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“There are much more better places with good service in Dushanbe!”
Review of Al Sham Restaurant

Al Sham Restaurant
Ranked #1 of 178 Restaurants in Dushanbe
Cuisines: Middle Eastern
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Dining options: Dinner, Outdoor Seating, Reservations
Description: Al Sham - Arabic hospitality in its purest essence.Al Sham features an authentic selection of Arabic and middle eastern cuisine. Enjoy a wide offering of mezzeh, main courses and desserts in surroundings which echo traditional Arabic character. The rich wood crafted walls and ceilings create a cosy ambience which is further enhanced by Arabic music while the exquisite movement of belly dancer during the evening shows highlights the culinary experience.The outdoor terrace creates a beautiful al fresco setting for any occasion, while our private booths provide majlis-like environment. Al Sham staff are also delighted to prepare and serve delectable creations for your meeting or event. They will aim to exceed your expectations with unparalleled service, creative cuisine and the flexibility and variety you deserve. The charm that Al Sham brings is not only in its extravagant food and lavish Arabic hospitality, but its warm and impeccable service makes the experience a truly memorable one.
Reviewed 16 September 2024 via mobile

The food is not tasty and no matter what drink we ordered, there are none! As foreigners, we didn’t have a lot of cash and we wanted to pay with card! The waiter was playing, telling us: well, yes, we have card payment, but pay in cash! If you want to relax and not be nervous, better not to go there!

Date of visit: September 2024
Thank munisad2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda Amanda, Owner at Al Sham Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded 4 weeks ago

Dear Munusa!
We apologies for any inconvenience you have experienced. We appreciate your feedback and agree that Dushanbe has a variety of restaurants and venue where guests can enjoy the flavours of different countries. We value the opinions of our guests as well as the reputation of our restaurant, and we are committed to addressing this situation. To help us resolve it, we kindly request some additional information: the day of your visit, the drinks you ordered, and who served you. Please contact us via email: reservations@alsham.tj

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Reviews (171)
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1 - 5 of 171 reviews

Reviewed 11 May 2024

I got stuck in on-and-off heavy rain today on кӯчаи Айни so, although it was too early for supper, I decided why not try meze (أكل خفيف) at Al Sham as I am close by?? Truth be told, I didn't have high expectations for the culinary level of this establishment.
Let's start with what impressed me.
Barak (?) of spinach I understood to be فطيرة of spinach; this was marvelous. The pastry was baked perfectly and the spinach inside was ample and as fresh as can be. In addition, no goofy sauce was dripped on them (as the chef did on the kubba and ar-rayes). Likely the best spinach fatayer I have ever eaten.
Kubba were four small marbles the diameter of an average falafel ball but rounder and oblate (as they stick out at each end as, I would add, they should); Kubba is one of my favorites having indulged in them in humble eateries to five star hotels across a range of Middle Eastern countries over the last thirty years and I never seen such stingy ones. Pity because the fried cracked wheat shell is the correct thickness and the meat inside is delicious (although I did not find any pine nuts). Better to have a plate of two normal-size kubba (although that will eat into your profit margin a bit as the ratio of meat to cracked wheat will increase) than those four laughable marbles. Also tell the chef to refrain from dripping some inscrutable liquid on the kubba as some kind of misplaced culinary flourish. It detracts from the taste of the kubba. No normal chef serves kubba sprayed with some liquid on top.
Hummus looked terrific and was passable but has some sourness to it. It still was good with the fantastic fresh-baked mini pitas but should have been more delicious. A better grade of olive oil on top might also be advisable. [Recently, I had much better even outside the mashreq in a restaurant in Yerevan, Armenia, called Nor Aleppo.]
As for the baba ghanouj, it was marred by the chef's propensity to douse dishes with inscrutable liquids and was served on a longish plate of three small hillocks of baba ghanouj. In short, portion size was a bit lacking and was not quite as flavorful as it should have been but it was enjoyable enough with the fresh-baked mini-pitas.
Last course before dessert was the ar-rayyis of meat. Again, the chef doused yet another item with another barrage of liquid much to my discomfiture. However, this dish was not prepared to standard irrespective of the needless spraying. It was more like two layers of laham ajeen pressed together into a sandwich; it fell apart when eating it. Worse, it was neither spiced correctly, be it ar-rayyis or laham ajeen. The chopped meat appeared undercooked but I am okay with eating even raw meat if it is fresh like the famous Lebanese dish kubba nayya. In this instance, to cut to the chase, last was least.
Shortly afterwards, a dessert menu was presented to me. Among other items, it had two types of cheese cake: one with chocolate, one without. Hardly a Middle Eastern staple dessert; I would have preferred mahalabiyya, which is easy to make, but, okay, I like a good cheese cake. The cheese cake was good but why not tell the customer that it is not plain but comes with some fruity jelly (cherry?) on top? (I removed 90% of that topping.) I see that strawberries are in season. Why not have 2-4 strawberries on top or on the side (instead of some sugary stuff if the chef feels compelled to embellish the plain cheesecake in some way)? Washed down with a good espresso. Nice combination.
The waitress needs to be a little less attentive and give the customer some space. [I have had girlfriends who paid less attention to me than she.] When ready to order something to drink, the customer will order something. No need to badger! For me, badgering, worse obsequiousness, is a big turn off. (I don't blame her; I assume she has been trained by management to be that way). All that for a 15% service charge add-on.
Overall vibe to this restaurant has overtones of pretension but the food is not haute cuisine. However, pебята in Al Sham were friendly and normal and we had a laugh or two when I told them "Ta Дидан!" upon leaving.
Al-Sham refers to a part of the mashreq constituting Syria, Lebanon and Palestine; if the restaurant has not prepared the shami arabic food to high standard, I would be less likely to venture to try the khaleeji (mandi rice) dishes or the maghrebi dishes. By the way, I lived in Morocco six years and there is no tajine with lamb (alone) or tagine with chicken (alone). There are several variations but notable are tajine lamb with plums (avec pruneaux) [or less common, but also quite delicious, with quince (سفرجل) or tajine chicken with olives so that the Moroccan portion of the menu is puzzling to me.
Interior is nice enough and seating is comfortable. If deemed necessary to play music at all times, perhaps have some greater variety.

Date of visit: May 2024
    • Value
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Thank 57richardt
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda Amanda, Owner at Al Sham Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded 4 weeks ago

Thank you for such a detailed and thorough review. In every episode described, we can feel your desire to help us become even better.
Regarding the sauce used by our chef, it is pomegranate syrup, which is widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine.
We are glad you visited our restaurant and look forward to seeing you again.

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Reviewed 20 March 2024

That was very very perfect arabian restaurant. I was many restaurants in arabian countries but this restaurant was best quality and was perfect personal , Especially Ms.victoria and Mr. Ali Mohammad how they were experts and friendly and clean and ontime and lovely.
We want come back again .

Date of visit: March 2024
    • Value
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    • Food
Thank hamid h
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda Amanda, Owner at Al Sham Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded 4 weeks ago

We're working hard to provide the best service we can, and your feedback shows we're on the right track. Thank you!

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Reviewed 10 December 2023 via mobile

Al-Sham Restaurant is a hidden gem in Dushanbe, serving up delicious and authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. The service is friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The food is full of flavor. Overall, Al-Sham Restaurant is a must-visit for anyone looking for a tasty and authentic Middle Eastern dining experience in Dushanbe.

Date of visit: December 2023
Thank nimasun82
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda Amanda, Owner at Al Sham Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded 4 weeks ago

Your feedback inspires us to keep improving. Thank you for your support!

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Reviewed 6 November 2023

The staff was friendly and the menu bilingual, the food was relatively quick and the hummus with fresh warm bread was amazing. The falafels aren't bad, and I tried some chicken with mushrooms as well as great fattoush

Date of visit: November 2023
    • Value
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Thank OnAnAdventure8
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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