ALKawthar Restaurant

I so wanted to be impressed with this place. It was Sunday, I was hungry, and craving a good kebab and some hummus. So to Unilocal!I went, searching from Williamsburg to Richmond (because I live in New Kent). When I’m hungry for something other than the run-​of-​the-​mill (like middle eastern) I try to avoid chains and support small business. So I wrote off going to Zoe’s in Williamsburg, even though it sounded good. Other choices in Wburg seemed pricy. So I settled on this place.
Made the drive. Staff was friendly. I got excited when I saw fatoush on the menu, I haven’t found good fatoush since Bahrain… so I ordered a lamb kabob, hummus, and fatoush, assuming I could get two meals out of it.
Here’s the blow by blow:
Fatoush: swimming in dressing, tasted ok, nothing to write home about. I poured the dressing off of it when I was done, so I could eat it tomorrow after I add the mixed green salad that came with the meal (with NO DRESSING??) to it.
Hummus: boring, bland, had a distinct tin can taste to it (like it came straight from a can). Ate some, threw the rest away.
The kebab. Here’s the funny part. You know those three compartment styrofoam to do containers? That’s what I got, absolutely packed to overflowing with rice (which tasted pretty good) with 5 or 6 sad little pieces of well grilled meat, some onion, and one sad little piece of green pepper on top. Well grilled meat: read way over done. Not much flavor.
The highlight was the little cup of green sauce that came with: spicy, added a nice boost to the blandness.
On the way out, the lady of the house gave me a rice pudding gratis; haven’t had it yet but my expectations are very low at this point.
$ 27 total. And I’ve got some salad and a butt ton of rice left. Whoopie?!
Wanted to give 2 ½ stars, but can’t. That’s ok, it’s a 2 star meal.
C’mon, somebody open a good middle eastern joint that doesn’t break the bank and serves good food!

No tazikki sauce on my gyro… really blah. Would not come back. Fries were the only good thing. No flavor at all. Bummed

I’m all for holes in the wall but don’t waste your time on this one. My sister got the lamb kebab and bit into it and blood literally dripped down on her plate. The portions are huge by they’re 70% bland yellow rice that seemed packaged. Didn’t get a refill once despite asking several times. And there was a very angry man who worked there or was possibly the owner who sat two tables away from us and kept yelling at our waitress (his wife?) with his mouth full in a language I didn’t understand. Richmond has so many good restaurants, don’t waste your time on this one. If you do, the baklava was delicious.

Went there once. Food is average. Serving is really bad. They didn’t offer any drinks or water

Pretty disappointed. The restuarant had a slight smell and it looked as if no one has visited in a while. The Food was pretty subpar. Darn.

Don’t believe the good reviews !!!
«I think they stole these chairs from the basement of a VFW». This pretty much sums up the experience. The atmosphere was kitschy and full of Arabic knickknacks, and for some reason they sold cigarettes as well.
The food.
The food was thoroughly sub-​par. A novice cook with a good cookbook and a good spice pantry would do better. Had the beef shawarma sandwich, which should be a no-​brainer for this establishment, but the meat was chewy, non-​seasoned (not even under seasoned) and it had no garlic sauce, or even any hint of garlic flavor.
My better half had the chicken shawarma sandwich, and found that it was seasoned with curry. Really, curry? As a Lebanese gentleman, he certainly knows what should be on shawarma, curry is Not it.
While we were waiting for our food we heard our cook/​waitress microwaving something– we think it was the meat for our sandwiches, but we cannot confirm this.
Had some falafel. Should be the simplest easiest thing, and they even messed that up. It wasn’t crispy nor was it hot. Although it was served with tahini, as is proper.
Unless you feel an urge to visit an Arabic-​themed VFW hall with disappointing good, I advise to avoid at all costs.

Wow. What a place!!! Friendly, cheap and really delicious. I had their number one seller «hanith» and it was great. Of course I had the adas soup and tabulah, and by the end, I was full. I highly recommend it. BTW, look beyond the structure and you will find a fantastic place.

Really good food! Their falafel/​chicken shawarma sandwiches and baklava are great!

This place is good, and conveniently located. I’ll admit, it’s not the most asethically pleasing place, but get past that and you’ll be able to sit down and enjoy a great homemade meal.
To start, I tried the Yogurt drink. It was so unique, you can either drink it plain (which tastes like plain, sour yogurt), or add sugar (it took a ton of sugar to sweeten this thing up). Not my favorite, but nonetheless, was good to try out.
They gave us lentil soup as an appetizer, which was great for the rainy day. Very warming and came with citrus, which was a nice sour touch. Main meal consisted of lamb, which was really tender and perfectly (fall-​off-​the-​bone) cooked. I also had the chicken, which was delicious as well. Both meats came served on huge platters with a generous amount of rice and potatoes. Each plate was around $ 8-​$ 9, and could probably feed 2 or 3 people. Well worth the price.
The service wasn’t the quickest, but everybody there was very friendly.
I know the typical college fare around VCU consists of Qdoba, Five Guys, and all of those other chain restaurants, but walk a little further down Broad St. and you won’t regret finding this gem of a family restaurant.

Seriously this food is frankly incredible. You can tell it was made with love and it took time and care to make. I am not big on cinnamon but GOOD LORD ALMIGHTY, they use it a lamb dish and it blows every other lamb you have ever had out of the water. the lebneh wows, and the foul mudamas impresses, I really cant say enough good about this place.
Not only is this the best middle eastern restaurant in town, it could quite possible be the best restaurant in Richmond period.
The ambiance is much to be desired but once you get your food you really don’t even notice it. The food is literally that good. Big portions too and the leftovers are just as good, almost better reheated.

This place is pretty kick ass for a place that looks like it sells cell phones (that’s next door) You will not be impressed with its presentation, with the ingredient stock overflowing into the restaurant all over, but you have to get over it. Just sit down, order a random lamb dish and enjoy.
There’s nothing in Richmond that I’ve found that compares to the cuisine. The variety of tastes will keep you coming back, looking for what else will blow your mind. The meat just falls apart on your plate and the cold appetizers are a perfect compliment. Check this place out if you want to eat something different in the city.
Don’t hold your breath for the service, though. This is a very laid back environment, so treat it that way and focus on the quality of the food.
For your health.

Small family place, English is not their first language but don’t be afraid they are very kind and polite. The food is halal.
We went in for dinner and it was delicious. We enjoyed spiced tea, lentil soup and the dinner buffet items. There was rice with saffron, cloves and bay leaves. Lamb, beef, strips of chicken, chicken leg quarters and baked fish were the other items on the buffet. The meats were all tender and tasty.
The men working there were very friendly and polite.