Mama Ayesha's Restaurant — Restaurant in Washington

Absolutely amazing. There are very few places that I would hand my credit card to the waiter when I am asked what I wanted and simply say “yes,” But this is one of those places.

I’ve been coming here for 10 years, and it is time and again the best restaurant in DC. I’ve brought family here from out of town, I’ve brought friends from DC, and no matter what, every person that leaves here has that glazed look of blissful food coma.

AMONG the amazing (but by no means all):

Zahir (cauliflower): This is the most delicious preparation of this vegetable I’ve ever had. I want this to be the last thing that I taste before I shrug off this mortal coil. Quick, flash fried, the right mixture of crunchy outside and warm vegetable inside, prominent notes of cumin and lemon.

Sujok (sausages): I’ve had a lot of sausages over the years in various countries, and these are the best I’ve ever had. They have a slight note of heat while being the perfect combination of that succulent juicy while still having integrity and not crumbling to bits. They make them by hand in-house.

Hummus bil Lahmeh (hummus with lamb): I don’t even like lamb, but I love this dish. The creamy hummus mixed with the umami of the lamb nibbles and the olive oil and the perfect pita bread... god I’m hungry talking about it. I could literally eat this every day because it’s that amazing.

Kibbeh (meat ‘dumplings’): really savory dish, meat and nuts blended and then breaded and fried. Perfect with hummus. So many kibbeh dishes you find are over cooked, so that it’s too hard outside and dried out inside. These are definitely made with expert hands: firm but not hard, soft but cooked through.

Koosa (stuffed squash): it’s really perfect, the combination of the tender squash with the crumbling morsels inside. You’d never have believed they could make it a marriage of textures without sacrificing but they did. The squash brings moisture and sweetness while the inside brings savory flavors of cumin, allspice, garlic, and sumac. Equally amazing is the Malfoof (cabbage) and Warak Inib (grape leave).

Jaj bil Toma (garlic chicken): I could move into this dish. The chicken is slow cooked in a garlic stew with hints of lemon and allspice while being tender, succulent, fall-off-the bone good. I get this every visit, because even if I’m too full from three successive orders of Zahir, I’m taking it with me. Also amazing? Musakan (onion chicken).

Shish Kabob (lamb) and Shish Taouk (chicken): so many grilled meats are burned, dry, or just tough. These are always that perfect smoke and texture, the sizzle of the outside contrasted with the softness and the juicy insides. Always the right spice heat and served with their perfect rice.

In big cities there are lots of reasons for the newest, hottest restaurants to pop up, and lots of reasons to enjoy the food adventure. But some places should stay, and some places should be where we eat frequently and return. This is one of those places that we should keep coming back to.

Let me also add I am a gay man in an interracial relationship, and these people welcome me with open arms (literally). I’m greeted with a bear hug every time I come here, and they could not make me feel more like I am welcome, like I am family, like I belong here.

Thank you for the years of food and the amazingly happy stomachs. Please, keep cooking amazing food for us for...

I was thoroughly impressed with my dinner at Mama Ayesha's! I came here for a friend's birthday because the only thing he wanted was Hummus, so I went on Yelp and looked for a Mediterranean restaurant and started reading reviews.

Reviews were great, pictures looked good, and I made a reservation. It's located in Adam's Morgan, near the Rock Creek bridge. Atmosphere was nice, dimly lit and inviting.

Food: Mushakal Mashawi - a mixture of skewers that included the Shish Kabob (lamb), Kifta (chicken), Shish Taouk (beef) served with Vermicelli Rice. I am usually averse to eating lamb because I do not enjoy any type of meat that is "gamey." Usually with Mediterranean cuisine, I don't mind the lamb/beef mixed gyro meat because the spices used masks that taste. I took a risk and gave the mixed plate a try and to my surprise, I enjoyed every single thing on my place. The Shish Kabob (lamb) was so tender! It was cooked medium, which was perfect. The Kifta (chicken) was also a shocker! I have never had such tender and juicy grilled chicken breast from a Mediterranean restaurant every. Every bite was amazing and I just wanted more. The Shish Taouk (beef) was a bit overcooked to my liking, which dried it out, but overall, the flavor was on point and still ended up tasty.

Hummus - it was just okay. I read from another reviewer it was the best he has ever had, so it got me excited. But to me, it was just okay. Wasn't over the top and wasn't bad. I think it was too smooth and thin for me but I enjoyed it.

Falafel - Pretty good! Each piece was hot, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Just like how any falafel should be, no complaints.

Overall the highlight of the evening was the main dish, Musahkal Mashawi. Definitely come here and give it a try, you will not regret it!

I am actually looking forward to coming here again soon to eat the meats. Yum!

Service was okay, the waiter was a bit pre-occupied at other tables so it was hard to get some requests, but nothing terrible to complain about. When he was at the table, he was very attentive and friendly and recommended some good...

I can't believe this place is still open I went here a few years ago with my family and the food was fantastic and the service was fantastic recently I took my bf with me and the food has completely gone down, it taste like frozen food that you would microwave, and the type you would get at Safeway not even the really good type that you would find at Whole Foods! Regardless we try to enjoy a meal only thing I would say that was good was the hummas. Then my bf ordered a rum and Coke how can you mess up a Rum & Coke there is only two ingredients in this drink, rum and Coke you're pouring it in a glass, there is no hard labor in this process . Nevertheless we were still trying to enjoy our meal, now reading my review so far you must think that the restaurant was busy but that was not the case, we got there around 3 PM and we were the only people in the restaurant. I restarted to order an asked about portions, our server who happened to be one of the owners was very sarcastic and smart with us, I understand if the food goes wrong, but it was just more rain than the food it was beatitude in the service towards us from the owner or one of the owners. Would I ever go back to this restaurant probably not. We felt very awkward sitting in a restaurant because we had already ordered we didn't want to leave although we should have, it ruined a perfectly good afternoon. I don't normally write reviews but I felt like I had too! When you're at a restaurant there's a good chance something may go wrong but I the way a person and that being the owner treats you especially a business that you are giving money to, that should never go wrong, no excuses for that . To the restaurant owner when you read this you're more than likely upset over this review but I hope this teaches you that the word hospitality comes from hospitable, all the other workers that were in uniform were very nice sadly your attitude towards your customers should change to a more encouraging one so people want to come back not never see the...