Where to Eat Middle Eastern in Atlanta

The seven-vegetable couscous (no, it is not a grain) at the Imperial Fez is served vegetarian, or with your choice of meats or seafood. Either way, it's delicious and tantalizing, offering a taste of the Levant with delicate herbs and spices, without the price of airfare. The Imperial Fez has been in Atlanta so long, it is sometimes overlooked for newer restaurants, but its dishes remain inspired and its service impeccable.

Yalla! Let’s go! We’ve got hot falafel here! Chef Todd Ginsberg and crew work wonders with these freshly fried balls of ground chickpea, rightfully bright green thanks to strong doses of cilantro and parsley mixed in. You’ll be tempted to choose an overload of Yalla’s unsurpassed selection of middle eastern condiments to top your falafel — whether in a pita or its larger, heftier laffa cousin — but show restraint, as too many piled-on ingredients just detract from the star falafel itself. Start with the house-recommended “Layla’s Falafel” (with spicy zhug, hummus, pickled cabbage, fennel, labne, bitter greens, and tahini) then add or subtract as you see fit on later visits. $7-$12.

Falafel is the hot dog or hamburger of the Middle East, though a healthy alternative to both. Praised by meat lovers and vegetarians alike, falafel in pita bread may very well be one of the first sandwiches ever known, its history dating as far back as the Great Pyramids of Giza themselves. Luckily, you don't have to go back in time to taste these delectable patties of ground garbanzo beans mixed with parsley and just the right amount of spices. Aladdin's is where you'll want to order your falafel sandwich, where the way it comes — with just the right amount of lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and tahini sauce — is the way it should be.

The term bittersweet is often used to evoke beautiful melancholy, but at Falafel Cafe there is no sadness to the interplay between the smashed bitter walnuts and sweet pomegranate paste in the fesenjan stew. The dark brown sauce clings to chunks of chicken, and when ladled over the fluffy Persian rice, creates a sticky, sour, nutty mess that'll make you long for it like a lost lover.

Is it a side? Is it a dip? In the Middle East, it’s breakfast. Most Americans probably aren’t ready to start off their day with a bowl of cooked fava beans mixed with olive oil, garlic, onions, parsley, and lemon. Too bad. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean you can’t order them at lunch or dinner, as an appetizer, a side, or even a meal. You won’t regret it. You may even wish Ameer’s was open for breakfast!

This dish has comfort food written all over it: fall-apart meat, stewed vegetables, savory sauce. The braised lamb comes on a bed of soft, sand-colored couscous made with Lebanese semolina flour. Accompanied by tender carrots and Hakurei turnips with green tops still attached, the dish hums with notes of saffron and peppery, exotic harissa. $15.

Located inside a nondescript strip mall near LaVista and Briarcliff roads, Ameer's has some of the most authentic, no-frills Middle Eastern food in the city. Falafel and shawarma here are exemplary, but Ameer's lesser-known lamb on hummus should not be missed. Spiced with a blend of oriental peppers, the mound of ground lamb rests on a bed of silky hummus topped with olive oil, parsley, and pine nuts. Swipe a piece of pillowy, toasted pita through both piles and scoop. Herby notes from the pine nuts and the creamy hummus transform the lamb's natural gaminess from a rugged roar to an alluring whisper.

The Nepali lamb choila at Himalayan Spice calls to mind the cuisines of nearby China, India, and even Thailand with hard-to-place but pleasing flavors. Tender, spice-laden (asafetida, anyone?) chunks of lamb are grilled and then tossed with fresh red onion, garlic, and cilantro. A sprinkle of lemon juice provides tingly acidity, while toasted cumin notes keep things down to earth. The staff suggests trying it with beer. Who are we to disagree?

Why settle for one dish when you can try three? The Mixed Grill Plate offers three chicken kabobs, three skewers of shish kabob, and three kofta kabobs with onions and tomatoes, grilled to perfection, with savory spices from the Middle East that treat your taste buds. Rounded out with sides of hummus, baba ganoush, and fresh-made pita bread ? the best outside of Jerusalem's Old City ? and you've got a meal for at least two, though we predict you'll ask for extra servings of the pita bread.

The salmon at Rumi's Kitchen is among the simplest dishes on the Persian menu — a thick fillet seared on the grill, served alongside basmati rice punched up with fava beans and dill. But simplicity belies the magic that happens when fire meets fish meets a dusting of Persian spices. It's a safe choice among Rumi's more exotic specialties, but this salmon delights time after time.