Kosharie — Restaurant in Madison

We were very excited to try this “New” Mediterranean restaurant in town and today we had the chance to go and dine in. The menu looks very good and the photos in their website made my mouth watering. But, we are very disappointed. The dine-in experience was terrible. The place is dirty looking and not appetizing. A big TV was plying the 6 o’clock news with videos of the killings in Ukraine, alternated by drug advertisements. I asked if they have another channel less violent and they ignore my request. But we were there for the food, so we ignore the Rusian terror and the readings of drugs side effects on the loud television and ordered food. Beef Kabob, Egyptian Kosharie, Tabbouleh and Falafel. What can go wrong? My companion said that the falafel was the best in town, and she knows her falafel. I made the mistake of looking at the supper old oil they were frying the falafel in, and did not have the same opinion. The kabob came in a bed of rice and over cooked vegetables. Nothing like the wonderful photo on the website. I tasted some eggplant, cauliflower, onions, zucchini and some other undefined flavors. All the vegetables have the same color and taste. The beef was very tender and a bit acid and undercooked for my taste. The inexperience waitress never ask me how I wanted the beef done. The kabob tasted ok but the presentation was not appetizing at all. It looks more like a bad Chinese stir fry. The Egyptian Kosharie was big because we ordered the dinner portion. It came with a generous portion of crispy caramelice onions, lots of rice and pasta, some lentils, chickpeas and some form of canned tomato sauce in the top. The description in the website sounds very appetizing. The “real” plate is not. It is like a carb bomb. The tabbouleh was not fresh, very acid and salty. We did not like it. We were eager to try this place, but very disappointed now. It is like a regular “campus grease spoon” but not cheap. The unappetizing kabob was $19.95. See...

If you like Mediterranean food...and you haven't been here, you're missing out. There are three orders I can't seem to stay away from.

The Egyptian Kosharie is amazing. Chick peas, pasta, tomato sauce, and fried onions on top of rice and brown lentils. I like mixing it all together. If you like savory spices, this is for you.

The beef shawarma is mouth watering. The pita falls apart, as the sauce soaks up the flavors of the thin luxurious strips of beef layered thick with spinach, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce. Think gyro, with a tomato sauce twist and thinner, more tender meat.

As out-of-this-world-fantastic as the previous two dishes are...my personal favorite is the chicken biryani plate. It is a very healthy portion of chicken, rice, vegetables, and sauce.

My wife is not as much of a fan of this style of food as I am....as she's more of a hamburger, tacos, and pizza kind of gal. But if you like the spices, the Mediterranean, and the deliciously exotic. This is your spot. It is most definitely in...

I wasn't a huge fan of lentils and onions but didn't want to alter the original kosharie dish as it was my first time trying it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all the ingredients mixed together perfectly and not one overshadowed another! I did have them put extra sauce on my kosharie plate since i saw a review saying that she found there to be too little and all my requests and hopes were not only met, but exceeded. My Philly sub said that it was on jalapeno cheese bread which left a nacho cheese impression. It was good, just a little different. My friend got the lamb gyro. I had tried a lamb gyro on State Street before and wasn't fond of it but i thought to give this one a taste as well. It was surprisingly good and easily 10x better than the first lamb gyro that I had. The meat was soft and the toppings fresh with no unnecessary mystery sauce added. All of the food looked appetizing and I left feeling satisfied with plenty of leftovers. I'll definitely...