Middle Eastern in Denver

270 S. Downing St. South Denver

303-722-4100

Lebanese, Middle Eastern, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow

The service is peculiar and the droning music even weirder at Mecca Grill, a mini-mall storefront with a saffron-stained dining room. But the food -- herby falafel, hummus, gyros, lemony fattoush, shawarma, kabobs and grape leaves -- is undeniably good. The best dish: the bold-flavored lamb shank, an extravagantly huge hunk of meat that arrives propped against a mound of fluffy rice scented with Mideast spices and submerged in a pungent soak of lamb-y juices, garlic, spices and tomatoes sweetened with carrots.

12 articles

Afia Grill

2353 S. Havana St. Aurora

303-369-1998

Middle Eastern, Mediterranean

2 articles

Ali Baba Grill

2201 W. 32nd Ave. Northwest Denver

720-282-3447

Middle Eastern, Menu

Ali Baba is a Lebanese restaurant, a Persian restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant with hints of Syrian and Saudi Arabian modernity and haute cuisine. It’s also a mini-chain with locations in Denver, Golden and Boulder, all of which offer the same comfortable, slightly foreign setting, the same attentive service, the same expansive menu. Our favorites include simple chicken kabobs, deeply marinated and seared hot, as well was more kabobs of beef, each tender chunk touched with something sweet that tastes of honey and brown sugar. Grilled lamb chops, rubbed with garlic, salt and black pepper, are redolent of saffron. There are also curries, sandwiches, hummus, baba ghanouj and gyros, as well as strong Turkish coffee, banana milk and chai to wash down your exotic meal.

1 article

Ali Baba Grill

2060 S. University Blvd. South Denver

303-282-5800

Middle Eastern

Ali Baba is a Lebanese restaurant, a Persian restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant with hints of Syrian and Saudi Arabian modernity and haute cuisine. It’s also a mini-chain with locations in Denver, Golden and Boulder, all of which offer the same comfortable, slightly foreign setting, the same attentive service, the same expansive menu. Our favorites include simple chicken kabobs, deeply marinated and seared hot, as well was more kabobs of beef, each tender chunk touched with something sweet that tastes of honey and brown sugar. Grilled lamb chops, rubbed with garlic, salt and black pepper, are redolent of saffron. There are also curries, sandwiches, hummus, baba ghanouj and gyros, as well as strong Turkish coffee, banana milk and chai to wash down your exotic meal.

1 article

Ali Baba Grill

8800 S. Colorado Blvd., Littleton Southeast Denver Suburbs

720-344-2650

Middle Eastern, Restaurants, Recommended

See Golden location.

1 article

Ali Baba Grill

109 N. Rubey Dr., #F, Golden West Denver Suburbs

303-279-2228

Middle Eastern, Best Of, Menu

Ali Baba is a Lebanese restaurant, a Persian restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant with hints of Syrian and Saudi Arabian modernity and haute cuisine. It’s also a mini-chain with locations in Denver, Golden and Boulder, all of which offer the same comfortable, slightly foreign setting, the same attentive service, the same expansive menu. Our favorites include simple chicken kabobs, deeply marinated and seared hot, as well was more kabobs of beef, each tender chunk touched with something sweet that tastes of honey and brown sugar. Grilled lamb chops, rubbed with garlic, salt and black pepper, are redolent of saffron. There are also curries, sandwiches, hummus, baba ghanouj and gyros, as well as strong Turkish coffee, banana milk and chai to wash down your exotic meal.

4 articles

Babajoon's Kabobs

1005 W. 120th Ave. Westminster

303-974-5400

Persian, Middle Eastern, Recommended

Babajoon's opened in April 2014, serving flame-grilled kabobs in the traditional Persian style and house-made flatbreads called taftoon baked in a custom-made oven. The place is bright and modern and filled with the aroma of spices, baking bread and charbroiled meats. While Denver has its share of tasty Middle Eastern eateries, this Westminster gem stands out for the freshness, unique menu and cheery service.

3 articles

Cafe Paprika

13160 E. Mississippi Ave. Aurora

303-755-4150

Middle Eastern, Best Of

Come for the bastilla, stay for the tea, and what you find in between depends on how adventurous you're feeling. Paprika covers all the bases of Middle Eastern cuisine, with tajines, couscous, gyros and kebabs, all done simply and well. Finish off the meal with something different from the ubiquitous baklava — try the m'hencha, a coiled puff pastry concoction stuffed with almond paste.

6 articles

Damascus Grill

703 Wilcox St., Castle Rock Southern Colorado

303-688-4441

Middle Eastern, Menu

Mahmoud Kassir learned to cook the dishes he grew up loving in Syria only after he’d uprooted himself and moved to Omaha. His mother, learning that her son missed the flavors of his homeland, made audio recordings instructing him how to re-create, step by step, the classic recipes that he loved. And when he moved to Denver over two decades ago, Kassir decided to open a restaurant showcasing these recipes. Both outposts' fabric-draped and mural-painted interior do a fair job of setting the scene, but the food is what has the magical powers to transport diners to the Middle East. Even the most basic items on the menu are prepared with care and attention, so no matter what you order, it's bound to contain a fragment of the Kassir family love that carried the food to this place.

David's Kebab House

970 S. Oneida St. Southeast Denver

303-355-2188

Middle Eastern, Restaurants

1 article

Falafel King

1314 Pearl St. Boulder

303-449-9321

Middle Eastern, Best Of

You're probably familiar with Falafel King's line of dips and pitas, which are ubiquitous in grocery stores around town. This outpost of the Boulder-based business serves up a reliable and tasty lunch for workers, buskers, students, aging hippies and other denizens of the Pearl Street Mall. For less than ten bucks, you can stuff yourself silly with Middle Eastern delights, including that smoky baba ghanouj you've almost certainly bought for a party; fresh tabouleh; crispy, soft-centered falafel and the 4 x 6 combo plate, featuring six falafel and four side dishes.

1 article

Falafel King

825 Colorado Blvd. Central Denver

303-322-6077

Middle Eastern, Best Of, Menu

You're probably familiar with Falafel King's line of dips and pitas, which are ubiquitous in grocery stores around town. This outpost of the Boulder-based business serves up a reliable and tasty lunch for workers, students and weary wanderers braving Colorado Boulevard's traffic. For less than ten bucks, you can stuff yourself silly with Middle Eastern delights, including that smoky baba ghanouj you've almost certainly bought for a party; fresh tabouleh; crispy, soft-centered falafel; or the 4 x 6 combo plate, featuring six falafel and four side dishes.

3 articles

Fatoush Authentic Middle Eastern Restaurant

2276 S. Colorado Blvd. South Denver

Middle Eastern

2 articles

The Halal Guys

14535 E. Alameda Ave., Suite D Aurora

Middle Eastern

House of Kabob

2246 S. Colorado Blvd. Southeast Denver

303-756-0744

Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Best Of, Menu

House of Kabob is a diminutive Persian restaurant located in a South Colorado Boulevard strip mall and surrounded by other Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. For nearly thirty years, House of Kabob has been serving customers marinated fava beans, lamb tongue, gyros and the house-special Lebnee pita bread dip: Lebanese cream yogurt, sprinkled with olive oil and mint and garlic. The atmosphere is aged but comfortable, with lots of purple and pale-wood furniture, perfect for a relaxing lunch or dinner while sipping a guava juice or a Lebanese coffee. House of Kabob is a good spot to bring out-of-town guests for a taste of Persia in Colorado; the restaurant gets busy on the weekends, so reservations are recommended.

4 articles

Jerusalem Restaurant

1890 E. Evans Ave. South Denver

303-777-8828

Middle Eastern, Recommended, Best Of, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Jerusalem has been many a Denverite’s first introduction to the world of baba ghanouj, fatoush, tabbouleh and stuffed grape leaves. The little shack near the University of Denver has been satisfying late-night munchies and mid-day cravings near since 1978. A steady stream of college students and bar patrons from around the neighborhood keep the place busy at all hours of the day and night, selling creamy hummus, crunchy falafel and deeply spiced grilled meats. The “Super Dish” combo with a bag of pita is still one of the best deals in town, with enough food for multiple meals. Even better, Jerusalem is still one of only a handful of late-night Denver restaurants.

25 articles

Mango House

10180 E. Colfax Ave. Aurora

303-900-8639

Food Hall, Middle Eastern, Asian, Best Of, Essentials

In 2019, this refugee resource center founded by Dr. PJ Parmar moved to a new, bigger location. Now home to several nonprofits and other services that include health care and a family lawyer, the facility houses a food court with international offerings, providing aspiring restaurateurs a place to share their cuisine. With stops ranging from Urban Burma to Jasmine Syrian Food, Natoli Ethiopian Restaurant and Nepali Spice, a trip here is like a passport for food lovers.

5 articles

Mataam Fez Moroccan Restaurant

4609 E. Colfax Ave. East Denver

303-399-9282

African, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, Menu

Leave your shoes at the entryway but bring your sense of adventure to Mataam Fez, a traditional Moroccan-style restaurant that's given East Colfax some exotic culinary flair for decades. Diners sit on pillows and use their fingers to eat their way through five extravagant courses, which can include everything from game hen and rabbit to lamb, chicken and beef flavored with exotic spices. A meal at Mataam Fez is a sumptuous affair that can span three hours: Belly dancers, pre-dining rituals and informative servers fill the time with intrigue and deliciousness.

5 articles

Pita Jungle

2017 S. University Blvd. South Denver

720-570-1900

Middle Eastern, Restaurants, Recommended, Menu

This vibrantly decorated, fern-draped eatery boasts the town's top baba ghanouj, as well as killer kabobs and heavenly hummus.

3 articles

Safta

3330 Brighton Blvd., Denver Five Points/RiNo

720-408-2444

Israeli, Middle Eastern, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice, Essentials

Inside the Source Hotel in RiNo, chef/restaurateur Alon Shaya has created a destination for Mediterranean cuisine inspired by his grandmother’s recipes and the cuisine of Israel, where he was born. The wood-fired pita is unbeatable, and the hummus is impossibly smooth; start there, but order liberally, as it’s nearly impossible to make a bad choice. And if you’re going to splurge on brunch anywhere in town, make it the weekend sprawling buffet here.

17 articles

Sahara Restaurant

9636 E. Arapahoe Rd., Greenwood Vilalge Greenwood Village

303-790-4707

Middle Eastern, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

Morocco isn't technically within the geographical region we call the Middle East, but there's a culinary continuum that links the food of northwest Africa with the Levant and points farther east. That continuum encompasses hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel and pita stuffed with grilled meats, all of which Sahara Restaurant on East Arapahoe Road handles with aplomb (the kitchen, after all, represents Lebanese fare, too). But for something special, the Moroccan tajines (served on Friday and Saturday nights only) and couscous dishes can't be beat. Make it lamb for a true taste of the Mediterranean, with bone-in lamb shank over saffron rice or roasted in a clay tajine with dried fruits. For more variety, try the mashwi combination, with beef, chicken and kafta kabobs along with shaved gyros all piled onto one platter. Beneath tented tapestries in the glow of flickering candlelight, you'll forget that you're in a suburban strip mall.

7 articles

Shahrazad Bakery

2603 S. Parker Rd. Aurora

303-671-2911

Bakery, Middle Eastern

1 article

Souk Shawarma

3200 Pecos St. Northwest Denver

Middle Eastern, Restaurants

1 article

Sudan Cafe & Khairat Injera Bakery

10375 E. Iliff Ave. Aurora

303-337-7409

African, Middle Eastern, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

The designation "Middle Eastern" is a vague and shifting notion that doesn't exactly encapsulate the spectrum of cuisine cooked from Morocco to Pakistan, from Turkey to eastern Africa. So forgive us if Sudan Cafe doesn't fit neatly into standard notions of where the Middle East begins and ends; you'll understand once you try the kitchen's spice-laden ful — soft-cooked beans served as breakfast with eggs or at lunch on a crusty baguette — or Egyptian-style koshari, a hearty dish of lentils, rice and pasta topped with tomato sauce and onions fried to a crispy dark brown. While the dishes seem new and different, they have familiar flavors and spices, including cumin and garlic; you'll also find lamb and falafel on the menu. But you'll also be reminded of Ethiopian cooking if you order molokhia, a slippery green soup made with jute leaves and served with housemade injera flatbread. Herbed coffee and sweet mint tea are a great finish to a warm and filling meal at this friendly cafe; just leave your map at home.

5 articles

Vesper Lounge

233 E. 7th Ave. Central Denver

720-328-0314

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Bar, Recommended, Slideshow, DrinkHere

In the fall of 2012, restaurateur Frank Bonanno took over one of the town’s most notorious watering holes: the Lancer Lounge, located right between Mizuna, the flagship of Bonanno Concepts, and the current location of Salita. At the Vesper, there’s no fuss over housemade bitters, no two-hour wait, no specially chipped ice — just reasonably priced drinks and some very good snacks with a Middle Eastern flavor. Not to mention good company: This may not be the Lancer, but it’s definitely proven to be a solid neighborhood bar.

22 articles

Zamzam Halal International Market

7449 E. Iliff Ave. Southeast Denver

303-745-4555

Middle Eastern, Grocery Stores, Bakery, Best Of

There's no place to sit and eat at Zamzam, an international market specializing in Iraqi and other Middle Eastern foods, but you can build a great meal with enormous, chewy rounds of fresh-baked Iraqi flatbread, sold in four-packs still warm from the oven, and a pan of chicken or lamb-and-beef kebabs (call ahead to ensure there's an order waiting for you). Add some pickled wild cucumbers from the pickle bar and you've got a picnic that will serve several friends.

4 articles

Middle Eastern in Denver

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