Man’oushe Express — Restaurant in Seattle

This is a must go to hidden gem in Seattle’s Lake city area. I’ve been coming here since June of this year and ate here over 6 times. What stands out about this restaurant is the care and love you experience with every dish. The pita is made fresh and there is a thick consistency I have never tried before which is great for scooping up meat and veggies. The pickling technique and garlic sauce have a nice balance with the seasoned meats and the house made hot sauce is delicious. The chicken adana and schwarma is bursting with spices and the hummus is the BEST I’ve tried in Seattle, honestly. The kofta and combo plates are all exceptional and I love the zatar flatbread. I was taught to squeeze some lemon on the spinach and cheese flatbread which took the flavors to another level.

I also want to highlight Goodies the market below the restaurant (owned by the same family). The smell of fresh feta and olives transports out of the country, and the huge selection of pickled condiments and fresh baked pita are a must go to.

Each staff goes above and beyond and the music selection is great. Kai, the owner is great. I feel like I am welcomed into his home every time I eat there. I would highly recommend eating here and supporting local. Nothing is ever transactional and the food is made with love, is halal and is piping hot. Please help get this restaurant voted to be best in the northwest or a Seattle Times...

originally, i was trying to find a halal butcher. after trying two different spots that google maps said were open (turned out one was closed for renovation & the other was completely just… obliterated), i found goodies market. while walking down the hill there, i walked past this place. i was starving, so i said “after i shop, i will get lunch from here.”

i didn’t realize it but this place is primarily cash. they take doordash and uber eats orders tho so if you don’t have cash you can just order pickup thru the app. you can even eat it there if you want. the inside is decorated cutely with pictures and articles about beirut & lebanon in general. it’s also very neat!

the owner kai was super nice. i was telling him my escapades trying to find halal meat in seattle 🥲 he agreed that it’s rough out here. after that, he got to work on my food.

i got the veggie plate. goodness gracious it was so delicious. i had one last-minute errand after i received my food so it was kinda cold by the time i got to it, but it was still so delicious. i immediately went for the warak 3nab and even cold they were mouth-watering. i ate about half of the plate and saved the rest for my lunch. so worth it.

next time i will actually try the man’oushe! if you’re in lake city, check...

Food was amazing. Absolutely great and a decent price for how good it was.

Service was quite bad though. We waited outside for our food and they didn't announce it, so it was cold when it came out. Other people were also waiting for their food too, so I didn't think to go back and ask them. Eventually after 20 min or so they hit an announce button, that sends a BEEP noise over their sound system. When I went in I was then told that they had announced it a while ago, which would have been at such a soft volume I couldn't hear it outside (oh you better believe I was listening for it).

Despite the fact that employees were seemingly hanging around doing nothing at the check stand (slow day), none of them thought to come out and ask us about if we were still waiting or anything else or try to find whose food had been sitting there for more than 10 min.

Also none of the tables in there were cleaned the entire time I was waiting there.

But the food was so good it doesn't matter and now I'll know to be right there waiting at the counter for it and...