Mamma Khouri's — Restaurant in Portland

Another one of those serendipitous events! You know, like when order the wrong thing at a restaurant and it turns out to better than what you thought you wanted, or when you drop a peanut butter sandwich and it lands face up. Okay, maybe not so much the last one. Anyway, I was going to a different restaurant and had gotten the hours wrong and I was so excited to find a parking place within walking distance that I decided to stay in a one block radius and leave the truck in its precious spot. That led me to be standing in front of Mamma Khouri's like a waif left standing in front of an orphanage. The place is light and airy, kind of a mix of modern and old country... lots of white. Even the server was all dressed in white as if she were a commando in the forest dressed in Camouflage, but I jest here. She was kind, welcoming, efficient, and charming. Make no mistake, She sets up the scene for a good experience.

I got Momma's Special Shawarma and and French Fries and they were great. I didn't realize that French Fries were a national food of Greece, but that just goes to show you how ignorant I am. I just can't resist a good bit of the blessed tuber. They were great, I had no regrets unlike the rest of my life. The Shawarma was picture perfect, not only visually, but savory and multilayered. Lots of mystery going on there. Usually I'm pretty sure what spices are being used in a dish, but here I just had to throw myself into the river and allow myself to be carried away. Ground Beef is an underrated resource, hamburgers and tacos have flooded the culinary market and distracted from treasures like this. The Shawarma should be assigned as one of the primary food groups and Momma's Special should be gilded and stuck in the National...

This place is the real deal! I brought home a feast for small group of Turkish friends and they were ecstatic about the familiar dishes done so well. We were most excited about the Lahme Bi-Ajeen (similar to the legendary Turkish Lahmacun), and Mama Khouri’s was a delicious rendition that I’m sure we’ll be going back for.

We enjoyed all the small plates we tried—the baba ghanouj was especially perfect. We devoured the lamb kebab, which was gorgeously seasoned and intensely flavorful and came with a great salad.

But the reason I had to stop and write a review, is the baklava that we saved for the next morning. It’s quite honestly the best baklava my husband (a bak-connoisseur of sorts) and I have ever tried, at least in the US. It’s buttery, flakey, not dripping with syrup like so many ‘lavas out there. It was beautifully walnut-forward and delicately spiced. Heavenly.

Essentially, the baklava, the baba, the lahme...enough data points are there to convince me that this place is, in fact, legit. Great job Mama Khouri’s!...

Food was good. Service was very BIZARRE! Mid meal they asked us and and other tables to move for a reservation. No warning when we were seated about a time limit or upcoming reservation. We were in the middle of our meal and were asked to move, it was so strange. The table they were asking us to move for had not even fully arrived. They actually said “our reservation arrived early”. Should the reservation not wait, instead of us rushing our meal? It was so uncomfortable. We were not even done eating as they asked for payment. They took forever to take our initial order, if they were in a hurry it would have been smarter to be quick about taking our order. I have never had such an uncomfortable dining experience. We were not at all taking our time drinking wine or lingering. I get the impression they don’t really understand basic restaurant customer service. Plenty of Mediterranean restaurants in Portland, avoid this one. Mind blowing how weird this...