The Desert Cafe

My wife and I came here for dinner tonight. It was our second time here and it didn’t disappoint. Falafel platter is AMAZING. I had their Autumn Pear salad (a special) and it was easily the best salad I’ve ever had. My wife had the Greek Salad which was very good though could’ve held back a bit on the spices. Wait staff awesome. Environment very cozy. Definitely coming back again!

New owners since the last time I had visited 5 years ago, but I have been coming here for over 18 years. The chicken gyro was not what it used to be, but the lamb has gotten better and the baklava is still one of the best (even compared to greek or Lebanese places in queens).
Wait staff is very responsive and polite and it is definitely worth the trip after the harbor.

Went with friends who are regulars there. Ordered the hummus appetizer with a garlic curry spices and had a great spicy kick of cumin. The pita and fresh vegetables were delicious. Also ordered the coconut curry split pea soup. Definitely the best split pea soup with flavor from every angle possible!!! Would have taken the entire pot home if the owner Janine had turned her back around long enough. lol great atmosphere and service attentive curtious and super friendly. A must for the foodie connoisseur.

We pirchased a discount coupon awhile back, because it’s close by and we had a good meal last time. We heard the ownership had changed, but the menu on line seemed fairly similar. Upon entering on a recent Friday night we were warmly greeted and seated in a nearly empty restaurant. That’s a shame, because the meal we were about to have was a wonderful experience. Our server was warm, friendly and very helpful. She was thwbonlu server, but sine the inside seating was for about 16 people, and at the most 3 tables were occupied, ot wasn’t an issue.
We started with a greek spinach and chese appetizer. These were rich, gooey and not a bit greasy. Our dinner ranged from a shrimp kabob with pineapple and a mango sauce special, a zesty chicken with delicious black greek olives, sun dried tomatoes, and other veggies in a slightly spicy light tomato sauce in penne Pasta, a pear salad and a rice dish.
There were many other dishes we wanted to try –we’ll be back!

My first time here and I really enjoyed the Mediterranean Chicken Pasta. I will definitely be back again to try the other entrees.

Food and service was amazing! Portions are huge and prices are very reasonable.
It’s BYOB so we brought our own wine and beer which they kept chilled for us and frequently brought out chilled glasses for the beer. Great place for date night or with some friends– highly recommended!

Came in on a humble random I love Mediterranean food moment. Soooo I decided I didn’t want to dine alone. I chose the hummus to go. This spot is little house turned restaurant in Mt. Washington. It’s colorful décor drew my in and piqued my interest. I ordered the hummus. The customer service was regular. Nothing special. I asked to use the restroom while I waited for my order. The restroom is literally a little broom closet located at the end of the dining room. It’s sooooo small that u cannot stand in front of the commode. Seriously. I was completely grossed out. It smelled and I was pissed because it was so small and I was trying not to touch anything. When I stepped out I realized the inner dining room had a very New Orleans bayou creepy colorful house vibe. I’m completely lost on the direction of the vibe. But there is outdoor seating. The kitchen is covered by a curtain and looked dingy. The hummus smelled amazing but when I ate it I was not impressed. It was not puréed enough and had chunks of garlic. Not enough flavor. I’m deeply disappointed. I wanted to enjoy this funky lil colorful spot but… I just can’t see me wanting to come back.

After not having been here in years, and definitely not since they changed ownership, I stopped by the Desert Café with my family this past Saturday. It was truly delicious! Everything was made fresh to order, and with two vegetarians in our party, there were plenty of veg options to go around including salads, soups, and a few special daily entrees.
We cleaned every bit of the lentil soup, veg mushroom special, grueyre grilled cheese, greek salad, pear salad, and spanikopita off of our plates! Their spanikopita is not exactly the traditional like, flaky, filo-​dough variety, as it is grilled or pressed, but it still satisfies the craving quite well.
Love this colorful little café, and will have to remember to make it a regular stop. The owner was very friendly, checked on us multiple times, and chatted to us as we left. Great experience!

Bought two slices of cake and they both were meh! Not sure what’s up with this place. The desserts used to be absolutely fantastic. I used to love the peanut butter cup cheesecake, Berger cookie cheesecake and the double chocolate cake. I think they are not making the desserts anymore and they’re just buying them at some store. They don’t taste homemade anymore. They just taste like they are bought at Costco. I’m not going back to this place.

You’ve got to try this place! There is a new owner and she is just delightful paying attention to every detail. There are wonderful selections on the menu and the watermelon mango Gazpacho soup is a party for your tastebuds! I want to go back just for that! This restaurant is a breath of fresh air and a delight to all of your senses in the midst of so many ordinary menus out there.

I’m not up in this area too often but every time I’m there I eyeball The Desert Café. Finally got to experience it last night. It’s a lovely little place, very attractive, and with a pleasantly eclectic selection of background music played at an appropriate level.
I had the Greek salad with falafel (a welcome and unusual addition; most places offer chicken and maybe salmon as salad add-​ons and call it a day). The salad was generous and — oh happy day! — NOT drenched in dressing. Falafel was patty-​shaped, not balls, and could have been a little crunchier but was very tasty nonetheless. I ordered a side of pita, which arrived in a cone, like one in which another restaurant might serve fries. I liked the cone. Much more attractive than a plate, and I think it helped the bread stay warm. My companion had the spicy black bean soup, which he liked and described as soup with black beans in it (as opposed it more of a black bean purée) with an out-​of-​the-​ordinary (but good) cheese. His spanakopita arrived with salad on the side. The pieces were not overly large but I am off the impression that spanakopita is fairly filling and I do not think he was unsatisfied.
The waiter and owner were welcoming and friendly, but not intrusively so. Evidently the new ownership has been in place for 8 months or so, which might explain the positive trend in Unilocal reviews for the place in recent months as compared to past years.
I liked it here. The food worked for me, the atmosphere was good, and the people were nice. Pretty much everything I’m looking for in a restaurant.

A quaint little place. I had the lamb kabob which consists of two sticks of succulent lamb cubes, onions and peppers. On the side was very flavourful rice, and a fresh tossed lettuce salad, both complemented the lamb very well. Our server was attentive and the food came out quickly. Will return sometime in the future.

The Desert Café was a great place for dinner. We had a groupon, but we will certainly be back. The service was friendly, but on the slower side. It was a nice pace for a date. The restaurant is BYOB and they do not charge a corking fee. We shared an appetizer platter, a kebab, and a gyro. Everything was delicious, but the hummus was the best part!

«Meh» best describes both the food and service at Desert Café. The service is a bit slow and the food is just palatable. Overly salted dressings, unbalanced flavors, and less-​than-​fresh ingredients make even the most simplistic salad disappointing.
Especially disappointing is the BBQ lamb quesadilla.
All I can say is to stick with the pita… plain and than have a delicious experience at either Cazbar in Mt. Vernon or Lebanese Taverna in Harbor East.

Not terribly authentic, but good food if you’re not looking for traditional Middle-​Eastern food.
I had the spanakopita that came with a side of Greek salad. The spanakopita was interesting. Very tasty, appeared to have been heated on a panini press, so it was great for dipping into the tzatziki that came with it. (The tzatziki was excellent). The salad had a good amount of feta and kalamata olives — the dressing was light and just the right amount. Overall it was a lovely light lunch, and reasonably priced.

Stopped in here on my way to the nail shop for a quick bite so my stomach wouldn’t scare the nail technicians. I ordered the dolmades and curried split pea soup (which was vegetarian). I initially advised the cashier that I wanted my order to-​go but decided it’d be better to eat the soup in store so it wouldn’t get cold. Sadly, the kitchen beat me to it. I opened the lid to find a soup that was lukewarm on the outer layers and a lump of frozen soup on the inside. Once they put more heat on it, the soup turned out to be pretty good.
My the warm up job on my dolmades was insufficient as well. When I took them back, the cashier told me they were to be served cold so I kindly advised that someone in the kitchen felt they should be served warm which would have been fine by me if they hadn’t had done as poor a job with those as they did with the soup. By the way, the dolmades were way too heavy on the olive oil/​lemon juice mixture. Instead of a hint, it was more like an ooze.
The place was completely empty when we got there but the surrounding tables were sticky and displayed cup stains so I’m not sure how long they’d been sitting there that way. Not sure if I’d visit this place again but if you do and order to go, come with a clean finger to do a temp check of everything you get.
Oh, one more thing– $ 10 minimum on card purchases.

Great food. Good portion size. Delicious Greek salad! And their choose of music was excellent. Very friendly wait staff. All in all a wonderful experience… but wish I had checked to see if it was BYOB before we went… it is by the way.

Highly recommend! Never leave hungry or disappointed. Authentic, lots of great specials. Very friendly staff!
Overall, just a great place. Their hummus is out of this world. Make sure you order the grape leaves. Its byob — so bring some red wine

Why, oh why, is it so difficult to find decent Middle Eastern food in Baltimore? And why haven’t I learned by now to set my expectations very low when I try a new place that claims to be Middle Eastern?
Okay, let’s go: the tabbouleh was virtually undressed and featured mealy pink tomatoes. The falafel was wet and heavy, crunchy only on the outside. The Mijaderah was basically rice and lentils, no flavor at all. Hummus and baba ghanooj were also too heavy, and for a place that prides itself on absurd varieties like chocolate and cinnamon raisin, the standard variety was pretty bland. Grape leaves were fine, probably from a jar.
Two stars only because, in the company of one of my dearest friends, it was an enjoyable experience in a charming interior with cordial, friendly service. The food was eminently forgettable.

My wife had lunch here today. Her slacks caught on their metal chair and ripped. No offer to fix or replace. Minimal regrets. Didn’t even comp the meal. She and her friend won’t be back.
If you go, make sure to wear denim.