Samir's Mediterranean Grill — Restaurant in Seattle

The Purloined Pita:

I'll start out with the positive: Samir's is a quaint little "hole-in-the-wall" sort of food joint. The food looked quite appealing and it was straight-forward to put in an order over the phone. Ordering online over PostMates was a disaster and a half, but that is irrelevant.

Now for the things which led to my one-star review: First, I went to pick up my order around 6:00 PM on a Friday. The street running beside the restaurant was a bit busy with people walking back and forth, some were standing around the outside tables having rather loud conversations. Nothing out of the general ordinary for a Friday evening around the U District. The door to Samir's was locked, and when I was let in, Samir told me it was because the "crazies" were out. Uh-huh.

Secondly, I ordered a Pita sandwich with fries combo and the appetizer hummus which is listed in multiple places to be accompanied by pita. Typical practice of just about every Mediterranean food place I have ever visited.

When I arrived home, I found I was charged for both items, but was missing THE FRIES AND THE PITA. Two, while not absolutely essential, quite important parts of the overall meal and food items which I had paid for. Samir's was not at all busy when I placed my order and went to get it, so that cannot be used as context for this mistake. Samir also has the appearance of a capable restaurateur, and so it was easy for me to trust my order was correct.

Caveat emptor...oh well, there are fortunately many other Mediterranean food places in North Seattle which have not cheated me out of items I...

I was originally planning to eat at another Mediterranean spot, but it was closed luckily, this restaurant was right across the street, so I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did!

I ordered the “Shawarma Plate” and the “Lamb Sandwich”, and honestly, both were way better than I expected. The Shawarma Plate especially hit the spot the tahini sauce on the meat, the fragrant basmati rice, and the fresh side salad all worked perfectly together.

Speaking of the salad as someone who’s had a lot of Mediterranean food, I’m used to side salads being an afterthought (either smothered in heavy cream-based dressings or just plain undressed veggies). But this place served a beautifully fresh salad with a light, lemon-based dressing that really complemented the bold flavors of the dish.

Portions were generous for the price, and the Shawarma Plate even came with a side of pita bread. This place feels like an overlooked gem, maybe because it’s slightly off the main road, but the food is seriously worth checking out.

One suggestion: Please update your hours on Google it currently shows the restaurant as closed on Sundays. Other than that, keep up the amazing food and...

After passing the Samir's for nearly a year, I FINALLY decided to forgo my typical spots in the U-district. I wish I had enjoyed Samir's, but the only thing enjoyable was the price, which should have indicated the quality. This family-owned establishment focuses on Mediterranean cuisine, such as platters and sandwiches. In this case, I had a baba ghanoush sandwich, which did not taste like baba ghanoush; instead, it tasted like tahini and was filled to the brim with shredded lettuce. Finally, I asked the server to add Samir's homemade hot sauce, which lacked any semblance of spice. I found myself questioning multiple times whether the server even honored my request. Needless to say, I will not be going back, given the variety in the neighborhood. They do have indoor and outdoor seating...