Harissa Mediterranean Cuisine Reviews

We have eaten here twice, using coupons, and each time we left feeling the experience was so good that we would return even without a coupon. Sometimes we find ourselves longing for the delicious eggplant appetizers. Both the baba ganoosh and the eggplant salad are magnificent. The humus is also excellent. The bread is much better than anything I've ever had in a middle eastern restaurant. I read that it's because they have a Tandoori oven in the kitchen, so the bread is more like naan than pita. It is really excellent. Better than pita in my opinion. The main courses we've tried have also been very good. We've had two different servers, and both women were really nice. They seemed to want us to have a great dining experience, which we did.

The pita bread was delicious as was as the lamb kabobs. The chicken and beef kabobs are excellent also. Especially liked the rice and grilled vegetables. Great entertainment the night we were there. Good place for a nice, quiet dinner with friends.

I lived in the Mediterranean area for a while and learned what their authentic foods were all about. The seasonings are different from what I typically experience in the states. After work, I began hunting for a good place to eat in the Ravenna district, NW Seattle area and was pleased to find this small, unassuming place to dine. The waitress was wonderful and the food brought back all my fond memories of Mediterranean dining. The ethnic salad was wonderful as was the vegetable stew. I don't think you can go wrong here! I highly recommend it!

A horrible service experience with average food. Here is the timeline for a Saturday evening dining experience and the restaurant was only half full. 610 arrival 620 ordered food 730salads showed up after asking three different waiters where our food was 745 food showed up and some of it was the wrong food. The most embarrassing part is that the owner actually had the nerve to charge me for the entire dinner. I paid all 108 dollars for marginal food but I'll never be back nor will I ever recommend your establishment to anyone. How embarrassing to make someone wait over an hour and ten minutes for marginal food then have the absolute nerve to charge them for it.

This restaurant features Middle-Eastern Food from a variety of countries in the region. The food is spectacular -- wonderfully spiced, appropriately priced. The service is also great and accessible.

Sunday lunch. Food beautifully presented. My plate -- 3 appetizers and their fabulous bread already praised -- looked huge, but it all seemed light when it was eaten. I have never had better labne (rather like creme fraiche) with its faint hints of mint, and other spices I could not identify. The tzatziki, again, was light & tasted of spring, with none of the heaviness of Greek tzatziki. The eggplant salad had more unidentifiable spice. The lamb kebab was really lamb, not immature mutton, also lightly flavored so as not to interfere with good meat. The cook was cooking and serving Sunday lunch alone, so I did not take his time to ask the many questions I had. The house wine was excellent, as was the Lebanese arak. We live nearby but had never visited before. This will be a regular delight.

Now that autumn weather is here it's perfect time for Mediterranean comfort food. Harissa has wonderful stew like dishes with seafood or chicken. Their hummus and pita are to die for and the Lebanese salad is refreshing! I tried their Villa Rojo red wine which was velvety and rich. My husband enjoyed a Scuttlebutt beer. For dessert we shared tiramisu. Yummy! The restaurant has beautiful decor and is perfect for family gatherings or a romantic dinner. Casual or dressy. Nonpretentious. The service has always been great!

I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture. The Greek salad and chipotle chicken were very satisfying and more than enough to fill me up

We came with another couple for dinner in early January and were so happy that we ended up deciding on Harissa to catch-up with friends. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and within minutes had our drink and appetizer orders into the kitchen. The eggplant starter was phenomenal and the bread that was served alongside was fresh, hot, and clearly homemade. For entrees, three of us had a different kabob - one mixed, one chicken, and one salmon - and it was agreed that they were all delicious. Each entree also came with a generous portion of rice and wonderfully seasoned grilled vegetables. The fourth person in our group ordered the special lamb stew, which was also quite tasty. All in all Harissa is a great spot for an evening meal with a generous bar selection and some really delicious food. The service could not have been more welcoming and friendly and we will definitely be back when we are next in Ravenna.

So I traveled to Seattle from New Orleans with my 6 year old daughter. My mom flew in from Maine and met us. I went on Groupon and purchased one. They require reservations in a neighborhood restaurant that was empty. In my opinion this was not Authentic Mediterranian cuisine. The Tsaziki was made with Dill. The Labneh they are saying is made with Cream Cheese. Those dips tasted good, the Pita was homemade and done well. Let's discuss our server. She came over brought us some water then proceeded to eat desserts from the party out back, make a pot of coffee and flit around instead of coming back to take our order. The topic of discussion behind the bar was one of the employees wanted a strainer like other bar's have. He couldn't pour any sugared water down the drain because of flies. Really??? Is that really a conversation you want to here while your eating? The server clearly forgot we were sitting there and forgot to take our order!!! Really unimpressed at this point. The Receipt says Belly dancing every Saturday. Well it is Saturday and we didn't see any. On to the Lebanese Salad that was delivered before our Chicken Kabob, Well barely any dressing and when have you seen Purple Cabbage served in Lebanon? Barely any Feta, and even less dressing. Very unimpressive. The Server tried to box our food so she could "make room on the table". Really unprofessional service if you could call it that. Finally our Chicken Kabob came out, smothered in Sage!! To the point it wasn't edible, and to cover the sage there was so much Sumac on it the chicken was Red. It is supposed to be a light dusting as a garnish. Everything we received was densely covered in Sumac. Someone needs to teach the "chef" how to use Sumac. Where is Chef Ramsey when you need him? Please help this neighborhood restaurant and save the innocent people of Seattle Raveena Neighborhood from eating there. When she went to another table she brought out the wrong wine, continued to tell the table she didn't know what she was talking about, however she did offer them drink specials by telling the she would turn the board on and they could read it for themselves. Then the table behind us commented..oh there was drink specials? Exactly. The table next to us however was a returning customer, I noticed their food came out promptly.So I guess it is all about who you know in there. Honestly if I lived here I wouldn't come back. They treat their guests very poorly. The food is not authentic, and the service is terrible.

Incredibly slow service. Took far too long after being seated to even ask someone for a glass of water. When our food was (finally!) served, my wife was so hungry that she ate half her entree before she realized that it wasn't what she had ordered. The waitress was completely unimpressed by the mistake and offered no apology.

It was my first experience at this restaurant. Cozy, romantic atmosphere...really amazing food! We ordered the pita and hummus..Yum! Also ordered the chicken and shrimp kabobs. The spices and sauces were really incredible. It is what sets this restaurant apart from the others!! I can't wait to go back!!!

I went for an early dinner and tried the lamb chop special. It was really good. The house salad was wonderful and quite large. The lamb came with rice pilaf and vegetables. Very good and quite a large portion for $29. Service was very good. They pour a nice glass of wine for $7. Would happily go back.

We went to this restaurant because we had a Groupon - however, before I boought the Groupon, I had inquired about their vegetarian selections. I was told that they had extensive vegetarian selections and that they were delicious. While the food was tasty, there were not a lot of vegetarian options. We started with the combo appetizer which was fantastic. The baganoush and the lebneh were really good and it was a lot of food - we probably could have just eaten the appetizer and been done. However, we did order other food. We ordered the vegetarian stew which was somewhat bland, but ok, and the salmon skewers which were really good - the salmon was cooked perfectly. The service was great, we were well taken care of.

Let's start with the positives. The food was really good. It stops there. We made the mistake of going to Harissa on a Friday night, featuring loud electrified music in a small space. Background music that did not kill dinner conversation would have been wonderful. But amped up confused Lebanese-Jazz fusion? Ugh! Then there was the embarrassing fat tatooed belly dancer. We ordered a glass of wine with dinner. It came hot, 20F warmer than wine should be served. This is Seattle in September. The waiter offered us 1) and excuse that it was a hot day and 2) a glass of ice cubes. Modern restaurants know about refrigeration. Won't be back.

I live in this neighborhood and was invited to Harissa by a friend. It was one of the best restaurant experiences I've had. The food, phenomenal. Wait staff, excellent. And belly dancing later that was awesome. If you don't go in for the belly dancing, trust me that the food experience alone is worth coming to this incredible neighborhood restaurant. Trust that I am writing this review without any relationship to the restaurant, its owners or staff. I'm hoping that they get a following that will allow them to survive in this location (it's been several other restaurants before).

We have had good entrees here before, but my favorite is the appetizer combo. You got a selection of four great dips and naan style bread. It is eough to feed two people for lunch!

We wanted a celebration that would appeal to a vast range of vegans, raw food-atarians, to carnivores and allergic intolerances. They were attentive to letting people what ingredients were in each dish so people could make their individual choices. We wanted to have our dinner of about 15 away from the dining area so we could celebrate without disturbing other guests. They set us up in the back patio away from other diners. This was perfect as we had a lot of celebration prizes to hand out and laughter to express. We wanted to be left alone once the meals arrived. Not only did they attend to this but they knew who got what dish, did not disturb our atmosphere when they took plates out. The owner came out and gave us a special congratulations to our celebratory achievements. The food was fantastic and home made. Everybody enjoyed their selection. Ones that were more shared included: Walid's Combo Plate, and the Labneh Plate as they were unique and delicious. This is a fantastic neighborhood restaurant.

Three of us gathered at this neighborhood favorite spot. The food is always top quality. We shared the Eggplant Salad, that comes with their bubbly, spiced pita fresh out of the oven, and a Lebanese Salad (small) for appetizers. The Kofta Kabobs were splendid over rice with grilled vegetables on the side, and angel hair pasta that was flavorful and piled high. We ordered the Baklava for two of the three of us and it was served cut to share with extra honey. It was a leisurely catch up with friends over good food. A constant go to restaurant for quality. On weekends they have music!

Been going there since they opened. Great original recipes. The staff are very hospitable. We alway have lebnaha and bread as an appetizer. Everything on the menu is good. If you are in the mood for good middle eastern food, this is the place.

This is my favorite Mediterranean Restaurant in Seattle. This has the BEST appetizers of just about any restaurant, but definitely in the Mediterranean Cuisine. The Roasted Eggplant (similar to Baba ghanoush), the hummus, the tomato “salad,” and the “cream” cheese appetizers are all worth purchasing and make me want to go back for more. They are all served with a yummy “pita” bread, which is more like an Indian Naan, than a pita bread, but it doesn’t matter—it’s still delicious and goes great with the appetizers. I had the appetizer sampler for my main meal & I was able to share it with others and still walk away full. The stews are all great. I tried two out of the four and they are worth the steep price. We also tried the Kibbeh, which was kind of like a Mediterranean meatloaf. It also re-heated well as a left-over. One key thing to point out. The Harissa’s on 65th is completely different than the one on Capitol Hill (15th), which is just okay.

I ate dinner here last night with my mother and my husband. My mother told me it was her favorite neighborhood place to eat and it was a wonderful first time there for me. We were warmly greeted by the owner Walid and he shared the daily specials with us. We started with the appetizer combo which included several amazingly delicious dips and freshly baked pita bread. I could have made that my whole dinner but after that we had a lamb Kabob and vegetarian daily special of stuffed Dolmas with a fresh very delicious tomato sauce. We shared a wonderful bottle of Petite Sirah and enjoyed the whole experience immensely. Service was excellent, friendly and efficient, the restaurant itself was warm and inviting. I look forward to returning

We've eaten here twice and had exceptional cuisine. Started with Baba Ghannouj and pita as an appetizer and for entries had Kaftah,a ground lamb, and Chicken Kabebs. All meals come with rice, small salad, onions and stewed tomatoes. The wine list is reasonable at $24/ bottle with a good selection. The wait for the dinners is a little long, but well worth it. This food is really good and better than what I ate in the Middle East.

Recently had a birthday celebration, eight people in attendance, and Harissa served a great meal (food and wine), and provided excellent service. Several of us are heading back!

Dropped by this place unexpectedly after another local eatery was closed. A totally pleasant surprise with excellent fare. The soup and salad tasty with excellent and well seasoned salad. Fascinating middle eastern spices. The prices are not low, but the food is definitely worth it; fresh and organic. Try it!

The menu appears to been quite Lebanese. The ground lamb kabob was very juicy, tasty and tender. The wine list was extensive. We ate late and there were just a few other customers in the rather large facility. In all, it was appropriately priced and quite good.

The two couples of us, out for a pleasant evening, had really great meals at Harissa. The owner was generous with his time. He recommended some truly great specials and wine choices. The appetizer of flat bread and four spreads to go with it was worth the visit all by itself. We look forward to getting to go back soon.

I placed an online order for takeout on August 9, 2020. The amount was charged to my credit card, but the restaurant was closed even though several signs on and by the restaurant said it was open. I received an answering machine on more than a dozen calls.

I have been to several middle eastern restaurants in my hometown, but this one offered so many different and unique items. Everything on the appetizer menu is just so amazing and fresh. I could just eat that and the phemonenal flat bread and be satisfied. For dinner our table got a selection of kebabs and veggies. The rice is also so unique, very fluffly and almost creamy. I wish I could have gotten to go back while I was in town, will defnitely make a stop the next time around! Very cute little patio to sit at and a very reasonable wine selection as well.

Stopped for dinner. The pita bread was delicious. We also had the chicken kabobs and beef kabobs. Both were very good. The owner and staff are very nice too.

Our last night in Seattle we were lucky enough to share with old friends at Harissa. We had great service, delicious food and wine. The combination platter was a huge and well liked appetizer. Additionally, loved the seafood kabob and seafood stew, were also tasty!

Great service and the food was OMG It was so good to the point i want go back and eat there every day . Bread Freshly baked meet so fresh i just love it .

Be sure to order the combination plate. one of my favorite dishes ever. Great Mediterranean food across the board.

If you are looking for Middle East cuisine, you have found it. What wonderful flavors and you have choices. They also have seafood on the menu. Friday and Saturday night, there is live entertainment both music and dance. The entertainment starts late in the evening and find out if they might have special entertainment because seats can get sold out. They are open on Sunday too if you are looking for real quiet.

Delicious Mediterranean food, large portions, reasonable prices, great service. Live entertainment some nights. Owner is super nice and very funny. What a gem!!!

Harissa recently vastly expanded their space turning from a rather small to a now much larger dining area with a secondary (wine) bar. Fortunately their cuisine remains as it was, fresh and bright Lebanese/Mediterranean flavors using the freshest of ingredients. We started with the Lebanese Salsa Salad, a vivid mélange of hot pepper paste, tomatoes, onions, fresh parsley, walnuts topped with lemon juice, pomegranate juice and olive oil. It was wonderful but the oven fresh nan-like bread that accompanied it, garnished with parsley, olive oil and a sprinkle of feta cheese was a true revelation and a marvelous exception to the dry, tasteless pita that typically accompanies such mezeh in most Eastern Mediterranean restaurants. Our entrée orders came with salad, which for us was two generous house salads, crisp mixtures of lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and feta cheese in a tart dressing. Entrees were the Mixed Kebab and the Lebanese Vegetarian Stew, both generously portioned and full of flavor. Rich without being oily. The Stew was a blend of crisp vegetables, clearly cooked to order and not simply pulled tired from a pot where they were stewing down to nothingness for hours. The kebab was a moist mix of chicken, beef and lamb. The accompanying rice was light and fluffy yet with a rich undercurrent of butter. The wine list was broad and varied and included a number of Eastern Mediterranean options. We chose a very workmanlike moderately priced Spanish Tempranillo that matched our meal very nicely. No one will leave Harissa hungry, if our meal was any indicator. Definitely an experience worth repeating.

Fri 10/25/12 5pm Harissa Mediterranean/2255 NE 65th St: 65th is often the route to home, Harissa is new in the neighborhood to us, without reading the reviews and there was a Groupon (1 appetizer, 2 entries, 1 dessert), we decided to try. Friendly waitress, don’t seem rushed, though we were pretty early. Ours acknowledged the our Groupon right away with a smile and showed us the selections. We were third table at this early for dinner, by the time we leave, may be 1-2 large tables are empty and the band started to set up. Our Kid loved the Walids Combo plate - pita bread (crunchy and nicely coated with herbs) with four different dips: Hummus, Eggplant Salad (not quite roasted for that smoky favor but nice flavor), Labneh (love of kicks of mint, refreshing) and Walid’s Tomato Salad (this has walnut and a little spicey). Mixed Kabob came out on one skewer of 2 cubes lamb, 2 beef & 4 chicken on a bed of nicely flavor rice pilaf, not over drowning, and a taste of butter. The lamb was not lammy which is what I like, actually couldn’t tell which is lamb and which is beef, though one is more chewy. The Salmon fillet came out with lots of broccoli, veggie, yeah!. This portion seems bigger. Oh, do skip the Chicken Stew, kinda plain & non-seasoned chicken and non-seasoned tomato sauce, compare to the other dishes. An extra side of pita bread for $2.50 is cool, but didn’t come as a whole, this helped finish up the dips. The dark chocolate desert just took it home. Oh and, privately selected red – St. Hilaire, Outlook WA, Yakima Valley, you can sip this all night with or without a meal; got the name and get more at the liquor store. The portions seem small for the price, but nicely done, though a 3 course meal is more than enough for us. Don’t think we’ll come back often due to the price and the generosity with olive oil, perhaps be tempted with another coupon. They take all credit cards – another nice touch. Yep, we’re still searching for good value homey food in the neighborhood when cooking is not an option for a night. It seems from the reviews, Saturday is not a good time to dine there either. 3stars for those who can afford it.

Food was delicious! They have an excellent selection and it is all good. Good choices for vegetarians as well as meat eaters. It isn't a fast in and out place, so expect to stay awhile and savor your delicious food!

I celebrated the 30th anniversary of my 27th birthday at Harissa in Seattle's Roosevelt neighborhood. The food was plentiful and flavorful, especially the chicken kebabs.

We visited Harissa tonight with friends for dinner. Two of us ordered the chicken special which included vegetables and rice and a salad. One of us ordered falafel. The two of us who ordered the Chicken special found that each bite of chicken included little pieces of bone. We also found unpleasant pieces of fat on many pieces of chicken. It was so bad we could not finish our meals. We told our waitress the next time she stopped by. We explained about the chicken and that she should tell the cook. She told us that the manager would be stopping by but he never did. We found the food and the overall service to be sub-par. We do not recommend this restaurant!

I went to Harissa for dinner as part of a large group - there were probably about 15 of us. First thing that must be said is that the waiter did an excellent job with such a large party. We were all on separate checks and some people got orders to go as well as our meals at the table. He was affable and efficient the entire night. That being said, I wish the food had been a little bit better. I ordered the baba ghanouj for an appetizer. It's consistency was very much a paste and I prefer my baba ghanoujh to have some chunks. It was also a little on the bland side. From one extreme to the other, the kofta kabobs I ordered for my main course were SO garlicky that there were no other discernible flavors. The food wasn't bad, just a little disappointing. It should also be noted that their beer list was very limited. There were only four options from which to choose.

We live in the neighborhood and have eaten there many times. The restaurant is always welcoming and the food is tasty. Hot pita bread, baba ganoush, and their lamb kebab plate is a reliable winner.

Seems to be a family-run small, comfortable restaurant. I hear it gets rockin' on the weekends with live music on Friday & Saturday nights. It is a small place so I imagine it gets loud. The booths are comfortable seating - I'm not sure I'd like to be seated at a table during crowded times as they are pretty close together. But we were there on a Tuesday night and it was not terribly busy. The waitress was just attentive enough (though she didn't grasp that I really wanted more ice in my water) to suit us. The rice pilaf that comes with the kabobs is great! Sadly, I would NOT recommend the baklava. (In the section below where it asks about wheelchair accessibility, yes, but getting into the women's restroom would be difficult in a wheelchair. don't know about the men's!)

I live here in town and go to Harissa's about once a month. Their hot bread, between a pita and nan is to die for. And the kebabs and salads, yum.

Went there in a Groupon so not sure what we would find. Wonderful surprise. Warm atmosphere very good food. I had Lebanese chicken stew. Served nice and hot with unique flavors and wonderful broth. The rice was unique and flavorful.My wife has lamb and rice. Delicious Dinners come with salad Wine was very reasonable Will go back again