Habibi Middle Eastern Coney & Curry — Restaurant in Traverse City

NOTE: I'm really nervous to write this review, but I feel like it has to be said. I really hope that this was an off night that my family of 4 stopped in because it was sad. I have previous food service experience and have never seen this. Bear with me here because this was wild.

I was really excited to try this place because 1. TC has been lacking this type of food for a long time and 2. The photos and reviews looked amazing! But when we got in we were quick to notice there was just one person working that night (cooking, serving, hosting) and things went downhill very quickly. We were one of 3~4 tables in there that evening and waited a good amount of time until our server came to our table and took our drink and dinner orders. But we truly didn't mind that much because we could see he was solo. Once the man took or order, he came back within minutes asking if any of us were "adventurous." I (regrettably) responded, "yes" (kind of thinking that he might have offered us samples of the camel/kangaroo that was on the menu) but he then asked if I would help him get the drinks for our table. I was definitely surprised but obviously said yes - like I said, he was the only one working that night. So I walk over to the counter and once I'm behind the till/hot bar things got bad. This man starts telling me what another table's drink order was and vaguely gestures to the pop machine (that wasn't hooked up) for me to start getting drinks. I immediately asked if a small sink in the corner was a hand washing sink so that I could wash my hands before getting started (thinking this would be a polite and sanitary thing to do if grabbing drinks for people I didn't know) and his response was "yeah you wash your hands there and that's also where you get the water for those that just wanted water." That raised another immediate alarm for me - those in food service/health code know that's a no-no. I then found the ice scooper in the ice bin without a proper spot for it - ice scoops should remain outside any ice containers so that the handle doesn't contaminate the ice. Another alarm. When I went to fill up a few cups of water I found that the (hand washing) sink only had hot water - no cold. So the ice was melted within seconds. Finally looking around I noticed the kitchen was completely trashed. Lots of dirty/empty containers, plates, bowls, utensils were strewn across the hot bar. The icing on the cake was that I also then noticed this man was wearing flip flops. Yes, open toed shoes in a kitchen in January. Definitely not sanitary, safe or up to code. I decided then that we were going to leave. I took the drinks to the other table and came back to let our server know that we were going to head out and find another spot for dinner, politely stating that we were pretty hungry and noticed that he seemed quite busy and backed up. To which he replied "what did you expect, for your dinner to be ready in 5 minutes?" I was SHOCKED. Despite this, I politely responded that we'd come back and try another time and wished him a good night.

Again, I've worked in multiple different food establishments and have never experienced anything like this. I'm not sure if this server/cook was the owner or a hired employee but this place needs some serious help - not just staff but also management! Overall, I was mostly disappointed and sad for the place. Like I said, TC needed a great Mediterranean/middle eastern spot and I was so excited to stop by and...

‼️I AM PUTTING THIS AT 5 STARS SO PEOPLE CAN SEE IT‼️

this was honestly the WORST restaurant i've ever been to. me and my family went on vacation to traverse city and we were like "okay let's go to a middle eastern restaurant" because we're from the middle east. after seeing the menu, we had high hopes for the restaurant. we ended up going but oh my god i regret agreeing SO much, it was THAT bad. we got in and were seated. right off the bat i realized there were no middle eastern workers whatsoever. still, after reading the reviews, i believed they were capable of making good food.

i'll say that the staff were so arrogant and disrespectful — that's the nicest way i could possibly put it. i, a 15 year old teen, was told by a staff member, "you're gonna eat all of that?" in the meanest tone. like hello? where the hell are your manners? i did try brushing it off because it was whatever and i was trying to enjoy myself.

the food was the biggest and worst surprise. EVERYTHING had spice on it. when i say everything, i mean everything. and it's not small amounts either. it's like they dunked the food in loads of spices and cari and waited for it to dry before putting 5 more layers on it. not to mention their home made sauce. that was absolutely disgusting and i can't believe they call it 'food' or 'sauce' so lightly because that's not even the type of food they give prisoners. it was way too spicy and was actually unedible.

the whole restaurant was incredibly unsanitary that it was actually insane. once you walk inside, you're instantly hit by the scent of the dense air— and obviously the crazy amounts of spice. they tell you to sit wherever but the tables, chairs, plates, etc were all dirty?? how can you run a business when you don't clean a thing? the whole place is a mess too. the bathrooms and kitchen is disgusting. they don't even use/wear gloves at all, they don't use measurements, and then the staff criticizes you when you don't like their food. absolutely disgusting.

everything from start to end was a disaster. my family got such bad side affects too. for instance; my dad threw up and coughed up blood, my mom found blood when she was wiping, my sister almost threw up and had a really bad stomachache, and i kept coughing and had the feeling of vomitting for the rest of the week. me and my family literally went to bed hungry and didn't want to eat for the whole week. it's actually insane how much this restaurant had a negative impact on us. as middle eastern people, we often use the word 'habibi' to describe/talk/refer to a loved one. guess what word we stopped using after this restaurant? bingo! we stopped calling eachother that because of the restaurant.

i do not recommend. do not eat here at all. it's terrible. keep...

I was out running errands and my husband was craving Habibi, so I actually stopped in for the first time today. WOW!! This little restaurant exceeds expectations on every level.

It is beautifully decorated inside, really has a "make yourself at home" kinda feel, and the pictures on the mantle of the fireplace tell a beautiful family story. The owner, Brent is incredibly generous and friendly. He asked if I'd been there before, and I explained that I have doordashed in the past, but this was my first time coming in. He said, "Boy are you in for a real treat!" While he cooked our food to order, he filled me up with complimentary hummus and pita. It was INCREDIBLE...

Through our chit-chat as he cooked our meals, I felt like I had just stopped by "my Uncle Brent's house" to grab a bite to eat on my lunch break. He even sent me on my way with some bread pudding that I "just had to try!" So incredibly kind!

The food itself... 🤯 I'm simply mind blown at how delicious everything is!! It's very clear that Brent is passionate about the food he makes. I had the Chicken Schwarma Wrap with grilled veggies and my husband had the Chicken Shish Tawook with falafel and fries. Do yourself a huge favor come in to Habibi... I love that they doordash for the days I don't have time to come in before work, but the hospitality and atmosphere are sincerely a rare find, and well worth a trip to that side of town.

P.S. Definitely don't skip the fries... I'm obsessed. The schwarma wrap is the real star of the show for me, and even though I was pretty full after the hummus and pita, somehow I managed to find room for the rest because it was just too delish to resist.

I swear, if everyone in TC just tried this place, it would be PACKED year-round with a line out the door. Can't wait to come back and dine-in on my next day off. Thanks again for such an...