Halal is a clean placeDietary restrictions: Everything is for youParking: Parking on the road onlyKid-friendliness: Children always come first hereWheelchair accessibility: There are all the conveniences
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Abboskhon N
Recommend (Halal). If you are Truck driver, they have delivery.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adeel Haque
Amazing fresh bread and grilled meats. Shawarma was moist and garlic sauce was good! Fast service and delicious authentic food!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Iraqi Kabob Plate
Jeff Tarkington
Tried to break my Fast on Eid unfortunately I walked in 8:45 to be told restaurant was closed while viewing menu. Online close time says 10 pm I caught a 25$ Uber from airport hotel.
Jarred Brewster
This is an update to constructively address some problems that have come up with repeat visits. When it is at its best I really love this place, and after the first time I had it I would get excited to come any time I visited Pittsburgh. However my enthusiasm has cooled somewhat mostly due to consistency and service problems.First, the good:- The owner Omar is kind and attentive, and when he is there the quality of food and service is generally good. We got really lucky the first time we visited, as the stars aligned and everything from service to food was on point.- The Iraqi falafel with the amba sauce is the star of the show here hands down.- The tea presentation- the quality of the meat on the "ezme" kebab was good- had really good kunafa here, once.The not so good:- branching out from the Iraqi falafel has been hit or miss. The shawarma, for example, was not so good when I ordered it.- the kunafa, while great the first time we tried it, was a total bomb the second time...- the service, as other reviewers have noted, is sometimes pretty bad. The worker was far in the back talking with his friend on the phone when we came in, came up to the register still talking on the phone. He served up my "ezme kebab" without sauce, then when I merely asked for sauce his instinct was to argue with me that "ezma is just a name, there is no sauce" until I pointed to the description on the menu. I would have been fine with the answer, "sorry, we're out of sauce". He generally made it seem like our sitting down to eat was a major inconvenience for him.This restaurant has a lot going for it but it good be a lot better with a little quality control both in terms of product and service. Will definitely be back, and would love to update my review and continue recommending this spot to folks but I can't say it was necessarily worth going out of our way for last couple of times we visited.My original review:Wow, best falafel I've ever had and the kebab is wonderful too. Everything here is presented beautifully and the owner is super cool. Excited to try the kunafa (tomorrow probably)
Olga Karadimou
I loved the food in Samovar. I recommend the Kofta plate and the Shawarma. The service was exceptional. Friendly and kind stuff. The atmosphere was also nice, very traditional and cozy. It was very clean too.Vegetarian options: I loved the eggplant salad. So fresh!!Kid-friendliness: We had a baby in a stroller. There is a lot of space next to the tables
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Iraqi Kabob Plate
Victor F.
We are staying at a hotel nearby and found ourselves with a craving for good Halal food and were delighted to find Samovar Halal Restaurant. It's Ramadan, so they were sold out of some stuff by the time we got there. But we were able to enjoy some falafel, humus, and tabouleh with pita. We had the "Iraqi kabob", which is lamb. Also the chicken shawarma. The lamb kabob was excellent and the chicken shawarma was fine. We subbed rice for fries, which seemed to be the right move. The owner brought over a couple of free sides of a special they had for the night, a sort of eggplant stew that he told us to pour over the rice. And we took some homemade baklava to go, six pieces for $5. All told, it was $45 plus tip. Looking forward to going back to try some other dishes. Very casual. Order at the counter and they bring your food out when it's ready.
Hira S.
Loved my dinner here. Everything we ate was seasoned and cooked to perfection - saj beef roll, chicken tikka plate, hummus and baba ghanoush appetizer.
Ali
We recently visited this spot during the winter holidays. The family was excited to have found a halal spot that was open during the Christmas weekend.The restaurant was warm and inviting. The menu options looked good, and service was just ok. The food taste and quality, however, was a shocker. Absolutely no clue what happened there. In years of writing restaurant reviews, I've never given one star to a business until now.We were speechless and triple checked the reviews to see if we missed something or were at the wrong restaurant.There was something off about the meat in the mixed platter apart from it being overcooked and burned (see pic). It tasted bitter and had a weird smell to it. We had to throw away more than half the platter, just couldn't eat it. Shawarma meat had the same smell. The cheese manakish was burned and distasteful as well (see pic).We have had Iraqi cuisine several times before but nothing like this, which is why it was a shocker. Not going there again. If it matters, request the management to look into food quality as well as consistency in taste.
Wonderful place! Food was great, and such a great people work there! Definitely one of my favorite now!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kizzy
Great service. Great food, the flavor of the food was amazing! The other customers were kind and friendly. I would return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Charles F.
I was in town on a Saturday doing a campus visit with my daughter and had some time to step out for lunch. I was looking for some good shawarma and found it. The owner was very nice. The service was fast. The chicken shawarma (roll) was excellent. There is plenty of seating and the dining area is very clean.
Hannah Bowen
We came into town for a conference and happened upon this treasure of a place. It was warm and welcoming against the cold and snow of the day. The food is fantastic and they have a variety of canned beverages to choose from. I had the Iraqi style falafel sandwich and it was made to perfection. The atmosphere is familial, with patrons coming in and out regularly and speaking with the owner. We ordered dessert with tea and had some wonderful baklava. This place was a great spot for a dreary afternoon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Irfan W
Food is average. I tried chicken shawarma, it was too soft and not fresh. Salad didn’t smell good. Hummus was good.
Cool spot for food the meat is really
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Halal is a clean placeDietary restrictions: Everything is for youParking: Parking on the road onlyKid-friendliness: Children always come first hereWheelchair accessibility: There are all the conveniences
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommend (Halal). If you are Truck driver, they have delivery.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing fresh bread and grilled meats. Shawarma was moist and garlic sauce was good! Fast service and delicious authentic food!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Iraqi Kabob Plate
Tried to break my Fast on Eid unfortunately I walked in 8:45 to be told restaurant was closed while viewing menu. Online close time says 10 pm I caught a 25$ Uber from airport hotel.
This is an update to constructively address some problems that have come up with repeat visits. When it is at its best I really love this place, and after the first time I had it I would get excited to come any time I visited Pittsburgh. However my enthusiasm has cooled somewhat mostly due to consistency and service problems.First, the good:- The owner Omar is kind and attentive, and when he is there the quality of food and service is generally good. We got really lucky the first time we visited, as the stars aligned and everything from service to food was on point.- The Iraqi falafel with the amba sauce is the star of the show here hands down.- The tea presentation- the quality of the meat on the "ezme" kebab was good- had really good kunafa here, once.The not so good:- branching out from the Iraqi falafel has been hit or miss. The shawarma, for example, was not so good when I ordered it.- the kunafa, while great the first time we tried it, was a total bomb the second time...- the service, as other reviewers have noted, is sometimes pretty bad. The worker was far in the back talking with his friend on the phone when we came in, came up to the register still talking on the phone. He served up my "ezme kebab" without sauce, then when I merely asked for sauce his instinct was to argue with me that "ezma is just a name, there is no sauce" until I pointed to the description on the menu. I would have been fine with the answer, "sorry, we're out of sauce". He generally made it seem like our sitting down to eat was a major inconvenience for him.This restaurant has a lot going for it but it good be a lot better with a little quality control both in terms of product and service. Will definitely be back, and would love to update my review and continue recommending this spot to folks but I can't say it was necessarily worth going out of our way for last couple of times we visited.My original review:Wow, best falafel I've ever had and the kebab is wonderful too. Everything here is presented beautifully and the owner is super cool. Excited to try the kunafa (tomorrow probably)
I loved the food in Samovar. I recommend the Kofta plate and the Shawarma. The service was exceptional. Friendly and kind stuff. The atmosphere was also nice, very traditional and cozy. It was very clean too.Vegetarian options: I loved the eggplant salad. So fresh!!Kid-friendliness: We had a baby in a stroller. There is a lot of space next to the tables
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Iraqi Kabob Plate
We are staying at a hotel nearby and found ourselves with a craving for good Halal food and were delighted to find Samovar Halal Restaurant. It's Ramadan, so they were sold out of some stuff by the time we got there. But we were able to enjoy some falafel, humus, and tabouleh with pita. We had the "Iraqi kabob", which is lamb. Also the chicken shawarma. The lamb kabob was excellent and the chicken shawarma was fine. We subbed rice for fries, which seemed to be the right move. The owner brought over a couple of free sides of a special they had for the night, a sort of eggplant stew that he told us to pour over the rice. And we took some homemade baklava to go, six pieces for $5. All told, it was $45 plus tip. Looking forward to going back to try some other dishes. Very casual. Order at the counter and they bring your food out when it's ready.
Loved my dinner here. Everything we ate was seasoned and cooked to perfection - saj beef roll, chicken tikka plate, hummus and baba ghanoush appetizer.
We recently visited this spot during the winter holidays. The family was excited to have found a halal spot that was open during the Christmas weekend.The restaurant was warm and inviting. The menu options looked good, and service was just ok. The food taste and quality, however, was a shocker. Absolutely no clue what happened there. In years of writing restaurant reviews, I've never given one star to a business until now.We were speechless and triple checked the reviews to see if we missed something or were at the wrong restaurant.There was something off about the meat in the mixed platter apart from it being overcooked and burned (see pic). It tasted bitter and had a weird smell to it. We had to throw away more than half the platter, just couldn't eat it. Shawarma meat had the same smell. The cheese manakish was burned and distasteful as well (see pic).We have had Iraqi cuisine several times before but nothing like this, which is why it was a shocker. Not going there again. If it matters, request the management to look into food quality as well as consistency in taste.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
Wonderful place! Food was great, and such a great people work there! Definitely one of my favorite now!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service. Great food, the flavor of the food was amazing! The other customers were kind and friendly. I would return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was in town on a Saturday doing a campus visit with my daughter and had some time to step out for lunch. I was looking for some good shawarma and found it. The owner was very nice. The service was fast. The chicken shawarma (roll) was excellent. There is plenty of seating and the dining area is very clean.
We came into town for a conference and happened upon this treasure of a place. It was warm and welcoming against the cold and snow of the day. The food is fantastic and they have a variety of canned beverages to choose from. I had the Iraqi style falafel sandwich and it was made to perfection. The atmosphere is familial, with patrons coming in and out regularly and speaking with the owner. We ordered dessert with tea and had some wonderful baklava. This place was a great spot for a dreary afternoon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is average. I tried chicken shawarma, it was too soft and not fresh. Salad didn’t smell good. Hummus was good.