Ishtar Restaurant — Restaurant in Sterling Heights

I was recommended to come here by a colleague and this place was absolutely incredible 👏 I knew I was in for a treat because as i walked in, I saw the smoke outside from the grill, and the whole place was packed when i got inside. I thought the art and interior were great. It had a lot of culture and carried a lot of history and elegance. The only area where I think they could improve is to add an area for a host to sit you to make sure a waiter tends to your needs. It'll make everything else much more pleasant. The bathroom was very clean and classy looking as well. Now, onto the dreamy food!! I liked my food so much -I went back into the menu and ordered takeout. 😋

I was recommended to order Iraqi Mix Grilled and Hummus. Within minutes, my Hummus and 2 big ole iraqi flat bread and salad came out to me. Everything was delicious already. About 10 minutes later, my platter came out, and I was drooling 🤤 Every Kebab was carefully made and felt like I was eating like a king. Each Kebab was juicy and jam-packed with flavor. What I found amazing was that they managed to take the smell out of every meat type, which was impressive. It even came to a point where I wanted to stop because I was full, but I knew it wouldn't be as good the next day, so I finished it anyway. On the way out, they brought out black tea and sugar, which was pleasant and made everything go down nice and smooth.

The only reason this place got 4/5 was because the Iraqi Biriyani isn't as good as Indian biriyani and is not soft and creamy, and yes, I'm comparing it to my mom's Hajjir Biriyani. I also thought the Meat Quzi (roasted lamb) could have been more tender. Other than that, everything was fantastic. It's a must go if you're in the Sterling Heights area for sure.

P.S. This place takes birthdays seriously....

Goods: Their Iraqi kabab is from lamb and is really good, and comes with some nice sides and herbs. Their complimentary hot tea is also very good. Their servers are all very nice and professional. The atmosphere and attitude of managers are also very warm and welcoming.

Not so good: I have tried some other dishes and couldn't really like anything besides their amazing Iraqi kabab. Specifically, their Qoozi is indeed not even Qoozi and just lamb shank

And their baked lamb dish was also very stingy on the amount of meat.A little bit of shredded meat. So they really don't have any good lamb dish. Their rice was very one dimensional, I definitely appreciate that it had no food coloring, thank you for that, but it seemed like it only had one or two spices, probably cinnamon and or clove, but not any other spices and definitely not enough salt, which made its taste imbalanced.

I know this restaurant is about quality and has good chefs, so I can't see why they can't make at least one flavorful rice like Cabsah rice. Needless to say, to make things tasty, I am definitely not suggesting hot chili or jalapeno, or food coloring or MSG, which are so not middle Eastern, I am talking about all those nice balanced spicy but not hot spices that you can find in any authentic Cabsah rice.

And please add at least one generous lamb dish, other than...

I walked into this Iraqi restaurant with expectations as high as the city's skyline, courtesy of the strong recommendations from friends. Unfortunately, I found myself navigating through an underwhelming culinary experience. The Shawerma, a dish that should be teeming with flavor, was disappointingly bland. The Meat Teshreeb, while passable, was a far cry from the rich, hearty stew I had anticipated.

The one redeeming element of the meal was the Meat Kebab, which was expertly prepared and burst with flavor. This standout dish offered a tantalizing glimpse into the potential of this restaurant, making the overall disappointment even more poignant.

What further marred the experience was the service. Despite being generally attentive, there was an unsettling rush attached to it. It felt as if there was an invisible clock, pushing us towards the exit a bit too soon, stripping away the leisurely enjoyment of the meal.

Given these experiences, this restaurant doesn't make the cut for my future dining choices in the city. Despite its potential, it falls short in delivering a truly satisfying and authentic Iraqi culinary experience. A revisit seems unlikely unless significant...