Al Ha'esh — Restaurant in Maryland

I’ll start off with the positive first. The food here for the most part is pretty good. The fries have an extra seasoning that somehow makes them stay crisp longer. The variety of unlimited small salad stuff that comes when you place an order is also pretty good. The waiters also appear to be pretty friendly when you actually see them. Food portions for the most part are of a very decent size.

Now to the not so good stuff. First, it seems like every time I come here with people, there is always an issue with the ground beef kabobs. I can’t recall a time when they didn’t need to be sent back because they were raw or borderline raw inside. Most of the people I come with have given up on ordering them.

Also, while they were happy to fix the raw kabobs, they didn’t offer any kind of compensation for the issue. Maybe I’m spoiled from interactions at non kosher restaurants but if a place serves me raw food that needs to be sent back I would expect some kind of compensation. Maybe even the owner coming out and apologizing for the mistake.

The place is also clearly understaffed. The waiters are friendly when you do see them but it can take 10-20 minutes to get anything, especially after you receive your initial food. (15 minutes just to be able to point out the raw kabobs and ask for new ones.) The owner really needs to hire extra staff as it is clear from the mannerisms of the wait staff that they are overworked.

We didn’t once get offered more water and we had eaten our entire entree in the time it took for them to bring the first salad refills. The waitstaff seemed like they had to choose which things to focus on and indicated they were prioritizing people who didn’t place an order yet.

Lastly, they have clearly already stopped caring about COVID practices as the place was jammed with no sign of social distancing. No hand sanitizer. No posted mask requirements except that the employees still wore masks. I know COVID is winding down but I would still expect a place like this to still at least make some effort to show they care.

3 stars instead of 2 only because the waitstaff is friendly despite being overworked and stressed.

Bottom line is that while the food for the most part is pretty great, the service is very lacking because there would appear to not be enough people working and they appear to have stopped caring...

Al Ha'esh stands out among the kosher restaurants in the area because of its friendly customer service as much as the food.

The menu is relatively limited, and nearly everything on it is grilled (shashlik and kabobs) or fried (falafel and schnitzel). Meat, fish, and vegetarian options are available.

After you place your order, they will deliver the "Al Ha'esh Experience". This is a plate of some of the best freshly-made pita bread I've had anywhere, accompanied by a selection of pickled vegetables and salads. The number of salads you get on a given evening will vary, presumably based on whatever they have in the kitchen that night. The menu says "a dozen or so," but in reality it tends to range from 8-10. No matter, as they will all be fresh and tasty and they will bring more of them to you upon request if you want.

It is very easy to just make a meal out of "the experience," and I have done so on a couple of occasions. But their entrees are excellent as well. They have a seitan shashlik that is amazing, their falafel are crisp and flavorful without being at all dry, and my family members have reported back that the schnitzel, chicken, scharma, and salmon are all safe bets. The standout side dish is the grilled zucchini with za'atar, but other options are also available.

I'd also like to throw in a word about their coffee. In addition to espresso and cappuccino, they offer an out-of-this-world Turkish coffee. It takes a little longer to prepare, but it is very much worth it. Their mint tea is also very good if you're not into coffee. I've never had room for dessert, so I can't speak to that portion of their menu, but the baklava that I've seen being carried past our table has...

The dining area is very nice, suitable for both casual and special occasions. Staff were pleasant.

The various small servings that go with the "salad experience" were quite good. The pita bread was warm and nicely done. My entree though was lackluster to put it nicely. The rice was not at all hot. Tepid at best, dry, and it tasted like it was made the previous day. The meat was nicely spiced but OMG it was so very salty. I ate it but my blood pressure must have doubled. I expected better quality and quantity for the price. I took one star off for the meh taste of the entree.

The waiter was friendly but largely absent. Not once did he come around to refill our drinks. Not once was I asked if I wanted more of the supposedly refillable salad dishes. I was tempted to phone the restaurant from my table to ask for the waiter. The bill took a while to arrive and forever for him to come back with the receipt to sign. I took off one star for the very poor service, and suggest that they have their people attend wait staff training class. The place was not at all busy so this clearly is due to lack of training and awareness of what a waiter is supposed to be doing. I don't think it was purposeful.

For those who keep kosher, I guess there's no choice but to accept mediocre dining. But for those who are not held hostage to such things, there are many other places that serve much more flavorful (and hot) food for less.

All that said, if this place made a few changes, I'd...