DarSalam Restaurant & Catering (Downtown) — Restaurant in Portland

I really hate bashing small businesses because it involves people's livelihood and it'll only be in favor of other businesses especially the big names. However, telling a truthful opinion is the point here and its the only way to complain since no one asked for my opinion during my visit. I understand why this place is getting a huge appreciation here. It has a lot to do with an exotic unfamiliar cuisine originating from a place that people want to know something about besides the war. I'm not an Iraqi myself but I know Iraqi food. I grew up with Iraqi immigrants and had the joy of eating their food at my home and theirs. I can tell you from the one recent experience I had in this place, there are many things wrong with the dishes I had. We went as a group, so we had a variety of dishes on the table and I sampled them all. The menu is missing an important staple dish (sabzi) which some may argue that its not Iraqi. The rice cooked was one of the worst basmati rice I have ever seen, the grain is very small and was hammered in the cooking process. The meat was either tough, over cooked or had a strong undesirable smell to it. The spicing of the qhema was unfamiliar, too sour and had all the wrong textures. And the shredded ckicken was an absolute poor excuse for recycling leftover breasts into new dishes! Yes I'm joking recycling chicken, but that was the first idea that hit me. Oh, and what really ticked me off was the serving size. In fact it offended me. Based on Iraqi and Arab tradition, serving a half-full dish of rice, with the other half emptied to make room for the bowl of qhema, that's unheard of in the Middle East and can only mean: get out your not welcome here. My guess is that the place started off in excellent shape in the hands of the passionate owner, as the story goes in the menus 1st page. I think, things started to go south when it evolved into a fancy business in downtown Portland when it was too much for a small household of immigrants to keep up with growing demand. I have nothing much to complain about in the frontstore service. Its the backstore operation that is lacking. I blame it on kitchen management who were unable to capture the magic in the transition from small-authentic-passionate to the...

Probably the best Middle Eastern / Iraqi restaurant I’ve ever been to. Everything we ordered was delicious— the flavors were bold and rich, the meats were juicy and hearty. The restaurant itself is also spacious, elegant, and beautifully decorated with intricate wall art and a complementing color scheme. The service was warm and friendly, and I felt the prices were very reasonable for the food quality and portions.

I tried the following items: Baba Ganoush: SO delicious, with earthy flavors and textures. The pita was toasty and tasty too. Iraqi Shish Kabob Plate: The meats were tender and juicy, and the sauces were delicious as well. Highly recommend it! Shredded Lamb Rice Plate: The rice was delicious and flavorful, and the lamb was hearty and perfectly seasoned. The side chickpea stew might’ve been my favorite element… it was bursting with flavor. Kunafah: This dessert was very rich and decadent; simultaneously sweet and savory, cheesy and gooey. I was a big fan. Date Roll: The kunafeh was a lot better in my opinion, but this was still pretty good— very dense and sweet, but I probably wouldn’t get it again. Someone also got the Mixed Dolma— I didn’t try it but heard good things.

If I’m ever in Portland again, I’ll definitely be returning to this spot immediately! —

Price (relative to peers): 4.5/5 Food: 5/5 Ambience: 5/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall...

DarSalam has been one of our favorite Portland restaurants since my now husband and I moved to Portland in 2016. The food is always delicious, the cocktails are great, and the service is always very friendly. Their downtown location has a beautiful mural on the wall and their Alberta location is super cozy. When we decided to get married, we knew we wanted DarSalam to be our caterer—not only did we want to share one of our favorite restaurants with all our friends and family, but we knew they’d be a great fit for our guests with dietary restrictions, since almost all their food is gluten and dairy free and they have a lot of vegan options. Ghaith, the owner, was incredible to work with through the entire process, from the initial menu selection to the big day. He was always prompt about answering texts and emails and went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed, including handling our rentals for us. On the day of the wedding he and his staff were like a well-oiled machine. Everything looked and tasted perfect and it was a totally stress-free experience for us. They even took care of cleanup and boxing up leftovers. Whether you just want a tasty lunch/dinner or are looking for someone to cater a big event, DarSalam is your place! They are truly one of Portland’s best...