Ya Hala Lebanese Cuisine

Very bummed out that there’s no table service. Why stand in line to sit in a place that used to be such a great place to enjoy a meal? Not worth it anymore, unless I want something to go.

Chicken shawarma was delicious! Go early. They get busy.

This place used to be a fantastic experience. Over the past couple of years, I have not had great food at Ya Hala. It is very much run of the mill Lebanese food, no real effort or care is put into the meal — it’s just basic recipes with overcooked meat. But I think my main critique of this place is that the food simply takes WAAAAAY too long. I dined here on a week night in January and we were the only customers in the place. It took 20 minutes for us to get our food, and then it’s overcooked! I don’t want to slam anyone’s restaurant, but this place really phones it in. Once upon a time, this spot was special — great food, great service, great experience. My sense is now that Ya Hala is on autopilot, no real mind for hospitality from the top down, and it shows.

So grateful to have been relishing Ya Hala’s fine cuisine ever since they opened years ago. The best in Southeast and maybe all of Portland.

We LOVE YaHala. They are great for dine-in but their takeout is amazing and so convenient. We order extra so we have plenty of leftovers for the week. We also love their grab go case with lots of tasty sides and desserts. This is definitely a Portland gem!