Silav Cafe & Grill

So glad we tried Silav cafe, which is a Kurdish restaurant. It was not busy on a Saturday afternoon, which was suprising given the quality of food served. I started with the pomegranate drink that was ordered at the counter. It tasted as if I was biting into a pomegranate itself, very refreshing. I wish I had asked for no ice, lots of ice in the drink and water glasses. I ordered the gyro platter and asked what kind of meat it was. It was a mixture of lamb and beef, even though the menu highlighted beef. The portion sizes are huge and very fulfilling. The platter came with rice, freshmade naan, and salad. The naan was exceptional, very pillowy soft and warm. Tasted great with the flavorful gyro meat and dipped into the side sauce. The feta fries were also delicious and one order will go a long way!My husband got the chicken tikka platter. It was cubed chicken and I must say the flavor was spot on! Really good, very tender meat. It came with the the same sides as the gyro platter. We also tried the beef kubba that my cousin ordered, which was nicely fried, but I thought the minced beef could use a bit more spice. The jajik was really simple, but very good as well.The downside was that there were only two workers. The food took a while to come out and we cleared the table ourselves to make space for the complimentary tea. The tea was a great ending to a great meal. It had the perfect hint of cardamon and I always love adding a sugar cube, although it was equally good without. I saw that they have a breakfast service as well and everything sounded delicious, so will definitely go back.

I went to Silav Cafe with high expectations, and our visit started off well enough. As with most places downtown , parking is metered, but easy to find on a quiet Saturday morning. The entrance to Silav was partially blocked by stacked chairs, and generally uninspiring. The inside was mostly minimalistic with a small corner set up with Kurdish rugs and pillows, and some wall decor. The rest of the restaurant could be mistaken for a cheap takeout Chinese restaurant.The lady at the front was very friendly and gave us s rundown of the menu. We ordered the Traditional Breakfast, the Chicken Shawarma Platter, the Loaded Fries with Chicken, and the Lavender Latte. Even though the place wasn't busy when we ordered, the food took a while to arrive. This is fine since it's a small mom and pop operation and most of the food is prepared fresh. The food itself was just ok, and generally lacked flavor. The latte too was underwhelming. The manager (perhaps also owner) stood around while the lady at the front did all the work. However, as soon as a large party of 10 arrived to dine in, he and the lady both got completely busy to cater to that table, and (mostly) ignored us and the other smaller tables while catering to the needs of the larger table. We had to flag them down several times for our naan, which arrived much later into our meal, and we never received the complimentary tea at the end of our meal. All in all, we received a subpar service for meh food. While I am all for supporting new local ethnically diverse businesses, I don't see myself making my way here when there are tons of better Middle Eastern/Mediterranean options in the Bethel-Clintonville area.

Silav Cafe and Grill is a 10/10. The food was delicious, some of the best falafel we have ever had. The Silav potatoes are crispy but fluffy. Everything was well seasoned and flavorful! Service was also great. There was only one woman working and she was quick to take our order, cook, and get out our food. She also brought us a lovely cup of tea with our meal which we really appreciated.Overall, this place is soooo good and absolutely seems underrated. It was empty, so check this place out!!

It's rare I give 5 stars to a Mediterranean restaurant, however, this place is on a different level! From the moment you walk in, you feel welcomed by the staff and the ambiance is very chic! The food, oh my goodness I can tell you how authentic it tasted, but you have to see for yourself. The service is top notch, on the way out I spoke with Jay and she was very welcoming not only to the restaurant, but this really cool gem of a city called Columbus. I look forward to visiting next year (again) and will definitely be coming back to Silas cafe & grill

This is actually a perfect spot for a restaurant, and Silav has done a great job: The space is skinny but long, plenty of room for tables and a cool counter top bar in the back. Lots of light, a cool nook up front with a couch; seems like a good place to get some work down if needed, too. Tried their Kubba starter: Three kubba, I picked two chicken, one beef - the meat mixed with flavorful spices surrounded with a thin layer of rice, then deep fried crispy. Delicious! Assembled fresh every morning, then deep fried to order, mine were great! I especially like that the rice layer was very thin, serving its purpose to hold the inner guts together. The chicken is legit fresh round chicken (no canned poultry), too. Their homemade kurfish gyro sauce was also great: A wonderful accompaniment, great subtle flavor that did not overpower but enhanced the kubbas. I saved my beef kubba for later, fingers crossed it's as good as the chicken. The gal that owns Silav, I didn't catch how to spell her name, was great. She seemed to be interacting with staff to get things rolling for the evening traffic and weekend anticipations; making sure stuff was getting done and to the quality she expected, kudos. The young gentleman running the front of house and register was pleasant. We talked about Kurdish food in general, and he offered me a glass of their Kurdish tea. Ooooo yum! More spiced and aromatic than Turkish tea, I could definitely smell and taste the notes of rose water and cardamom. While I love Turkish tea, this Kurdish tea has officially moved into the #1 spot for my tea time taste preferences!I'll DEFINITELY be back! Love that the menu isn't too long, there's several dishes, including a few breakfast dishes, I want to try. Very, very glad to now have a Kurdish restaurant in town!

Heard we had a Kurdish restaurant, and don't think I've ever had Kurdish food, so came right down. I saw their menu online and knew there were many things I'd like- and a few Baby K would eat; she's less adventurous than me.You really don't need to be too adventurous: Kurdish cuisine is a sort of blend of Mediterranean with a bit of Indian. There are gyros, kebabs, chicken tikka, naan, stuffed grape leaves, and more. Some of the more Kurd-specific dishes are Kurdi kebabs (ground meat with special seasonings,) jajik (a yogurt and cucumber sauce a lot like tzatziki,) and kubba (filled dumplingy things, kinda like kibbeh.) All seasoned but not spicy, all fresh and tasty.K went with feta fries. I knew she loved both; it usually comes with herbs and a sauce, but I wasn't sure how those would go over with a kid's palate, so I asked to leave them off. She loved them. She also liked the jajik, essentially a dip with yogurt, tiny cucumber bits, and dill. Served with naan. I was overwhelmed by the menu and trying to find stuff she would eat, and almost at random picked the gyro platter for myself. Perfectly-cooked gyro meat, great jasmine rice, a nice green salad, and extra naan to put it all on if you want to make a sort of gyro. Very very good. Next time I'll try the kurdi kebab probably.We got baklava to go, huge pieces of a great pistachio version. And when we were done with our meal they served tiny cups of tea. Fancy, and good. Service was great. Several people checked on us, not intrusively but enough to keep up with our needs. Prices are maybe a little high, but appropriate for the quantity and quality- and the downtown rent. We had plenty of leftovers. The place is casual, but classy inside. There is a small patio outside. Plenty of drinks in a cooler, including some unusual imports, and a tempting dessert case. Oh, and a breakfast menu, not sure if it's served all day but it doesn't say morning only, with omelets, egg sandwiches, bagels, and more. A good option if you're working downtown. And the breakfast bombs- rolls filled with cream cheese and topped with honey (and optional cinnamon sugar.) I'll be back. I think K would come back too, for the bombs and baklava and fries.

I came in late at night and was stumbling upon this place from my hotel. Was recommended their Kurdi Kabob so that's what I got. All I can say, it was really delicious. Spiced well, not too fat or oily and had nice zesty seasoning on top. Veggies were charred good. The rice was average but still decent. It came with lentil soups which I honestly didn't like at all kinda had a weird taste to it so not sure if that's how they all come or just the one I had. However, the Kebob definitely made up for it.

The service was perfect. You can tell the owners are passionate about their culture & food. They were so helpful in answering questions. We had the Royal Breakfast. It easily stuffed two of us and we had left overs. It was a unique Kurdish breakfast experience with savory cheese, breads, and dip as well as traditional tea. We also tried the recommended house made Kurdish kebob. It was tasty but personally I prefer a bit more spice but I think next time with a side of hot sauce I would enjoy it more. All the food was very fresh. The location is downtown but parking was a breeze since we came on a Sunday. The inside is thoughtfully decorated & very clean. The overall experience and prices were good.

Absolutely essential stop when in Columbus. Great food, fantastic service and all-around great.Don't miss.

This is an amazing place to have lunch in downtown (and they have all day b-fast)! The inside is so nice and the people that work here are incredibly kind and warm. I work next door and the food is always fresh and honestly delicious. This is the kind of food I CANNOT make at home - between the different sauces and seasonings - I just think this place is a true gem. I LOVE the lentil soup and tried a special of chicken kabob sandwich and it was outstanding. They have large portions and again, the food is fresh, hot and really really tasty and different. The owner told me today he has chefs from all over the globe - so cool! I am so pleased they are located here!!!