Naya AL Hashem Mediterranean Restaurant — Restaurant in Richardson

UPDATE: 5/1/2025 Delightful Family cranking out legit, flavorful, authentic, delicious Arabic Food reminiscent of my Middle Eastern Childhood. The Cardamom and Mint Tea here is also phenomenal. Second visit here and definitely making this our regular spot in our North Dallas and Richardson Restaurant rotations.

You can feel the inviting and welcoming energy as you enter this establishment. We were warmly greeted, handed menus, and seated by Z. - the owner who engaged in conversation and provided service with a smile. Qais was our server. An order of Stuffed Cheese Falafel, Salad, Rice, and a Chicken Shawarma Plate was enough between Mom and me to share. We savored and thoroughly enjoyed the variety and contrast of delicious flavors on our culinary journey through the Middle East. We had plenty so we could box up the remainder to take home for tomorrow’s lunch. We have found our new place and we will be back often. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality. See you again soon. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Naya Al-Hashem is a quaint, charming little place nestled within a Strip Mall on the corner of Arapaho and Custer in the heart of Richardson. It has only been open for two months. If you haven’t eaten here yet, you’re missing out and doing yourself a disservice by not stopping by. It is that good! It was our first time here, and after today’s experience, I can say with certainty that we will definitely return. I am already planning what to order on our next visit.

My Mom and I were one of four patrons in the restaurant at the time we arrived. Opens at 10AM - which is perfect, because we eat lunch early in the day.

Walking in, you are immediately greeted by the lovely aroma of freshly baked bread. There is also an electronic Menu Board with easy-to-read sections where pictures are shown along with prices to guide you and a sign where to order. If you are placing a to-go order, you pay at the register. If you are dining in, there are table numbers and you can choose where you want to sit and you pay after you finish your meal.

Mom and I ordered Hot Cardamom Tea (there is a self-serve station toward the back of the restaurant), and shared the Chicken Shawarma Plate (with Rice) and the Za’atar/Cheese Pie. We also made a Hummus (to-go order) which included one hot, freshly-baked in-house Pita Bread and enjoyed it at home with dinner. When I tell you that Hummus was the best we have had since leaving the Middle East all those years ago, I truly mean it. The portions are ideal. The authentic Arabic flavors I knew then and grew up loving teleported me back for a moment in time and were reminiscent of my Middle-Eastern Childhood. IYKYK.

The service was delightful as was the food. Liah, the sweet young lady at the front counter, took our order. It is clear that this family-run establishment uses fresh, high-quality ingredients and adheres to only the best of standards. It is also Halal. I wish them all the success and will be returning regularly for other Menu items in the future.

The ambience was traditional, beautiful, and inviting - with aesthetically pleasing elements of intricate design which brought a vibrant and harmonized burst of energy to the space. Definitely a place you would want to come to relax and unwind. We will be adding this establishment to our list of restaurant rotations whenever we are in the...

I have never in my life seen a restaurant as dirty and unhygienic as Naya Al Hashem. The entire experience was shocking from start to finish.

First, it took more than 30 minutes just to get our food, and in that time I witnessed things that completely turned my stomach. The chef was working without a hat or gloves, touching all the food with bare hands. The person preparing the pies didn’t use gloves either—at one point he wiped sweat off his face with his hand and then went right back to touching the bread. I even asked them to please use gloves, but they ignored me completely.

As if that wasn’t enough, after one customer left, I saw both the waiter and the pie maker eating the leftovers from the customer’s plate. Even worse, they took the uneaten pickles from that table and dumped them back into the jar for the next customers. I was honestly horrified.

When my food finally arrived, the quality was extremely poor. It tasted old, as if it had been sitting around for days. I could barely eat any of it.

If you care at all about your health and basic hygiene, do not go to this restaurant. I would never recommend Naya Al Hashem to anyone. Absolutely...

I'm so glad we chose this spot for dinner tonight. I hadn't had lamb maqluba since we moved from Tampa three years ago, so it was a real treat. I actually found this place on Yelp and saw they had both maqluba and mansaf on the menu, so I had to give it a try.

My wife ordered the chicken shawarma platter with rice and a side of fries, which she shared with our younger son. It also came with a fresh side salad. Our older son went with the chicken musakhan.

Everything was freshly prepared and served hot, and honestly, this was one of the best meals we've had since moving to the Dallas area.

The lamb was incredibly tender and full of flavor, and the rice was just as delicious. The customer service was excellent too. The young man and woman who greeted us were both warm, courteous, polite, and very helpful. The restaurant was very clean, and the ambiance was warm and inviting, simple yet tasteful, making it a comfortable place to enjoy a meal as a family.

All in all, it was well worth the...