Habibi Cafe (Lebanese)

• Restaurant website
• Location: Downtown/Pioneer Place area
• Price to lunch two: About $23

Habibi means “dear one” in Arabic, or words to that effect, and while I’m not gonna swoon over the food at the PDX restaurant known as Habibi (I’ll reserve that for Nicholas until something better comes along), I could grow pretty fond of it.

Habibi’s tucked into one of those downtown blocks that are just chock full of interesting little shops and restaurants near the Pioneer Place cinema. It’s tiny, with small tables crowded into the main floor and a few additional tables in the loft above. The walls (above) are crowded with bottles, and the whole thing looks more Portland Victorian than Middle Eastern. The kitchen’s pretty much on view to the downstairs tables, which was nice.

My friend Barbara and I met there for chow and chat last Saturday; it was crowded when I arrived and got more crowded as we stayed. The staff was gracious and friendly throughout, even though worked off their feet, which was one reason I liked it.

Barbara ordered the kebabs; I got the lamb shawarma. Both came with salads and I got a kick out of the brass leaf platter that housed my meal. (above) Barbara liked hers; mine was mostly pretty good except a few pieces of lamb were sadly overcooked and chewy.

Strangely, that didn’t bother me; I liked the cozy feel of this place on a cold winter day. I wouldn’t go there if the food were my primary object but for the ambiance? Sure.

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