ala | Bethesda

My friend, Dr. Harper made the reservation for this restaurant. We stopped in for brunch yesterday (Sunday, February 22, 2026) and we were promptly greeted upon entering. They located our reservation and quickly seated us. My takeaways: 1. Saleen was the absolute best! His kind smile, his polite mannerisms, his knowledge of the menu and drinks, his service attire, and his professionalism made this experience all the better for us. 2. The food is toothsome. They had sweet, savory, rich, succulent, and flavorful food. I've tried things that I couldn't even pronounce and all of it was appetizing. 3. The staff is always cleaning and I'm so particular about things like that. I love it. There is nothing like going to dine at a thoroughly clean restaurant where there isn't scrap food on the fl

Ala is a unique and delicious dining experience. With creative dishes that combine the cultures of many different middle eastern cuisines, they bring the best out of so many options. Highly recommend coming with a larger group and sharing everything tapas-style, as you will all be glad you got to try more options. All the appetizers hit the spot and the entree blew our group away. A must-stop if you are in the area

We celebrated my wife’s birthday at Ala, I saw them on Resy through Amex and it turned out to be one of the most refreshing dining experiences we’ve had in a long time. The Levantine atmosphere was mind-bending modern, elegant, and full of sensory detail that makes you feel momentarily transported somewhere in the Mediterranean coast. We had both had the $58 dollars tasting experience were you get to pick 3 hot mezze and 3 cold mezze, we had tried the Salmon Kibbeh Nayeh(our favorite), Tuna Tartare Dolmades, batata hara, with dolma bi lahm and some others stuff we forgot , the whole thing accompanied by a Mishmish cocktail and Acqua Panna water. The cocktail had smoke inside lol I was impressed, it also had a sweet and smoking flavor. Every bite was layered with texture, flavor, and art

Huge thanks to Yeymi for such a great experience. 🩵 We had a great time at this restaurant. We loved the tapas/mezze style mini dishes because it made it easy to try a bunch of different things. I have digestive issues so I am usually really careful about what I eat. From the first bite I could tell everything was made with high quality oils and ingredients. The food was rich and flavorful but still felt really clean and light and I knew it wasn’t going to cause any issues for me. No heartburn at all which honestly says a lot. The kunefe was amazing and the hazelnut semolina halva was one of our favorites. For the main dishes we tried the Adana kebab and the Batinjan Sini kebab and both were full of flavor and cooked perfectly. The service honestly made the experience even better. The m

We had a great Valentine’s Day at Ala for dinner. We participated in the tasting experience and bought a bottle of wine. The food was delicious! Our waitress did a great job too.