Namak

Adams Morgan is no stranger to good food, but Namak could very easily make a name for itself as one of the best. The food here takes the very best from the Mediterranean cuisine and puts its own wonderful spin on it. While we each could have our own entrees, coming here during restaurant week gave us the opportunity to try a lot of different dishes and share each one. The spreads to start the meal were fantastic, I've had plenty of Hummus and Muhammara in my day (although hummus with braised beef was clever) but the newer Kashke Bademjan was a perfect addition to add variety and new flavors to the mix. Every entree we tried was unique and delicious, cooked perfectly and, in the case of the smoked lamb, melt in your mouth good. The desserts were all wonderful too, the Persian love cake standing out as my favorite due to its beautiful presentation and delightful combinations of pistachio, rose, and candied ginger. Our server treated us like family, helping correct our pronunciations of dishes and encouraging us to try mixing dishes in ways she knew would work. We were very comfortable in this location, getting so caught up in our conversations we hardly realized we had been there for hours.

I was very excited to try this place. But it was hands down one of the most disappointing culinary experiences I've ever had to endure. The place tries to be a Mediterranean fusion of Persian, Turkish, Levantine, and Greek cuisine, yet fails miserably at representing any of them well. I honestly feel bad for anyone gullible enough to think any of these dishes are authentic and won't blame them for hating Mediterranean food after. We ordered Kabab Torsh which is a sour paste/pomegranate marinated lamb or beef kabab. What we were served was a random kabab that clearly was the wrong dish lacking ANY marinade/or listed ingredients what-so-ever. We told our waiter and, after apologizing profusely, the poor girl told us, 'sorry but our served dishes don't reflect the Menu and that the Torsh is actually not served'. She said she has heard the same complaint before. Excuse me!? We had driven 30 mins just to try this dish. Unacceptable. We had also ordered the Ghalyeh Mahi which is a sweet & sour fish dish using tamarind paste. Again, this was no Ghalyeh. It was like an Indian green curry with a white fish in the middle. Bland and tasteless it was, but again the frustrating fact was that this was not ghalyeh or an interpretation of it; it was a totally different dish without any of the ingredients and spices listed on the menu. At this point, we were Hangry and thought that maybe since the chef is Turkish, the kitchen is not capable or lacks the proper training for Persian food. So we ordered a Tukish Adana Kabab. And Oh My God. It was an absolute disaster. The "kabab" was so spicy and filled with shredded red peppers that you couldn't feel your mouth let alone taste the beef. Even their ayran/Doogh which is yogurt-based refreshing drink was undrinkable. Apparently they made it in house by mixing milk with copious amounts of salt. It was so salty that the concoction was as acrid and unpleasant as Salt water gargle but with milk instead of water. The check came to $85 per person for this painful experience (they had already added a 20% tip for our party of 3!). Again, very unprofessional. The manager didn't even come to check on us once. This chef and the manager needed to be fired, like yesterday. Namak means Salt in Persian, which is fitting as the entire ordeal felt like being slowly tortured by a 1000 cuts and then rubbing salt all over the wounds. A total disgrace.

My partner made a reservation, on Resy, for NYEs for the four course tasting menu. We were really bummed when we arrived and were seated and realized that menu wasn't there. We asked for it and we were told it just wasn't happening and this would be better for us anyway. I pulled up Resy and it still showed the option. Strange and slightly false advertising but whatever. I was like ok no big deal- they had their NYE specials available, which I saw earlier in the day on Instagram (and I had been lusting after this one dessert). After a mix up, where they brought me fish (which in1000% did not ask for, since I recently had food poisoning and the smell alone makes me want to die) we eventually got our dishes. As everyone has said- food is totally mid. I had a Namak 75- it was fabulous. The server, Jamie was kind and lovely.i was so thrilled for the dessert menu to arrive... only to find out, they didn't even have the dessert menu they advertised! We went to settle for another dessert and they didn't have that!Also the random Farsi on the wall gives off a "cultural appropriation vibe" when there is barely any Persian food in sight. If you want Persian food, there are many many many other options. Like Rumi's!

Our evening at Namak was lovely! When you walk in you're transported to a cute mediterranean ambiance. Our waitress Jamie was top notch ALL NIGHT. She gave us great recommendations on literally everything we ordered. From the zucchini fritters to the oysters to the entires, everything was a 10/10. Once we got our bill, Jamie sent us over a round of free shots, which we definitely appreciated. We will definitely be back to Namak and hope Jamie will serve us again!

I had dinner at Namak, and it was great every single item we had was delicious. The ambiance is great and so is the service. I was very impressed especially because I've never heard of Namak before. It should really be a more well known restaurant especially since the food was great especially for the price. I'd definitely recommend this place. Parking in AdMo is brutal, so if you plan on driving there leave early!

What I love about Namak is the beautiful space and that's it. The food was okay, I enjoyed the zucchini fritters, ispanakli flatbread, shepherd salad, and lamb kabob well enough, but the lamb shank on special was bland as if it hadn't been seasoned at all. But the worst part of the evening was the service. Our server was inattentive, slow and even rude at times. Like why are we getting snide remarks. We've been nothing but patient and nice. They could have turned our table over twice for how long we sat there. We were done eating at least 30 mins before we got the bill. I would have ordered an after dinner cocktail but our server was never around to take our order. We just gave up on asking for anything else except for our bill and so did the table next to us who were half way through their meal when we sat down. They never did get the dessert menu they asked for. We had to grab other staff several times. It just became comical after a while. It seems easy for some not to give a shit when gratuity is automatically added. But they're also losing money when people give up ordering additional drinks or dessert. I will not be returning.

5/5!Cute & quaint restaurant in Adams Morgan. Reserved a spot for restaurant week and enjoyed every dish. Also, our waitress was super friendly & knowledgeable! I wish I could remember her name.

Namak is a great new Mediterranean spot! The ambiance is nice and the service was good. Highly recommend the beef tenderloin kebab and the roasted half-chicken entree. Both were cooked to perfection with delicious flavors!

Namak was a great suggestion from a friend and I'm so glad we visited. We started with pre-dinner cocktails at the bar before our reservation. I got a Lazy Sunday, which was excellent. For dinner, we split the pide and zucchini fritters, and I ordered the hummus and adana, while she got the chicken kabob and whipped feta. Everything was delicious. I loved the bread. The fritters were crisp and tasty. The adana really stood out to me. It was extremely flavorful and had just enough heat. I ordered the Tuzlu cocktail, which was light and refreshing, and is the perfect pairing with the adana. Namak has an upbeat, fun vibe and it is very pretty. Service was excellent (thanks Mike and Damon). I'm looking forward to returning.

I loved all the appetizers and small plates (my favorite being the minced lamb flatbread) I ordered during my visit at Namak but the mains were slightly lackluster. While the meats were seasoned and cooked well, the main dishes felt slightly repetitive in terms of flavor and options. For example the only difference between the lamb and beef kabob dishes was the meat. The accompaniments were the same for both dishes, so I wish there was more variety in the dishes themselves without having to order a bunch of sides. However, the food came out very quickly and was plated very nicely. I love the decor and layout of the restaurant as it is very reminiscent of the mediterranean. If you would like to be seated at a table I would strongly recommend making a reservation especially if it is later in the evening.I would love to come back maybe for drinks and a few small plates!