Yalla — Restaurant in Portland

This place is doing Mediterranean food a great service. Wow, we had heard great things from friends about this spot and it certainly lived up tot he hype.

We came in for a celebratory dinner last week and had a reservation for the back patio. I’d definitely encourage reservations as the place fills up quickly. The inside of the restaurant had a charming rustic decor and smelled amazing with aromatic spices wafting from the kitchen.

We were seated on the back patio which is a quaint space with a wood overhang and probably about 8 tables. It was a perfect evening and warm enough to enjoy eating outside. I’ll note they do have heaters for cooler nights.

Food wise we went with the fried chicken, corn bread, corn ribs, peaches, burnt end hummus and the kebab. Everything was fantastic. Standouts were definitely the hummus, which maybe was the best I’ve ever had, as well as the fried chicken. Everything had rich flavor and was easy to share which was perfect. The drinks we had were also tasty and added to the meal.

The service overall was solid. Waiter was attentive and helped determine the right number of dishes. I would say you can get away with probably a few more than recommended. We were initially told 4 plates would be good but got 6 and wound up being full but still happy we got an extra 2. Will definitely be going back here and can’t wait to try more...

Four avid dining enthusiasts walk into a Mediterranean Restaurant and ... no joke, vote it our favorite "new" restaurant in Portland.

The 2-room space is charming and very well thought out for romantic dining, and casual dinners with friends and family. The restaurant is heavily perfumed with Cardamom and Corriander, which we found delightfully intoxicating. (However, people with over-sensitivity to smells will be overwhelmed)

Staff were efficient and knowledgeable. Service was top notch, and the different dishes we ordered came out at a good pace. The kitchen sure knows how to operate flawlessly, even on a busy night.

We enjoyed perfectly made cocktails (excellent Manhattans!), addictive Radicchio Salad that's dressed like a perfect Ceasar, spiced and Burnt Ends flecked hummus, tart and savory Labneh with citrus and spices, 1/2 a beautiful roasted eggplant, St. Paddy's worthy corned beef (flavorful, but a little dry), OMFG good cornbread, and perfectly breaded, spiced, and fried bonless chicken (4 pieces).

We, and another table of diners we chatted with, agreed that the food, service, and ambiance of Yalla were all top notch. And while I can't speak for the other table, me and my weekly dinner companions are putting it onto at least a monthly rotation ... plus the occasional extra Prime Rib Sunday. Highly...

Was excited to try this place considering the rave reviews! Spent over $80:Left hungry. The rave reviews for this place have me thinking-either none of these people have had actual fresh vibrant flavorful Mediterranean food…or maybe I ordered all the wrong dishes?

The portions are incredibly stingy for the price. If the food was amazing i wouldn’t complain about portion size…but Labneh dish was truly flavorless. We were both looking for the salt, just to add any type of flavor. Peaches were $12 for two HALF peaches (((????!!!!))).

Maybe the meat dishes and the hummus are what everyone is so excited about?

Thoughts for improvement - Send your chefs to try everything on the menu at MizLala in Los Angeles. It will be worth the investment.

The menu is very similar, but every dish has flavor and vibrancy that Yalla chefs haven’t yet mastered. Even the simple things like labneh were just not right.

The food that was tasty (eggplant, which was sold as a MAIN DISH) was two thin slices with two small spoonfuls of grains… it is almost a slap in the face how little food they give you considering the cost. At this point in the meal we were both honestly just hungry and disappointed. One full eggplant is not an expensive ingredient…neither is farro ! feed customers a reasonable portion and they leave feeling...