Al Wadi — Restaurant in Boston

First time here at @alwadiboston and what a wonderful Lebanese dinner experience we had! We got the Al Wadi for two and were completely stuffed with leftovers to take home ❤️

First, we started off our feast with a deliciously comforting bowl of chicken soup. Next, we had an array of appetizers: pita and hummus, tabouli, and stuffed grape leaves. The pita was freshly baked with a great bite to it. the hummus was deliciously creamy, made with tahini sauce, lemon juice, and olive oil. Made fresh with parsley, mint, wheat bulgur, tomatoes, onions, lots of lemon juice and olive oil, it was hands down the best Tabouli we’ve ever had! The stuffed grape leaves were pretty tasty, with rice, spices, and lemon juice. Next, out came the main course of chicken kebabs, kafta kebabs, and baked kibbeh. I personally loved the chicken kebabs, as they were well spiced and juicy with every bite. I did not like the kafta kebabs which were made of seasoned ground lamb only because I personally don’t like gamey meat (if you like lamb, you’ll love these). The baked kibbeh was made with ground beef, cracked wheat, and pine nuts. A very interesting dish, again if you like gamey meat, you’ll love this. Finally, we ended the meal with dessert: baklava and namoura. The namoura was tasty with an interesting texture, made from semolina flour and yogurt and soaked in syrup. Saving the best for last, I had the best Baklava I’ve had in awhile, each bite of layered pastry was deliciously light and crisp, filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey/simple syrup. I’ve always thought of baklava being too sweet to ever enjoy, but like I said this was the best baklava I’ve ever had. The sweetness level was light enough to enjoy all the different elements of the dessert, the layers, textures, and flavors. Just divine! Please check...

So delicious! Highly recommend. We both loved everything- food, people and atmosphere. Will return for sure. Date night with husband so we wanted to try everything. Generous portions. We ate until full and still had boxes of leftovers. Ordered hummus- though husband originally not very interested then he said best he has ever had, baba ganoush, fattoush salad- hubby thought both were excellent and I agreed! (He's can be picky so these are big compliments.) I had the grilled platter with chicken and sirloin kabobs, ground lamb kofta kebabs on rice pilaf with garlic sauce. All the meat was seasoned well, tasty and tender. The rice pilaf was also nicely seasoned and very delicious. Their garlic sauce was so so good with a nice bite- I wanted to put it on everything! My husband had lamb stew with green beans and gobbled it all as he said it was so delicious. I was impressed how they used pita bread in creative and tasty ways. They fried some pieces for as crunchy toppings for the fattoush salad and made some seasoned pita chips with zattar seasoning, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and maybe other seasons for dipping along with the regular pita bread. I wanted to eat a whole basket of their chips! I was hoping they would pack it with our leftover hummus and baba ganoush but since it was'nt, I want to go back just to buy some! We hadn't been there for many years since our kids were teens and in their earlier years. We were delighted to retry it to find it even more delicious. It is beautifully decorated so great for a night out or special occasion. We saw a group have a wonderful time all dressed up in finery for a special celebration as well as a mom and her young son enjoying their meal. We will return to try more...

Al Wadi deserves to be more popular. I don’t write google reviews often, so for the restaurant to have spurred me to do so speaks to its place in my heart (as one of my favorites) The food is amazing. I had never had many of these dishes prior to trying the restaurant, but my family and I frequently crave their food so desperately that we make the 30 minute drive over from where we live. Our favorite is the Warak Enab with meat. We often order two or three, and when we eat there in person we get an extra “to-go” order of it at the end of the meal. I will describe the food as very citrus forward, with lots of other flavors from spice mixes and garlic. I personally love citrus and garlic, so this makes it one of my favorite restaurants. Despite being heavy on those flavors however, the food is not one note. There is a lot of depth to the flavors. Today, I came here around 4:30 on a Sunday, and it was empty. Despite the lack of patrons, the interior design, music choices, and friendly staff made the atmosphere welcoming and entitle. The other time I came here was a Friday night, and they had a few more diners. Despite the sign posted requesting patience for being short staffed, both nights yielded excellent service. I also order takeout and delivery food from here frequently. The food reheats really well in a microwave or oven, so when there’s leftovers, everything gets eaten.

I will say, the restaurant is a bit chilly. I don’t mind it in a tee shirt, but if you run cold bring...