Jerusalem Cafe

After hearing from a friend that the Jerusalem Café served her the best meal she has had in the entire USA, we had to try it. I had the best falafel sandwich since I was in Israel, in addition to a nice feast of appetizers. Menu will accommodate vegans, vegetarians and omnivores. My 3 other friends also loved their meals. Outdoor seating is also available. The restaurant started in Vancouver, WA 17 years ago and deserves the high volume, busy patronage it has known in our neighbor city. We gotta go again.

Closed &/​or Moved?
There’s a Thai place here now.

They make my favorite falafel from a restaurant at a great price.
The owner and staff are always quite friendly. I always leave thinking I got a great deal.
And thinking I should head back soon. Thanks!

Sorry, but the shawarma, gyros, and baba ganouj here did not distinguish themselves above a cart like Aybla and is no competition for the likes of Ya Hala or Karam. Really bland, boring stuff and I’d swear the gyros meat was formed/​packaged, not hand made. Oh well.

I never knew I loved Medeterranian food until I came here. Omg, their gyros are AMAZING. I saw someone’s review that they were dreaming about it all night, and that is definately the case with me all the time. If I could just eat nothing but their gyros for the rest of my life, I would be happy. Also, their babaganoish kicks ass. And the owner is pretty awesome too. Whenever you walk in, he greets you like you are just picking right up where you left your last conversation. I would recommend this place to anyone.

A very good place. I would return. The service is friendly and fast. The price is resonalble and they give you a discount if you check in on Unilocal. ;0)

Wish this place was closer to me. Best felafel I have had in town. I guess they do great business in Vancouver and are trying to make a go of it in this new location. Tough location but if you have the chance to eat here — most definitely go. I got the Mezza Luna plate and everything was wonderful!

What a lovely surprise!
We went for dinner and happened to get there in time for happy hour. The 4 of us ordered beers, Mezze plates, Garlic Lemon Chicken and Dolma. everything was tasty good.
My husband thought the dolma were a little squishy, but I liked them. They were a little mintier than I am used to– this was a good thing.
Nice outdoor tables with prompt and friendly service.

This is a great little café on Belmont with a variety of middle eastern dishes.
Go check it out, they have 2^nd or 3^rd best falafel in town. It’s worth a trip just for a legit falafel sandwich.
Solid.

Always like to stumble on a new place, and yesterday was my day for the Jerusalem Café.
Clean & open, with sliding doors opening onto the sidewalks which shall no doubt bring the al fresco in as summer turns on. They have a few local macros on-​tap, including Bridgeport IPA. Passable.
A nice menu with a nice variety of offerings & price ranges. I had the lamb shawarma sandwich with a side of tabouli. As another reviewer mentioned, the pita is not fresh baked, but neither is it cardboard IMHO. I would prefer if it had had a fresher toast flavor, but it was not meh. The lamb was tender with a mild char, the hummus tangy, and it was a healthy, tasty portion.
The tabouli was quite fresh & tasty, and a good balance of coarse & fine chop. It suffered a bit from uneven lemon– I got into a section that had me pucker up mighty tight!
Topped off with a turkish coffee. I was expecting the usual bracing brew, but this was mild & smooth. The mildness suprised me, but it drew me in– the spicing was subtle and complex, the sweetness covering but not cloying, and balanced with a decent roasted bean. I enjoy, and was expecting a slap-​in-​the face turkish, but this was a sensual (dare I say erotic?) caress. I cannot fault it!

Okay, this place is not good. I’m not sure why peple believe it’s the most delicious falafel, hummus etc, because it is NOT. There are better places for sure. I was very disappointed in the food. And the presentation of the food could use some help, too.
And, I always look forward to the pita. This was also a big disappointment. It was not the hot from the oven kind that you can find in so many other restaurants. It was cold and dry — a little like cardboard.
The people that work there are very nice, but I will not return here. I’ve definitely had better falafel, better hummus, better condiments, better everything. This was more like someone was trying to make this food for the first time.
Sorry — but it’s true! Don’t spend your money. There are many others that are MUCH BETTER and VERY REASONABLY PRICED. Ya Hala, Hoda’s, to name a few.

If you are looking for an authentic taste of genuine Mediteranian food, you’ll find it here. After tasting what some called Falafel at other spots, I had to try the Falafel sandwich and after the first bite realized I had finally found falafel that was not a box mix. The combination of the falafel with tahini, hummus and fresh greens left my taste buds begging me to order more. You may spot me often — at least until every menu item has been sampled. By the way. It is always nice to discover an owner who takes the time to interact with his guests.

Meal fit for a queen (or king)! Loved the fresh hummus so much I promptly ordered some to go and was given fresh pita bread with it. Yum!
All the food was seasoned nicely. The guy even brought out tabouli for me to try with my meal (love it!). Ordered the Kofta Kabob. Rice, cucumber tomato salad, lovely seasoned meat, fresh hummus and pita bread. The dips and salads were tasty too. Service was attentive and very friendly.
And the baklava– perfect. Will definitely be going back.

Pretty solid food at this place.
It was fairly empty when we visited, and the waiter was very friendly and attentive, but not in an overly in your face, sort of way.
Their shawarma was very good, baklava perhaps the best in town, the saniha was very good and everything else was well done too. Tabouli and pitas were probably the weakest and closer to average, but still not bad.
The location is nice, with nice décor and very open to Belmont, and there is plenty of parking on the street in this area.
It makes a great addition to the neighborhood and is worth checking out if you’re into Middle Eastern food with good service.
Open until 9pm Mon-​Sat.

Oh, what a wonderful surprise!
We were heading down Belmont to try Hoda’s and passed the Jerusalem Café with an Open sign. We checked the menu on the window and it had everything we were hoping to experience… so we stepped inside.
What a feast! Delicious hummus and olive oils, an incredible cumin salsa, yogurts, and these are just appetizers served with fresh nan bread.
Our entrees were beautiful and exquisite. Schwarma, Kabob, rice, cucumber salad… mmmmmmmmmmmmm!
We were treated to turkish coffee and falafel to finish our feast. Lovely people, a simple environment, kickass food that is just a party in your mouth. Oy. LOVE.

I don’t get to Vancouver very often, but had enjoyed the downtown Jerusalem Café location, so I was really happy to see their name appear in SE Portland. I’m a big fan of kofta (sometimes spelled kafta). Like pizza, it’s never quite the same in any two places. The kofta kabob sandwich at Jerusalem stands out by having the meatloaf-​like comfort food served with tabbouleh, plus a kind of pickled cabbage, and a salsa-​like sauce. Great combination. From talking with the owner, it appears that they will be making some physical changes to the space, which sound like they will give it a bit more of a real restaurant atmosphere, and less of a fast food counter vibe. I’m looking forward to returning, and working my way through the menu as they settle into this space.

Amazing food that is so delicious and healthy! I loved the vegetarian Mazza Platter which included hummus, tabouli, falafel, babaghanooj, Mediterranean salad and much more. If you are looking for a light meal, then I would suggest trying the hummus sandwich. All the ingredients tasted fresh and so good!
The service was excellent; I enjoyed chatting with the restaurant owner who is very friendly. The portions sizes were perfect and a really great price. There is beer on tap and a small selection of red and white wines to choose from. There is also a happy hour menu every day between 3pm-​5pm.
I can’t wait to try something new on the menu next time. I highly recommend this restaurant!

How any could like this restaurant is beyond me. No real vegan choices. I asked if the lentil soup was vegetarian, the waiter said yes, but I smelled chicken in that bowl! The hummus, pita and soup tasted like they came from 7 – 11, gross. The coffee was hideous. We left and had to go eat somewhere ekse.

I was thrilled to see the Jerusalem Café open up in my neighborhood! I have a healthy obsession for Middle Eastern cuisine and had eaten at their family owned restaurant in Vancouver. The Belmont location has already become my regular lunch hangout. I have eaten at nearly every Middle Eastern restaurant in the Portland area, and frankly am rarely disappointed, but the Jerusalem Café is my new favorite. Not only is their hummus the best in town (it’s fluffy!), but the vegetable soup is to die for! Everything on the menu is fantastic, with some interesting twists. And most of all the service is excellent. Aiman has a gift in making you feel like royalty and family all at the same time! Thank you! See you soon– I am getting hungry just typing this! :)

Best falafel’s in town. The tahini is amazing! Everything is fresh and made by hand. Delicious! Great place for any type of vegan/​vegetarian and meat eaters. SE Belmont is a perfect place for Mediterranean fare! So glad they moved here from their well established restaurants in Vancouver. Welcome to Southeast! We had the falafel plate with veggy soup. So yummy!
The ambiance is café style and the food is nourishing, warm, cozy and home style. The service is great and Aiman is awesome! Looking forward to meeting the folks in the back who do the magic.
Jerusalem Café will be part of our normal repertoire of eateries for sure! Thank you for coming to the Southeast! Woohoo!