Koshari Mama — Restaurant in Somerville

We visited this place for dinner on Saturday. Service was excellent; 10 out of 10. Cleanliness was excellent; 10 out of 10. Seating was very acceptable; 9 out of 10. Prices were acceptable; 8 out of 10.

I'm taking off 1 stars for mainly for the food. To be fair, the food was clean and fresh, but there was something missing (read below for details). If you think of this place as authentic egyptian food, you'll be very disappointed. But if you think of it as a different spin on vegetarian and vegan food you'll be satisfied.

We ordered a good selection of appetizers and main dishes. We got the mezze platter that included falafel (Tameyyeh), hummus, babaganouj, eggplant, and freshly baked egyptian pita bread. We also got the kushari, mushroom shawerma, and pasta with tomato sauce.

The mezze platter was probably the best dish we ordered. Bread was phenomenal, and we made another separate order for it. Hummus tasted good, but it was a bit runny. Babaganouj was excellent. Falafel (tameyyih) was phenomenal and certain different from the typical falafel you'll eat elsewhere as it's made of fava bean and veggies instead of chickpeas and parsley. The eggplant tastes fresh and yummy especially in the beginning, but then it started to soak in water coming out of the eggplant (may be if they dried the eggplant more or used the smaller italian eggplants that would help avoid this problem). So for this mezze platter, I would give it 8 out of 10, taking two points out for the runny hummus and watery eggplant.

For the main dishes, mushroom shawerma was acceptable as a "mushroom with rice" dish. I liked the idea of making stripes of mushroom and sauté it in shawerma spice, but this dish didn't taste shawerma whatsoever. I can understand that the texture and not using meat may affect the flavor, but to be completely different flavor means non-shawerma spices were used. The taste was good, but it should be called something else. It was also a bit salty, which impacted the flavor negatively. The rice was a bit dry and had a bite to it. I give this dish 6 out of 10, taking a point out for each lack of true shawerma flavor, bity rice, being salty, and for being pricey for such experience (essentially $24 for salty sautéed mushroom).

Kushari flavor was very good, but not perfect, and the portion was very satisfying. The entire plate was dry overall, even after adding the accompanied vinegar and chilli sauce. Again, rice had a bite, as well as the chickpeas and lentils, and the fried onion was too fried. Again, the taste was "generally" there and good, but the texture could have been better. I give this plate 9 out of 10 for food texture.

The pasta with tomato sauce was too salty that we couldn't eat. We were embarrassed to say anything, but the server was transparent when he came back on his own telling us to not eat the pasta (it was a bit too late) because the chef discovered the high saltiness of it and he just took it off of the bill. Putting the salt issue aside, the tomato flavor was a bit lacking in the plate, but there was some unique vinegar and garlic flavor compared to standard marina sauces (assessed from the two bite we took). Assuming the saltiness issue didn't occur, I still would score this plate 7 out of 10 due to the lack of tomato flavor.

Overall, the experience was acceptable and would certainly recommend it to any vegetarian or vegan friend considering the exclusive vegetarian and vegan menu as well as the good...

My friend and I ordered takeout yesterday. I had never eaten there before and was disappointed not to be able to stay and dine in the restaurant as the decor was so colorful and festive. However I was bringing the food to her so that was not an option.

The mushroom shawerma was a gustatory delight. I was full while I was eating it and yet had trouble putting my fork down, it was that delicious. I also absolutely loved both the cucumber mint dip and falafel. Both were simply perfect for me. The falafel is golden brown on the outside which is expected but bright green on the inside! I have never experienced fresher tasting falafel in my entire life and I have had an abundant amount of it. WOW. I cannot imagine returning without ordering all of these!

I want this to be an honest assessment, so I must mention the items that I cannot give a rave review according to my personal taste buds. The Egyptian platter includes a fava bean stew and it was ground, like a paste, instead of served with whole beans which surprised me. I think I discovered that I don't happen to care for fava beans, so that certainly is no one's fault. The cucumber tomato salad that came with it for me lacked some flavor. However if it were on the menu as a side, I would order it again and just add a little salt, as I am a cucumber nut, and it was so incredibly fresh. I found the Just Eggplant starter slightly bitter, but I also am quite sensitive to that.

I'll conclude with what my friend and I both absolutely adored: the orange lentil soup -- utter perfection -- and fresh pita bread. The pita was fluffier than I'm used to, and I appreciated that with each bite I could taste the whole grains, a first for pita for me. I found that rather exciting and quite satisfying. I also cannot imagine returning without ordering both of these. Obviously, I order with leftovers in mind... I also enjoyed the cookies which had a very subtle anise flavor, and a distinct sandy texture which I really liked.

The owner, Sahar, is conspicuously gracious and all heart with the food from her country of origin, which she lovingly and artfully prepares with devotion. I highly recommend Koshari Mama. I cannot wait to...

Our Nikah celebration dinner at Koshari Mama was absolutely perfect, and we are so incredibly grateful! From our very first phone call and email exchange, the owners, Sahar and Dina, were an absolute joy to work with - so flexible, kind, and communicative, which completely put our minds at ease.

The Food The food was a total hit, which was huge for our families from Okinawan, Bangladeshi, Algerian, and Egyptian cultures where meat, dairy, and seafood are traditional staples. Every single dish was delicious and felt so authentic! We especially loved the variety, from our appetizers like Fried Cauliflower and the "Meat" Layered Phyllo Tray to the generous platters of Moussaka, Roasted Tomato Garlic Eggplant, and Koshari. The "Chicken" & "Cheese" Sambusak Triangles, Potato Croquette, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Hummus, and Balady Salad were also favorites. A few of our guests were so impressed with the vegan protein dishes that they were convinced it was actually meat! The Chocolate & Nut Konafas were also delicious desserts to pair with Mint Tea & Coffees after the meal. The food being both vegan and halal-friendly made it a perfect choice for all of our blended families. We also really appreciated the generous amount of to-go containers, so everyone could take leftovers home.

The Service & Setup Sahar, Dina, and their team went above and beyond to accommodate our group of 20. They set up two large, beautiful family-style tables in the center of the restaurant, and allowed us to use spare tables for the food platters and drinks. They were so gracious, allowing my mom to bring in her own small table decorations and for my mother-in-law to bring our wedding cake. The staff was prompt, attentive, and made sure all our needs were met throughout the evening.

Our entire experience at Koshari Mama was truly wonderful. Thank you for helping us make our Nikah celebration so memorable. We wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant & can't...