Reef Al yemen

Stopped in after seeing a recommendation on instagram. If you, like me, had never tried Yemeni food, I highly recommend trying for yourself!We ordered two dishes to share between two people. They brought out a very flavorful soup to start the meal that was a kind of rich and fatty broth and was delicious. The rice was amazing, and well seasoned with spices such as cardamom and saffron and I think coriander.I LOVED the lamb stew-- savory, in a spiced sauce. The veggies and meat were so tender and went really well with the amazing bread. The mixed grill was also good, my favorite was the tender and juicy chunks of steak. Ambience in here is casual, lots of deli kind of booths and tables. Would definitely recommend this spot for anyone looking for a great meal to share a few familiar and unfamiliar dishes with friends or family.

The good :FoodThe food at this place is excellent!We enjoyed it thoroughly. Nobody felt sick after eating it. Reheated perfectly the next day.Time from order to ready was very reasonable.If my review for this place was based on food only this would be an easy 5.I cannot stress enough how good the food is.I feel like I have to say that because the rest of the place is a train wreck.The bad :Ordering - first few tries there was just an instant recording to let us know the call can't go through.Finally got through and the person on the phone didn't understand anything we said. Call "dropped".Called back and placed the order.Got there and paid for the meal. Wondering why the total is higher than the meal price.Because I'm using a credit card.If you're gonna pull this crap on your paying customers I feel like it should be disclosed at the time or order. At least have it on your website. Don't just ambush your customers at the last minute with a made up charge and still have a tip option.Tip or punishment for using a card. Pick a struggle.Ordered the Mix for four. Even asked what kind of soup came with it and let them know I definitely wanted the soup.Why did the soup look and taste like a salad? (Because it was a salad, not soup).If my review for this place was based on service alone it would be a 0 or a 1.I'd actually love to eat here again because it really was delicious but it's too expensive to deal with the difficulty ordering, the punishment for using a card and the complete incompetence of the employees (other than the cooks).If they ever get their act together this place would be amazing.Avoiding it until I see an "Under New Management" sign.

Very authentic cooking & flavors!A budget restaurant, mom n pop vibe, with very friendly staff.Interesting selections and huge servings.

We stopped in for lunch to try something new and loved this place! TLDR - Go try this place!!! Food was delicious and service was outstanding. They did a great job remodeling the interior and it is a comfy spot for lunch with nice decor. The waitress was beyond great - she gave us suggestions, guided us through the menu, and was genuinely friendly and helpful the entire time. For an appetizer we went with their combo platter which had hummus, tabbouleh, baba ganoush and fattoush. All were delicious. I typically don't like baba ganoush but always try and was very glad I did in this case - theirs was smoky and the texture was so much better than anywhere I've tried before - I loved it. We tried an assortment of entrees and all shared so that we could try as many things as we could fit in lol. We got to try Turkish haneeth, fahsah, pompanos, and chicken ghallaba. All were good but the Turkish haneeth was my favorite - the presentation was so cool too! Everything came with lots and lots of fresh flat bread. For dessert we got the honeycomb and Areeka. The main part of the meal was great but the dessert was out of this world. I was not sold by the description of Areeka but it had the perfect balance of sweet (not overly) and the texture was fantastic. The honeycomb was sweeter than the Areeka and fantastic as well - little balls of dough stuffed with a sweet cheese and topped with honey.

We did the mixed grill (kebab, kefta, etc with rice) and and order of bread. It was exceptionally prepared. Very moist, tender not dried out and tasty with some nice spices and the flavors if the grill coming through nicely.

I'd give the food a 'C'. Ordered hot tea - it was self-serve in one of those large commercial coffee makers. Grab a styrofoam cup and sugar was in a community sugar bowl (gross). Asked for water and waitress brought a bottled water. Charged $.99 on the check. Restroom was disgusting. A strange, dirty place. Will not go back.

Reef Al Yemen has great food. Quantity is very good for its price and delicious. When I am back in Cleveland again, it is definitely a place I would go back.