Al-houda Restaurant & Grocery Halal Meat مطعم الهدى — Restaurant in Palm Bay

Al-Houda Restaurant - Palm Bay - 5 Stars

Hidden Gem Alert

Wow, what a great find! It actually took me 24 hours to think of an opening to this review. Al-Houda is the kind of restaurant that is why I do this day in and day out, looking for that one special place, that one special morsel of food, that single flavor that makes you go....WOW!!!!! Well, it's all here at Al-Houda.

Let me further preface that my father's side of the family immigrated from Syria at the turn of the last century, so I spent many years eating a wonderful surprise of authentic Middle Eastern dishes. Most Middle Eastern restaurants have Americanized the region's food, and it's so rare to find authentic recipes that I don't even look anymore. Given this history, it was with great joy and happiness that I found Al-Houda's cuisine.

Now all is not perfect in Al-Houda land. For one, it is a very small dining area with limited seating. I also found out later this restaurant mainly caters to the Florida Tech Arab group, so their hours are cut back drastically during the summer. The lady who greets you, who I assume is an owner, has very little grasp of the English language, to put it mildly. If you are willing to try this amazing food you will need to either order what I ordered or be prepared to point. The menu has a half-hearted English explanation of each item. (See the menu photos). The server will not be able to espouse the great wonders that await you. Furthermore, they only serve bottled drinks. I chose an Aryan (pronounced R-yawn) yogurt drink which is essentially Middle Eastern buttermilk. It was quite good and addicting with a sour finish that is actually enjoyable.

For the main meal, I ordered lamb kafta with baba ghnouj. The baba was made in-house. There were tiny chunks of eggplant you don't get from the distributor. I do not believe the Kafta was chef-prepared from scratch with fresh ingredients but it was high quality, better than I have found locally otherwise. The crowning dish I consumed was Molokhia, which is a chicken stew with greens. The morsels of chicken are so tender and juicy they should put a whole chicken in it. As I repeatedly tell my readers I am not a chef, but I know enough to tell you about execution and presentation. When it comes to ingredients, if they are non-standard I can't always discern exactly what they are. In this dish, I know there are greens they call jute. Beyond that and the chicken all I can tell you is it is one of the best flavor sensations I have ever experienced - I mean ever. This dish is so flavorful and enjoyable you can't stop eating it.

The Big Boy wants you to stop and give Al-Houda a try. Whether you are a Middle Eastern cuisine veteran or virgin, I promise you won't be...

First visit! Probably one of the best first 'tries' for me! I just had an urge for something outta my normal zone.

For whatever reason, Mediterranean popped up, as I don't normally think of Mediterranean. Then, via GM, I found this place that I've driven by, parked next to, walked by... and never tried, Al-houda Restaurant!

A small, unassuming place. Part store & restaurant. It wasn't busy, so honesty, I was hesitant. I did give the GM listing a good look over, and I looked over their menu online so I knew what I wanted.

I'm assuming the female owner came out to take my order & she was very pleasant. She could tell it was my first visit. I ordered without any issues & waited for my order, which took approx. 25 mins.

I left and came back. That was 25 mins well worth it! Chicken Biryani Rice! OMG!

It's was definitely the prettiest rice dish I've eaten! It was also delicious! I will definitely be getting that again and soon!

I also ordered their stuffed Grape Leaves. I thought they were a lil too oily and I'll try then again and ask for less oil if possible because even though it's been far & few between, I've had them before from other places and loved them.

I also revisited a few days later and tried the Chicken Shawarma sandwich & Kibbeh (3). Loved the sandwich and liked the Kibbeh!

Next will be their Rotisserie Chicken because it looks scrumptious!

I'm glad I tried this little place and would say, "Give...

On a recent business trip we chose this restaurant based on proximity to our hotel and excellent reviews. Overall, we had a good experience, with a few challenges.

The restaurant is very clean, and we were the only customers on arrival. Parking is easy.

We ordered off the menu, but the server advised us that many items were not available. We ended up getting a chicken curry dish and a lamb and okra stew. Both came with a large amount of flavorful rice, and a small bowl of entree, mostly liquid, but excellent taste. We shared a small Fattoush salad, which had excellent dressing.

One of our party is diabetic and so requested a glass of water with their meal. Suprised to find that a glass of water is not available with meals! We were directed to a cooler to choose a beverage-- all of which were soda- type or sweet fruit juices. Spring water is listed on the menu, but none was in the cooler.

I think this might be a better choice for takeout sandwiches rather than a dine-in meal. Not sure I have ever encountered a restaurant that said a glass of water was not available for a $20/person meal.

The restaurant does have a small grocery shelf with a nice selection of Middle Eastern foods at...