Dar Essalam — Restaurant in Wilsonville

TL;DR: Owner is a petty manchild with a temper. Food is mediocre and overpriced. Maybe visit if you want to practice your self-defense skills?

Full story:

The owner, Mohamed, got visibly upset when we initially wanted to order 2 entrees and 1 appetizer for 3 people. When told there was a $5 share fee, we changed to 3 entrees with no complaints. Side note on the food: the tajine was ok, but the rest were overly salty and not particularly flavorful, as well as overpriced. The presentation is pretty decent which probably explains the positive reviews. We weren't very hungry, and given it was a 5pm weekday dinner and the restaurant was almost completely empty at the time, I think most people would find this okay - but buddy, tell us if it's not and we can change our order! Use your words, you literally have one other customer to serve!!!

When he served us, I received a plate of pita (in a closed tajine - imagine the pettiness) instead of my entree as a "joke" - which clearly he found hilarious, because his face was dead serious when he did it. Anyone who was there could tell he was angry, not joking, and trying to mock us for "not ordering enough food." When politely asked to apologize he repeatedly, angrily refused. Later, when we were done eating, I again asked for an apology (not so politely this time) and he started yelling, getting up close and personal, and aggressively refusing to admit wrongdoing. After some choice words on my part he got right up in my face and started saying he would "beat me up" (actual quote). Typical bully behavior. To my credit, my butt stayed in my seat until we got up to leave and I never threatened the overgrown baby - just kept asking for an apology!

Anyway, the guy has serious attitude issues, and I'm not sure what happened to the supposed good service and friendly demeanor the other reviews talk about, because he acted sour from minute 1. Maybe it's because it was a particularly hot day (by the way, the guy is literally too cheap to set the thermostat below 85 on a 100 degree day), or maybe he's just a racist piece of garbage? Regardless, this is a beyond unacceptable way to treat people just for trying to have a lighter meal than what this absolute clown finds acceptable. 2 entrees and 1 app here is easily enough food for 3 people, and we were happy to change our order if asked. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that level of intelligent conversation is possible for this one.

Avoid!

Edit: to the reviewer below who assumed I was overreacting after having played absolutely no part in the interaction between me and the owner - yes, he reacted with such "professionalism and grace" that he refused to apologize, walked up to my face, and threatened to beat me up. Disagree with me, sure, but acting like the owner was professional has to be the real joke here 😂. Mohamed literally could have defused the situation with two words - "I'm sorry." I will give credit to Moustafa (sp?) - he was professional, the older guy wasn't. I did not direct any anger at Moustafa. In your review you clearly don't even know what I was reacting to, so how do you know I overreacted? And why do you not think the owner overreacted when he was the one threatening me and not vice versa? And finally, why do people comment on things they clearly have no context for? Do you really think I go around getting upset at random restauranteurs? Truly, some of life's greatest...

This was my first time eating at Dar Essalam as well as my first time eating Moroccan cuisine. I wish we had discovered this gem of Wilsonville sooner! Out of my party of 4, 3 of us were vegetarians. While the menu focuses on meat inspired dishes, there were a couple of vegetarian dishes to serve from.

We were also treated to fantastic service. We were treated with great respect by the wait staff. However, at the same time, the wait staff were laid back and humorous. We never felt rushed and our every need was attended to.

The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. The seating is not crowded.

I was surprised at the sweetness of the much of the food. The first thing they brought out was a traditional pot of mint tea. It was delicious and nicely sweetened. The second thing they brought out was a small hummus plate. The hummus was sweetened as well. A few members of my party did not care for the sweetness of the hummus.

The traditional lentil soup was delicious! It was a light soup with a rich flavor. I really enjoyed the crunch of the vegetables in the soup.

Two of our vegetarians ordered the Vegetarian Couscous dish. This dish was also quite flavorful but also quite sweet. The vegetables were a little crisp (ie not soggy or mushy). One of our friends did not appreciate the sweetness of this dish. Next time, she will order something different.

I ordered the Bakola, another vegetarian dish. This dish was quite savory, warm and delightful! The salad portion was made up of baby mixed greens which I prefer over other lettuces. I would not hesitate to recommend this dish!

The only omnivore in our party ordered the Mediterranean Dinner Salad. He appreciated that it was served with romaine lettuce instead of iceberg. It was pre-dressed and was a compliment to the savory chicken kabobs which were excellent. He added some of the salad garnishes (pickled vegetables) to his salad and enjoyed the extra flavor.

We were too full for dessert.

The bottom line? If you are concerned about sugar intake, ask the staff for recommendations. If you would prefer to eat savory instead of sweet dishes, ask the staff! They have a variety of dished to please just about any palate. You can also check out their menu on the website ahead of time.

For the 4 of us, the bill came out to about $80.

I would come back to this restaurant just for the excellent service! Fortunately, I will come back to enjoy the good...

I've been to Dar Essalam at least 8 times over a 3-year period.

It's the best food by far that Wilsonville has to offer.

You MUST:

Enjoy ambiance. Most of Wilsonville = chains. Be willing to wait at peak times. The restaurant is small, and it's not exactly a secret. If a local is not a fan, they probably haven't been. Want to support a family-owned restaurant. These folks treat my 90-yo mother-in-law like a queen. They remember her, offer to cut her meat for her, etc. Enjoy top-notch AND consistent food. I am a pretty good cook in my own right, love cooking and eating ethnic food and will eat seriously anything twice (you don't even have to tell me what it is.) My mother-in-law does not exactly have prime taste buds and does not like exotic food. We both clean our plates at Dar Essalam. She is petite and rarely cleans her plate anywhere. Actual quote from today: "this is the best rice I've ever had" (saffron rice.) Order the tea. They offer decaffeinated and unsweetened (although the default is not excessively sweet.) It's delightfully aromatic, and, for me, functions like an "amuse"...it will stimulate your senses and your appetite.

Everything I've had on the menu is very good. My favorites (dinner) are the lamb tagine (although if you love olive and lemon, the other tagine is excellent as well) and the sampler plate (dinner) and the gyro (lunch.) If you like chicken, the chicken kabobs are excellent (I do not generally order chicken breast at restaurants because it is usually dry; here it is moist (I suspected marinated in yogurt.) The spinach salad is tangy and sweet (black olive tang, savory feta, sweet/tart cranberry/pomegranate, and dry/nutty almond.) The saffron rice is very delicious and so pretty on the plate! The pita and hummus is yummy. It's on the thinner/more tahini end of the hummus spectrum.

Price point is very good for quality. Lunch is especially reasonable.

Service is occasionally a little slow or stretched thin, but it is always warm and genuine and as thoughtful as staffing...