The Best Middle Eastern Food in Seattle
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The best Middle Eastern food in Seattle, according to the experts: Eater, the James Beard Awards, and Seattle Met have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Cafe Suliman comes out on top.
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Ciudad and Cafe Munir hold the next two places. Seattle Met shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with The Infatuation next.
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Rank 1. Cafe Suliman
Middle Eastern Bistro
Marble cafe tables inside a wine shop looking out at Melrose Market set the scene at Cafe Suliman, a Middle Eastern lunch spot where Pacific Northwest ingredients quietly take over the menu. The toast is famous enough to anchor a meal, and smaller bites like pickled gigante beans and carrot-lentil dip let you graze your way through without committing to a plan. The chef earned a James Beard Emerging Chef semifinalist nod in 2026.
The awards
- Eater Eater: Best Counter
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Ahmed Suliman
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best Lunch Spots
- Eater Best Counter
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Ahmed Suliman
- Seattle Met Seattle’s Best Lunch Spots
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Rank 2. Ciudad
Middle Eastern
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 21 Most Fun Dinner Spots In Seattle
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best Lunch Spots
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Rank 3. Cafe Munir
Middle Eastern
Arched doorways, white tablecloths, and filigree pendant lights give this Loyal Heights Middle Eastern restaurant the feel of a neighborhood place that knew exactly what it wanted to be and never wavered. Hummus plates, mezze spreads, kebabs, and family-style platters fill tables that tend to fill early. The hummus topped with lamb and pine nuts has its own cult following, which is saying something in a city that eats a lot of hummus.
The awards
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s 50 Best Restaurants
- The Stranger The Stranger: Hummus Bil Lahm ou Snobar · The 10 Best Things I Ate in Seattle
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 17 Best Restaurants In Ballard
- Seattle Met Seattle’s 50 Best Restaurants
- The Stranger Hummus Bil Lahm ou Snobar · The 10 Best Things I Ate in Seattle
- The Infatuation The 17 Best Restaurants In Ballard
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Rank 3. Lupe’s Situ Tacos
Mexican-Lebanese
The tacos here are pinned with toothpicks and dropped straight into the fryer, which tells you most of what you need to know. This snug taco shop on Ballard Ave serves deep-fried tacos built around Lebanese-spiced beef or herby cauliflower, a family recipe from the chef's grandmother. Soups round out the short menu. Pale pink walls and floral oilcloths set the scene. Esquire named it one of America's best new restaurants in 2025.
The awards
- Esquire Esquire: The Best New Restaurants in America
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best New Restaurants
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: #18` · The 25 Best Restaurants In Seattle
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
- Seattle Met Seattle’s Best New Restaurants
- The Infatuation #18` · The 25 Best Restaurants In Seattle