La Marsa Dexter — Restaurant in Dexter

Finally! A middle eastern restaurant close to Ann Arbor and only 11 minutes from my house with superb food. One thing Ann Arbor is lacking is a great middle Eastern restaurant. While not in Ann Arbor, it’s very close.

Staff was super friendly. Be patient tho. They just opened and like everywhere else, they are short staffed and the staff they have is new.

Atmosphere is nice and clean but nothing like LaShish in Canton or Palm Palace. However, don’t let that stop you from eating here.

Upon arriving, we were greeted immediately and escorted to our table. The music playing was traditional and lovely. Set the mood but still felt like I was eating at a Coney Island. The music was at a perfect volume level.

Everything looked great on the menu but we finally settled on some meat filled grape leaves, lamb chili, crushed lentil soup, fried kibbee and a chicken shawarma sandwich. Soup was delicious and extremely hot. Might I recommend serving the crushed lentil soup with a lemon wedge, soft pita bread and garlic spread which wasn’t brought to the table until after we asked. I really enjoyed the spoonful of lamb chili I was able to steal away from my husband.

Next came the grape leaves. Another piping hot dish served with yogurt sauce. I could have eaten the whole plate.

Next they brought out the pita bread and garlic spread. Two of our favorite things when going to a middle eastern restaurant and they did not disappoint. Well, they could have given triple the amount of garlic spread. The pita was delicious and exactly what we like. Reminded us of the bread they serve at LaShish in Canton and Grape Leaves in Troy. Soft, thick fresh baked in house and HOT. We of course had to ask for more garlic which was spot on and possibly some of the best we’ve ever had.

Then came the kibbee. Burnt my tongue. That’s a good thing. I typically do not like Kibbee but I could have had more. My husband thought it was just okay but I totally disagreed with him. Whatever the sauce was they with it was very good. Looked like a yogurt sauce but it had a different flavor to it.

So here’s where the service went amiss. My husband was completely done with his meal and I still hadn’t gotten my chicken shawarma sandwich. Our server told me it was coming, twice, but never showed up. A man came by, presumably the owner or manager and asked how our meal was. I told him it was good but then asked if they could just make my sandwich to-go since my better half was already done. He apologized profusely and was super nice. I had also ordered some hummus to go, which comp’d and threw in a bag of their amazing pita, garlic and two pieces of baklava, which was to die for. I’m the only one in my family who likes them so I ate them as soon as I got in the car. YUMMY!

Since I full from picking at my husbands meal, I saved the sandwich for today. Probably one of the best chicken shawarma sandwiches I’ve had in a long time.

So glad you are in Dexter. We will be returning and I will be recommending you to...

One of our favorite restaurants in the area! We regularly bring our friends/family when they visit, and they are always pleased. The service is speedy and all employees are friendly. We always get tabbouleh and hummus to start to make the most of their unlimited fresh pita (so soft and delicious) and side of garlic dip (toum). We love their whole deboned chicken, dark meat only, with lemon/oregano seasoning. Depending on appetite levels and what appetizers you get, the whole chicken ($30) is plenty for ~3 people to share since it comes with two sides! Their prices are very reasonable overall. They keep their dining area very clean, and their seating is comfortable. They also did a great job accommodating my friend's tree nut allergy. The only downside is that they do not take reservations, but luckily we have never had an issue getting a table due to their ability to combine tables to accommodate parties as big as 10 (perhaps even more!). Lastly, I'm looking forward to my next large gathering so I can try catering...

I'm so happy we have an amazing medditeranean restaurant in Dexter! I have eaten at probably 10+ different medditeranean restaurants in my life, and this is easily top 1 or 2! The bread is amazing! The service was exceptional. We ordered the shwarma combo platter, and I was able to feed myself and my 15 - and 12 year old boys plus had leftovers! Their grilled vegetables were impressive and had such good flavor. We ordered the chicken tenders for my younger two kids, and my pickiest eater let out a "yum." Their fries and their ranch are both excellent, which surprised me for a medditeranean place to also do America food so well. Our waitress was young and quiet, but her service was above and beyond, so was the bus boy. The owner/manager even came out to check on everyone. To top it off, my 12 year old dropped our leftovers on the ground on our way out the door, and they offered us more free bread to take home! This will be our go-to place from now on!

Atmosphere clean and simple. Sorry, too hungry ti...