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Category: Middle Eastern [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Southwest Portland, DowntownWas walking on the streets of SW Portland searching for a place to have dinner, when we found Karam. Took a peek inside, the ambiance looked good, saw a few natives eating (which is always a good indicator!) and we decided to try it out.
Well, if you are in Karam, you have to order their veggie mezawat. It is essentially a collection of their veggie dishes - falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, couscous, pita, yogurt and a salad. Food is tasty and plentiful. We also ordered the chicken shewarma. Chicken was tender and cooked well. The owner was generous enough to give us an extra side of rice without charging for it. All in all, definite value for money.
That being said, they close at 9 pm, even during weekends.
My wife and I split the combo meat platter. It was pretty good. Meats were extremely tender. She got a Lebanese soda; never heard of that before, but it was really good!
Waitress was helpful in describing items on the menu and wasn't afraid to offer opinions on which dishes she thought were better (which I always appreciate).
Best Lebanese in Portland. Bread is light and puffy. Lamb dishes all supremely prepared and delicious! Family run, traditional style presentation where wife cooks and daughters serve, husband greets and seats with warm welcoming demeanor.
I have decided something after going here. Just as you wouldn't expect Rice at a sushi place to be delivered via sysco, neither should pita or naan. If it is a major part of the dish? it should be fresh and it should be made there.
That being said, I seriously have a boner for their fallafel. I really can't put it any other way, talking about it right now? is starting my salivary glands, thanks, now I have to go get some. The decore is so cute too, with old maps on the table, I can occupy my ADD by staring at people and making faces as they walk by me. This is the one place I can say I don't get drinks at, know why? i want my stomach as possibly the emptiest as it can be.
Their hummus is lovely creamy with tasty olive oil and paprika. I can't get enough of the tahini, pretty sure there maybe some kind of addicted substance. Their fallafel is divine, flavorful and large deep fried fantastically crispy goodness, GD! I'm now so hungry for it I'm actually angry at this review. Anyways, Their lamb couscous is fantastically flavored, I nom nom it every time, no literally? I make that noise, I say nom nom as I'm scarfing it down. The only thing, I think I like greek feta a little more, lebanese feta tastes like cold butter, but not like good? i dunno how that can be, just too rich I guess. However during lunch they have awesome pita sandwiches which as chalk full of juicy fantastic chicken. you get filled up and not hate yourself. This is highly recommended.
Amazing Lebanese food here.
Started with a great cucumber leban, followed by a phenomenally freshly baked pita with hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh salad.
Then had an interesting lentil soup which was so-so....but probably the best entree item was the kebabs, which were marinated and roasted.
I don't like handing out 5 stars. It makes me nervous. I'm by no stretch of the imagination an exuberant, effervescent or effusive sort of gal. But not only was there nothing wrong with Karam, everything was right.
They were the only restaurant for 3 blocks even open during this weeks "snowstorm."
The waitress was great. Answered any questions, made quality recommendations, and was there when we needed her and never when our mouths were full.
The food was good, blah blah blah, but here's where I verge on excitement. Best tea in the universe. hands down. I can't stop thinking about that delicious mint tea. (apparently, the chef grows the mint in her backyard. no, that doesn't really matter, but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy and local all the same.)
This place is good!! They have an excellent menu...so many choices we had to request our server to give us few more minutes 2-3 times :) & she was very friendly. Started with the yogurt cucumber drink Eran...not that great (had better one at an Afghani restaurant in bay area, Salang Pass in Fremont).
I got the Goat Casserole and it was DELICIOUS. And the servings are huge!! Other friends ordered Lamb Shank which seems to be popular here..& they loved it. Humus was good and pita was fresh. Back to Cali and craving for some goat stew..Karam style! :)
More people should eat here, for the homemade pita alone.
Delicious stuffed grape leaves, tasty falafels, refreshing salads, good portion/price value, great menu variety, family owned...what more can you want in a restaurant?
I've never tried the desserts since I'm not a fan of sweet Middle Eastern pastries, but everything else I've had has been great. They have sampler platters for the indecisive, or you can pick and choose among various menu sections as desired without risking disappointment.
The owners are great - the wife cooks and often comes out to serve and check on how things are, and the host is almost always around and making sure everything is alright. Deserves more patronage.
Karam, in Lebanese, means "generous." The owners aren't kidding. This downtown locale remains my favorite Lebanese restaurant in Portland, and not merely because of the genuinely off-this-planet, out-of-your-gourd grape leaves and sterling falafel. Both in portions and in spirit, one always feels well-served, and in the best tradition of Mediterranean hospitality one always also feels welcome. You can expect the owner to stop by your table personally, affably, to see how you liked the food--he's not worried you didn't, because you did.
Like all Lebanese fare, Karam is vegetarian-friendly, but I'll admit my favorite items on the menu are the goat and lamb dishes--in particular the molokhie, a double-platter number where you get to drape the savory-leafed molokhie and spinach across the lamb and rice, just like you would a sumptuous velvet gown onto your own body.
The pita bread is delivered like a puffy steam pillow to our table, and like anything full of hot steam you have to be careful not to get burned. Pretty place to eat. The pumpkin and bulgar was good, reminded me a bit of a pumpkin sandwich the colder it got though. Overall not bad. The humas was tart and tasty. Would eat there again. Good amount of vegetarian dishes.
I just can't get passionate about this place. It's certainly not bad, but it's not fantastic either.
I got a bit of a cold reception at first (I get that I have green hair, but I was bringing in four other friends!) which I generally find ridiculous and nearly inexcusable in a restaurant.
The food was fairly tasty. I had the pumpkin kibbeh which did a good job of satisfying my unending cravings for both bulghur and pumpkin. I also tried my friend's falafel which is not nearly as good as those at Nicholas's. The hummus was pretty standard but not fantastic.
Try the fries, though! Good flavor, though not as crisp as I like.
I have eaten at Karam twice now and both times I loved it! The food is awesome, everything tastes so fresh, the portions are great, the prices are right on, and the folks that work there are super nice. The hummus is really great, creamy and with quite a nice variety of spices in it. They allowed me to substitute the tahini for extra hummus, woo hoo! The falafel is so good.....crispy, flavorful, and the portions are quite large. I have ordered the feta appetizer dish before too and it is awesome! The feta is so delicious and it comes with olives, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. So good.
The star of the restaurant is the pita. The bring it out to you warm while it is still puffy from being baked. It is awesome. The second time I was there I got an order to go and I asked for extra pita which they happily accommodated. They gave me so many pieces of extra pita, I was amazed. It was so good. Awesome place and awesome food!
I'm kinda a rookie when it comes to Mediterranean food ... but this place was pretty awesome!
We went with a group for a work dinner so were able to sample some very yummy stuff. Their falafel appetiser was tasty as was their hummus and baba ganouh (sp?). I shared a yummy veggie dish called "Fattee" with a co-worker. It was layers of thick bread with veggies and covered in tahini sauce. TASTY! We also shared the artichoke stew ... also very tasty.
They had a most amazing strawberry lemonade ... that almost tasted like a smoothy -- but not too overpowering. It was amazing!
Hands down I would say -- best hummus I've had in awhile. Very very tasty.
I figured Marlo Thomas and Jamie Farr are.
But did you know Tiny Tim is one, too?
So are Sammy Hagar and Catherine Keener.
...Yes, they're all of Lebanese extraction. No, not lesbians...Lebanese. But enough with the Trivial Pursuit. I just noticed Portland seems to have quite a few Lebanese restaurants. Fine by me because I love Middle Eastern cuisine, and Karam is the one I tried when I was there.
It's a bustling place at lunchtime, and I can see why. It smells great in there, and the robust menu has a lot of appetizing selections from hummus to kibbee ball to couscous. I tried the $11.95 Lamb Shank, which came hot and juicy in its own rectangular plate. You could smell the garlic, tomatoes and cilantro from the broth that was poured all over it. The basmati rice was in a separate bowl, and the puffed pita bread was in its own basket. It was pretty delish with the meat not quite falling off the bone. Still satisfying nonetheless.
It's located on the same block as Mother's Bistro. The service was a bit perfunctory at least until the lunch crowd subsided. But I'd definitely go back if I have a hankering for some Lebanese if you please. Oh and there's Hanna-Barbera...yeah, both of them....and Salma Hayek...well, half of her...and Casey Kasem who keeps reaching for the stars...and Dick Dale who invented the surf guitar...and...
FOOD - 4 stars...a fine lamb shank indeed
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...a bit crowded...and I kept banging against the vase fountain next to my table
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...a bit stand-offish until they had time to reconnect with me toward the end of my meal
TOTAL - 4 stars...they are Lebanese if you please
I always eat at Karams when I get a chance. Very friendly, great atmosphere and excellent food. The hummus is the best besides the fresh pita bread, lamb kabobs, stuffed grape leaves and babaghanoush. Nice prices too.
I've only been to Karam's once while visiting Portland, and it was really really excellent. The menu is extensive, filled with authentic Lebanese dishes (and some Italian on the back page????), all of which sounded delicious. It was hard to choose. I order Kibbeh Labeleh and my dining companion got the Lamb Couscous. My dish was quite nice -- it was served with a ton of very tasty yogurt/mint sauce which was unlike anything I'd had before (not like tzatziki). The lamb couscous dish however was AMAZING -- the lamb was so moist and tasty.
The entrees are on the expensive side ($13-18) but the portions are huge. For $1 you can change your salad to tabouli, and I recommend this as the tabouli was excellent. The service was attentive and helpful in suggesting dishes. I only wish I had gone with more people so that I could have tried more things.
If ever go back to Portland, I will definitely go back to Karam.
Been meaning to write this up -- seriously one of the best Lebanese restaurant meals I've had. The lamb shank was insane, like it had been marinating for three days. The shawarma plate was of the sort that is so effortlessly excellent, it makes you wonder why shawarma so often falls flat, or at least short of what it can be. And man, the home-made pita just spoils you; after having one of those tasty, soft, light-as-air, just-out-of-the-oven breads, you'll never smile at a rubbery hunk of dough again. And if you like licorice, definitely get a glass of the milky arak.
This was the first time I had Lebanese food, and what a great place to commemorate the occasion. The food was cooked to perfection. All the plates had a lot of flavor. The shawarma with chicken was my favorite. They have a pretty big menu, and it will take some time deciding what to get, but everything tasted great.
Only been here once, for lunch - but wow: the fresh pita, the house made hummus, and the falafel makes me crave going again. I've had falafel all over, and this is almost as good as it gets.
based on Tiffany's review and my projected location at dinnertime last night, and a cursory glance at the menu on Karam's website, i struck out for this spot with an out-of-town vegetarian friend.
it was surprisingly crowded, but we still got a table immediately and were greeted by the owner. the menu is *extensive*--plan to spend at least 10 minutes deciding what you're going to eat, at least at dinnertime. or spend that time on the website beforehand! don't be daunted by the terminology, the last page has a glossary on =)
we had an appetizer of zucchini and tahini (and a lot of eggplant), largely because it rhymed and everything looked good. that was tasty, but dinner was what really shined. i had something called 'fatte' which was an excellent lamb/yogurt/bread dish, and she had a pumpkin/bulgur thing that was...weird, but really dense and tasty.
we were both too full for dessert, which says a lot--i'm a really big eater.
anyhow, i liked this place better than habibi [http://www.yelp.com/bi...], though i guess it is a bit more pricey.
this is the 2nd best hummus i've ever had. only my cousin's homemade (extra garlic, extra lemon) is better.
they make their own pita and bring it out to the table while it is still puffy and hot. it's thinner than i prefer, but it keeps you from being too full of bread to enjoy your meal.
i took stephanie t.'s advice and subbed tabouli for my salad. after seeing my friend's salad, this was the smartest decision i made all night. it was super lemon-y and delish!
i also recommend any of the drinks involving their house-made rose syrup. i can't describe it fully but it was very interesting and tasty.
for my entree, i had the lamb shank. it was a little heavy on the cumin for my tastes but still very tender and yummy. i will def be going back again!
I wanted to try a new place with a friend last week and was pleasantly surprised with this restaurant. I am a huge fan of Middle Eastern food and am always looking for a new place to try. The staff was very attentive and helpful. The portions were large and the price was very reasonable. Everything was very fresh and tasted heavenly.
The lamb. All I remember is that delicious, tender, buttery lamb shank. Ooooooohh my gaaawdd... Boyfriend and I passively agressively competed for the tiny shreds of meat that clung to the bone after our initial enthusiastic and exclamatory worship. Sneak a juicy little sliver, then a well timed pause, spoonful of rice, another pause, and another delicious sliver of carefully courteous size... We were all eyes a darty trying to ravage that piece of lamb as politely and as thoroughly as we could. Poor little shank. It had no chance. No chance at all. We done ATE that thing.
Karam's is the best Middle Eastern food I've found in Portland so far. I've been there twice and it was excellent both times. The lamb is tender and juicy, the rice is full of flavor, the rose water soda and turkish coffee is good, and the desserts are amazing! I really like this place, and it takes a lot for me to say that. My taste buds give this place two thumbs up! My friends are amazed I like a place so much, and have nothing bad to say about it. Ok, so to satisfy them, I'll say that it's a tad expensive for dinner and it's on the other side of the water. There, now are you happy? :)
Quaint, close quarters, but very tasty. Smooth humus and hot, fresh bread. Enjoyed the tender beef shawarma.
Great lebanese! I think I still have dreams about the Batenjan Mekle (grilled eggplant with garlic, olive oil & lemon). The Mezze plates are great and there is never a wait. Not sure why this place isn't more popular! If you're craving Middle-Eastern, this is the place!
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Northeast Portland
Category: Middle Eastern
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