veggies inside were obviously fresh and still had a nice crunch to them. The sauce, which had a slight touch of curry in it, was just right. Everything was contained in grilled pita bread. It was quite large and very filling for only $6. After the meal, we were treated to Arabic coffee, which I've never had (and I LOVE coffee), and I was blown away. The people running the place are genuinely helpful and friendly as well. You would have to hire an army to keep me away from here!
Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Bryan N.
Salem, OR
9/14/2011
DELISH!! I strongly recommend the Chicken Shawarma!!
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Review from Erin P.
Corvallis, OR
11/6/2011
I've eaten here twice now and I'm planning to make this place a regular stop. I have had the lamb and chicken shawarmas, the hummus with warm pita and some falafel. All were very good and reasonably priced. The service was friendly and helpful. In Salem, the land of chain restaurants, I am happy to be able to support a family business. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a simple, tasty and reasonably priced meal.
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Review from Rosa M.
Salem, OR
7/10/2011
A great casual Arabic food restaurant. Vegan options are good -- specifically the salads, the dolmas, and the rice & lentils. The tabouleh was nice & lemony. All very fresh. And more good news: they are going to open a 2nd restaurant on State Street in Salem! Near the Cue Ball, Subway area close to 12th street. Yeah!
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Review from j b.
Salem, OR
10/9/2011
Friendly server and clean atmosphere. I ordered a falafel and very impressed. Fresh, tasty, and good quantity.
