Dishdash Middle Eastern Cuisine — Restaurant in Sunnyvale

Update: Still solid for light crisp falafel, well spiced rice, and meat if you aren't watching sodium intake. We gave the lamb another try, and it wasn't gamey this time, but even at medium rare,(last time we asked for medium) it is a little tough and requires elbow grease to slice thinly so you aren't chewing forever. Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers used to be the norm but now slimy and wilted is the name of the game. They're either making it in advance and not storing properly or too long, or getting rotten produce (cherry tomatoes routinely taste rotten) from suppliers. The tabbouli used to be bright and fresh, nowadays a slimy mass. The broccoli was a lot of wilted white pale green pieces. The sauces also didn't taste the freshest and we had indigestion afterwards. The normally soft and pillowy complimentary bread can be hard and dry some nights. On the plus side, the sumac was pretty fresh, the tartness really came through in the dipping oil. On the downside the olive oil can be rancid. No one came to check on us after we received our food so service was also lacking. Hope things improve or at least go back to normal.

(4 stars 4 months ago) If you are in the area, and feel like middle eastern cuisine, definitely give this place a try. Every time we eat here we forget to take pics because we are busy eating! We tried their samplers the first time, and quickly discovered our likes and dislikes. Their falafel is the best in the peninsula, with a bright green interior. Their tabouli is refreshing, and not heavy on bulgar like some places can be. Hummus has a very salty spicy pickle flavor with whole garlic cloves. We do wish their garlic was roasted soft, they are hard, like they were pickled or not roasted long enough. Overall the mezes are salty vinegary including the yogurt and eggplants. So far our favorites from the grill are the kufta and chicken, we didn't like the lamb as much, it was a tad gamey for us. The grilled vegetable side of broccoli tends to be undercooked and crunchy, but better that then soft and mushy. We have ordered some items that were not what we expected based on the description, so if you are wanting a sure thing then google first. Service really depends on who you get, we have had pretty good service overall but have witnessed adjacent tables receiving poor service, for example a server was very rude to a gentleman eating alone who ordered one dish. Table settings could be cleaner, (the tables are covered in dust/pollen, and staff wipes debris from table top on to the chairs so watch out before you sit down), water smells and tastes funny, and on warm days the smell of sewage from the street wafts in. Dinnertime you do get complimentary pita with Za'atar and olive oil, although we don't recommend filling...

Yesterday evening my partner and I had dinner at this restaurant as it was recommended to him and now I’d like to recommend this place to you.

We arrived around 8:10pm on a Friday and although it was very busy we did not wait long. I went to the bathroom (clean & stocked) to wash my hands while my partner put his name on the list and we were seated shortly after I returned.

I started with a fresh lemonade with mint, I don’t drink so this was perfect for me, a tasty drink for $5, not bad.

There is complimentary bread and a dip. I’m not sure what was in the dip besides olive oil and sesame seeds but it was so good I asked for more.

My partner and I ordered the Crab Falafel as an appetizer, recommended by our server, and it was delicious. The falafels were served over spinach with chopped tomatoes and a creamy sauce. I would definitely order it again next time.

Then we shared two entrees: Kufta Kebab w/ Spiced Potatoes, and Suneyet Kufta w/ Basmati Rice. No pictures of the food but the Kebabs were served on top of seasoned potatoes with a side of asparagus along with two sauces, one green one white, both so tasty. The sauces really made that dish. The Suneyet is a stew and it came very hot (temp) which I love! The stew had basically the same kebabs and potatoes from the first dish along with other ingredients.

We definitely would have been fine sharing just one entree, we finished the first dish but took most of the stew home. I’m looking forward to heating that up today.

Of course there’s always room for dessert so we split the Baklava Crumble.

I will be eating here again some time. My only complaint was this was our date night outing and I usually prefer a more intimate setting where we can sit on the same side of the table and not hear the conversation of those seated next to us. We were seated outside, which I do prefer most days, however the tables are extremely close together and the four top next to us was conversing very loudly. Plus, due to the tiny two person tables we were seated across...

Food/Taste/Flavor: 4/5 - both dishes were good Beriani Dajaj: chicken breast on basmati rice with potatoes, raisins, garbanzo beans, and yogurt. Very creamy and buttery from the yogurt and sauce. The chicken breasts were a bit dry but still tasty. The sliced almonds added a nice crunchy texture to the dish. The taste/texture reminds me of a stroganoff Shish Kebab: grilled lamb (medium) on freekeh with potatoes and grilled brussel sprouts. The lamb was nicely seasoned but over cooked (more well done with no pink) but wasn't too chewy thankfully. First time trying freekeh and it was good and complimented the lamb. Freekeh has a nice earthy/nutty flavor and a slight chewy texture similar to grains.

Ambience: N/A - got food to go but the inside is decorated nicely with paintings and decorations associated with the culture. Lots of vases with roses and baby breath leftover from Valentine's Day. Looks fairly small inside but lots of tables set up outside

Service: 2/5 - came around 12:15 so it was lunch rush but no one greeted us when we walked in even though many servers were walking in and out of the restaurant past us. After 2-3 minutes, we just grabbed a menu and decided to order to-go instead. Once we were ready to order, we stood by the front table and waited for someone to come by again. Two servers who saw me make eye contact said something along the lines of "she'll be right out" and kept moving past us. There was someone arranging flowers and moving decorations around. By the time someone came to the front to assist, there were 2 other groups and someone wanting to get sauces to go. The woman who ended up helping us was really nice but felt like she was pulled in too many directions as well. We got our food to go close to 1

Value for price: 3/5 - food is good but very pricey...