Adamá — Restaurant in Oaxaca

The only reason this place is popular is because its the only Mediterranean choice close to the center of town and it has no chapulinas on the menu!

Lets face it.. oaxaca does not have the best restaurants in the world so anything new is attractive.

I love middle eastern food and i am well accustomed to tastes because i have married and had friends in this community for over 25 years of my life. I also live in a city where this food is everywhere!

Lets start with the service: i called several times and left several messages asking for someone to call me back for a reservation and no one got back to me within one weeks time.

The place is not easy to find but not a big deal. I stepped out of the car to see if they had space and the guy told me yes he would keep the table for me. I told him i had to park the car and i was returning in ten minutes and he said ok.

When i returned to the restaurant, “ Two people had just sat at “our table” . I was going to wait to speak to the same waiter but another one asked to help me so i explained the situation and he said he sat that table because he didn’t know we were coming. The giy i initially spoke with came and said a different story which is that we took too Long. I laughed and winked and said it had been less than ten minutes cause we literally parked right outside. Somehow he found us a space so i decided to start fresh in my head.

He didn’t have any of the fresh juices like lemonade and he didnt have cauliflower and he didnt have a few other items.. kind of surprising but whatever.

The problem came when the food wasnt great! If you know and appreciate middle eastern food you will understand me.

The hummus had wayyyyy too much tahini in it. That said it was a generous portion.

The grape leaves were dry and small (usually longer) and they had a not amazing taste. I wonder if they were canned.

The txaziki was ok but i couldnt find much cucumber…

The lebneh was horrible. Ive never had lebneh i didnt like but this yogurt tasted like Goat milk. One apoon was enough for me!

The rice/onion/lentil combo was good. It was tasty eventhough cold. Some people have it cold ao i was not bothered.

The stuffed feta/mushroom dough bites were horrible. First i couldnt find the feta but also, i think the hongo mushrooms Re just very strong. This is definitely a matter of taste so perhaps someone will like them.

The bread/hoobz was fresh and good!

Also the owner is Israeli… not Lebanese!

And worst.. the arabic coffee did t taste like arabic coffee.. it was strange. And it was half the size of a regular arabic coffee…. Andddd it had no sugar though we asked for some (usually its heated with it).

Anyway the entire thing was a disappointment. I liked the space kind if (plants, ground, pottery plates) but that was it.

If i lived here i would never return but because choices are limited i will...

Ended up following some other tourists in front of me (who happened to also be looking for this place) to find the entrance to this place. It's not terribly obvious when you're walking down the main road.

But man, once you're in: it's like this Middle Eastern-Mexican-Star Wars-y vison of rustic brick, clay, stainless steel, and bespoke ceramics. I came in during the weird lull before dinner time, so the place was a bit empty and I got to enjoy the decor.

Ordered the Kebab and Jamotzín (pickles) and it came with a red sauce (Harissa?) and minty-cilantro mash (Zhoug?). Kebab was worth the higher relative price tag since I could tell it was hand ground lamb that was not only fresh, but carefully seasoned with a light touch of salt and cumin to bring out the lamb flavor.

Jamotzin (pickles) were pretty standard.

Real star of the show is the pita bread that, because I sat next to the kitchen, I got to watch them bake it right in front of me. It's piping hot and flavorful: peak bread. Once I packed the kebab, jamotzin, zhoug, and harissa into the pita and tucked in, my life eating middle eastern food back in the states was ruined. Everything came together perfectly. All the subdued, but prominent spices from the sauces and meat transformed on contact with the hot bread: turning into THE perfect bite.

Go with friends and enjoy a good meal together. Or go alone and totally pig out. There's no...

Dangggggggg, let me tell you, this place ain’t fooling around….. First things first, let's talk about the food. I had the honor of indulging in their epic falafel, and oh my goodness, it was off the chain! Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, these little balls of flavor took my taste buds to a whole new level. Each bite like a symphony of herbs and spices, dancin' on my tongue and making me want to Moove and Groooove, But hold up, the falafel ain't the only star of the show, I also got to experience the freaky freeekeh , a green wheat risotto that had my mind blown. Creamy, rich, and packed with all the oyster mushroom goodness, this dish took me on a journey through flavors I never even knew existed. It was like a hip-hop track, with each ingredient dripping & droppin' its own sick rhyme, harmonizing together to create pure culinary magic. And let's not forget the ambience, my friends. This place had that perfect vibe, you know what I'm sayin'? All around 10/10 Would recommend and would eat...