Ya Hala Lebanese Cuisine — Restaurant in Portland

Ya Hala for ya boy, because this place is fresh like the Prince of بيل اير!

My wife and I have been meaning to stop in here for years, as we love Lebanese (and Mediterranean cuisine in general) with a passion, but for some reason, it had never worked out. This weekend, we happened to be in the neighborhood, hungry, and without any other pressing plans...at the time. So we stopped in, discovered its order-at-the-counter-and-grab-a-table modus operandi, and settled on splitting a mezza platter with pita bread.

Yet once again, things conspired against us, and we ended up having to pivot and take our order to go, as something popped up that required our presence across town, so we weren't able to dine inside, as we'd planned. Fortunately, the mezza did not suffer from being transplanted to another location, and we made quick work of it once we were able to settle in and take care of things that required our attention.

In particular, the hummus was smooth and creamy, oily but just so; the dolmas were obviously hand-made, far better than most places, which come pre-made or from a can; the baba ghanouj (who doesn't love saying that?!) was tangy and not too chunky or dry; the tabouli fresh, tart and refreshing, not at all bitter. The pita, a $2 add on (my only gripe about our order - it should be a de facto inclusion; otherwise, how do you eat this properly?), was thankfully thin, tender and pliable, not overwhelmingly filling or powdery, as it often can be at other restaurants.

We might have been denied the full dine-in experience, but our appetites were whet enough by the appetizer that we're sure to be back for the full entrée experience, whenever the stars align and allow us to do so. Until then, we'll be rubbing our bellies in satisfaction and anticipation, hoping for a genie to emerge ("from WHERE!?!" - my wife, confused and a little scared) to grant our wish,...

This one is different. I say this in a good way in hopes they fix a simple problem, which is communication. My girlfriend and I are always open to trying random places, and this place popped up. Parking was a bit challenging, so make sure to park on the street and not the neighborhood because it's a bit rough in some places. We got in, and we sat ourselves. I can tell staff was short this day. However, they still did the best they could. We ordered our food and it took some time despite seeing another couple get there food before us we still waited patiently while we watched one person clear the tables and get everything ready for the next patrons to be seated. One lady just claimed a table and waited for the table to be clean because I assumed that's exactly where she wanted to sit. Nothing fancy with the seating. Very simple. The order came out, and I specifically said no tomatoes, and even when the server brought out the food, he even stated no tomatoes and placed the plate. The grilled pita had tomatoes. I was taken back by this, but proceeded to take out the tomatoes because waiting on a new one who knows how long that may have taken. The food was great, and when the hostess came by and asked, we let her know that they didn't do the order right. They did everything, and I mean everything to make it right, and I still said I'm good. I stated that the next time you see me, just make it right, so I hope on my next visit I will change this review to a 5 star because everything else was cool. The customer service is top notch, especially when we ordered. They explained everything on the menu, and the food itself was delicious with the exception of the tomatoes. I hope they see this review and recognize me on my next visit. I will make sure to wear my Google pin in case they...

I should point out that I lived in Beirut when I was a child, and we had a Lebanese cook who made us sambousek and tabbouleh, and all the other wonderful foods. I was expecting the food here to be great after reading the reviews, but Ya Hala did not deliver.

Most of the food was middle of the road, and the service was spotty.

We stopped at noon when the restaurant was half filled and ordered from the brunch menu: two appetizer plates and a dessert. The server took our order then served the dessert, a croissant with halva. I asked why she was serving dessert first, and she said, "Oh, because a lot of people eat only pastries at brunch." Since we had just ordered savory foods, that seemed odd. She took the dessert back, and in a bit served the appetizers. The fried eggs on one of the dishes were slimy and cold (shudder), the different items we wanted to taste were uniformly bland, and the mint tea was a glass of hot water and a tea bag. A tea bag!! I'm not a purist, but mint tea is a pretty simple drink. (Crush a few fresh mint leaves in a glass, add hot water. Let it steep.)

After our appetizers, the server brought us back the same dessert she'd delivered prematurely before. The plate was not cold so I assume the server had just set it on a shelf somewhere rather than returning it to the walk-in. The restaurant lost a massive amount of credibility when she set down the dessert, inadvertently allowing the fresh decorative strawberry to slide onto the table. She picked it up from the (dirty) table with her fingers and plopped it back on the dessert plate. Not only rude, but also gross and completely against health department rules.

I'll close on a high note: The croissant with halva...