Cedars of Lebanon

I’m just prejudiced, I guess. We’ve been going to Cedars since we moved to Seattle in 1990. And we’ve never been disappointed.
Though this is a review for lunch November 18, Cedars has remained quite consistent over the years. (Well, with the exception of overly eager water pourers who were there years and years and years ago. They no longer hover and, in fact, now one may have to look for someone to bring more water.)
Although I and my two business associates did not have reservations, we were promptly seated in a not too busy (i.e., not full to the gills) restaurant (probably because we arrived around 1 pm, so a bit of a late-​ish lunch) and immediately given water. We ordered all Indian food (spinach and garlic naan), palak paneer, navratan korma, and something with lamb. Perfectly spiced and no heat (because we asked for it that way). I had a chai there; very well balanced between the tea, spices, and milk.
(We have ordered from the Indian and Mediterranean menus in the past and have always been happy with what we get.)
The bottom line: if you really like Indian or Mediterranean food, get whatever it is you like, and you’ll be happy. Good food, good service, good atmosphere. What else do you want?
Okay. Yes, free parking. Which is available across the street in the Safeway parking lot.

I absolutely love this place. I’ve come here a couple of times, and I definitely recommend the gyro special. A great gyro with a drink and fries, for 7 bucks? Definitely. And there’s this green dipping sauce that they give you, I don’t know what it is but it’s great.
I’ve also had the shawarma here, and it is also great. I can’t speak for the american selection (burgers, etc.), but it’s probably good too.
Although the interior is small, and a little cramped, it’s just so charming. There’s a hand painted mural on the wall, and the kitchen is in the same room, so you can hear the very spirited and friendly owners talking and having a good time. Although it may not look like much, it has been very clean when I’ve been there, with the tables being fully wiped down, and the floors free of crumbs or food scraps.
There’s so much character in this place, all in all, an excellent destination for a cheap, delicious lunch in a charismatic atmosphere, or take out. Definitely recommend.

OK, this place is not pretty! It’s a bit dated and very small, but beyond that it’s awesome! The food is hand made by your stereotypical mom and pop owners. The owners (chef and waitress) are friendly, warm and obviously care a great deal about their customers. We received great service, amazing discussion even engaged our two year old nicely. Packing up our doggy bags, they felt compelled to add more pita and hummus. This felt like a real European meal, with community discussions, amazing food and a family establishment! Can’t wait to go back!

One of the best lunch deal! $ 4.50 for Delicious-​freshly made Gyros. SINUS issue? Try their pita dip – spicy enough to clear you up.
There seasoning is on point here. It is much better than the Gyros in Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. Authentic Cooking! As a Unilocal Elite, I rarely give 5 Stars.
I am ordering a Chicken Plate $ 9, Eggplant dip and pita bread to go, and a Lamp Gyros… All probably close to $ 30, and arabic coffee.
So, if you take your Gyros seriously, then you should give this place a try. A little smoky indoor, but perfect for pick up and go.
I also love the interior design – it decorated with artworks and poster showing you a quick snapshot of Lebanon.
I like it enough to bring them new customers.
Must Have: Lamp Gyro and Arabic Coffee – freshly made in a iron Kettle – Janet will pour it for you.

I was a little nervous about trying this restaurant, that was until I had a gyro plate in front of me. It was the best gyro that I have ever had… In my entire life! Wow this was amazing. Great service, excellent food. Even the kids enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. They have a to go if you are in a rush.

Wow, so amazing! The food is incredible! Great service. I will be combining back here. My taste buds danced and singed as I downed a gyro. Go for lamb, so worth it. iDisk bring my family here and they all equally enjoyed it. Try this place at least once, you won’t be sorry.

Awesome little place! Super friendly staff (almost bordering on uncomfortably so if you are a serious introvert). Food is amazing, good portion sizes, and reasonable prices. Will definitely be back many times.

Stopped in at Cedars of Lebanon to pick up some babaganoush, humus and pita to take home. I was glad they had a takeout window which helped facilitate my purchase.
I think the consistency of both the babaganoush and humus were good. The baba was a bit chunky and the humus was smooth. There was a good amount of olive oil and garlic in them but I thought that both of them had too much lemon juice added and it was a bit overwhelming.
The man at the window was also the chef and he was very friendly and polite.
I really wanted to give this place another star but the strong lemon favor was a it much for me. ;(

I came here to grab a quick bite before going to study nearby. The convenient window to order lured me in to buy some lunch. Both the woman and man in charge of to go orders were super friendly and smiley. They didn’t say much but they were very pleasant.
At the window, you place your order, the man makes whatever you get and then you pay. It was pretty fast and easy.
I got a beef gyro and it was really tasty. It was slightly greasy but so worth the extra fat because it tasted so good. The breading and vegetables were all good. My minor complaint that I had at this place was that the guy making the food was also in charge of taking payment. He touched my gyro sandwich after he took money. I thought that was slightly gross since coins and dollar bills tend to be really dirty.
Oh well, I feigned ignorance and stuffed my face.

The best place run by the best people. I’ve never left unsatisfied. John learned I had finished up my school quarter and brought out a bag of plums from his yard as a gift to celebrate. If you want food that will make your knees weak (I recommend the kafta or gyro plate) and inspiration to love life this your place.

We just want our money back.
I got a $ 7 salad… It was a plate of shredded iceberg lettuce with 4 slices of tomato and 4 slices of cucumber. I asked for no onions (and the server confirmed this twice) and it came with onions all over the top.
The BLT was dry toast, basically the $ 1 loaf of bread from Safeway, with iceberg lettuce, tomato, and bacon. Very dry and unsatisfying.
Chicken sandwich was ordered with just «bread and chicken, no tomatoes, lettuce, or any toppings.» It came out with all toppings and sauce on it. The server took it back and said he was going to remake it. When it came back the toppings had very obviously just been scraped off. It was inedible and full of fatty chunks.
The hummus looked okay but we just wanted to get out of there.
Needless to say our group of four was very disappointed. Will not be back.

went in once and left within a minute because everything in the place literally felt sticky, greasy and gross. after i caught the owner breaking glass in an alley in our hood i called him out on it, he called me faggot several times. this ugly m°therfu (c)ke® is AWFUL.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place!!!
Hands down the best Indian restaurant around U-​District (and that is saying a lot). The service, food, and the ambiance were all spot-​on, and I highly recommend Cedars to anyone who is looking for excellent Indian cuisine.
(This is for Cedars on Brooklyn. I goofed up by mixing up the places).

This place has nice food! I got the shwarma and did enjoy it — however, I decided to take it to go, because the place itself did not appear that clean and was very hot inside.
PROS: Good food, nice staff (who gave me water when I waited for my food), reasonable price
CONS: Restaurant was small and dirty, could not eat there!

I came here with a friend at around 5pm and they gave us lunch menus after seating us (?). My friend got a beef gyro and appeared to really like it. I got the falafel platter. While the falafel itself was fresh and the outside was nice and crispy (good good), the bread on the side was microwaved and became stale after like 60 seconds and the salad left something to be desired. The service was great though, everyone was very friendly and welcoming. I won’t directly compare Cedars to other Mediterranean places on the Ave, but it was filling and quick and if a friend invited me to get lunch/​dinner here again, I would probably be ok with it (not enthused, but ok).

I wanted to update that they’ve expanded their floor space. They’ve taken over the store next door and added lots and lots of tables. Plenty of room now! Still great service and fantastic food. Highly recommended!

Had the falafel plate for lunch. I really want to give them more stars because they are super friendly, but unfortunately the food you get just doesn’t quite match the price. The veggies were fine and the yogurt sauce was nice, but the falafel was pretty bland, and the pita bread that came with it was pretty sad– tasted either microwaved or out of a packet.
Normally, I only focus on the food, but oh my goodness dude, the tables were so sticky. It distracted me the entire meal and made the whole ordeal feel pretty nasty. I’m convinced this place is rated so high ONLY because of confusion with the other Cedars up the street!

A friend suggested we go here for lunch on a whim and it turned out to be a great choice. I had seen the restaurant dozens of times while walking on the Ave but never thought to go in.
The restaurant is laid out in an unusual manner because apparently the restaurant annexed another restaurant next door into their own, so there’s two sections of the restaurant (looks like two separate restaurants, but isn’t). The menu is substantial but not too long– it has all of the standard, classic mediterranean dishes on the menu. My friend chose the falafel plate and I got the beef shawarma plate. My shawarma was perfectly cooked– tender and well-​spiced. It was served with rice and a small side-​salad. The salad was fresh and tasty.
My friend’s falafel plate looked glorious. Take a look at this pictures posted for this restaurant– it looks amazing! I didn’t get a chance to taste it but when I return, I fully intend on getting the falafel plate. Not to say that my plate wasn’t good (it was delicious!) but the falafel looked fantastic.
Service was unobtrusive but attentive, which I appreciate. I will definitely return at some point.

BEST Indian food in Seattle! Well, maybe there are others as good but I LOVED loved LOVED Cedars growing up and during my University years attending UW.
Whenever we visit home, we always go to Cedars! Their Falafels are phenomenal and this is where I fell in love with chai tea.
Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve had a dish at Cedars I didn’t care for and their prices are great! They even have to go lunch specials for great prices perfect considering their prime University area!
Cedars, I am forever yours…

Stumbled upon this place while wandering around the campus district in Seattle. Probably the best falafel I’ve ever had. The Turkish Coffee is by far the best flavor I’ve ever tasted. I cant believe this place is so tucked away… only adds to the charm.