Iraqi cuisine has its own distinct character — heavier on slow-cooked stews, traditional grilled fish, unique breads and spice blends rooted in the heritage of Mesopotamia. While there's overlap with Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisines, dishes like masgoof, samoon and Iraqi biryani are uniquely ours. Here's a guide to what we serve.
Samoon is what holds an Iraqi meal together. It's an oval-shaped, diamond-faceted bread baked at high heat — crisp on the outside, pillowy and chewy inside. We bake fresh samoon throughout the day in our in-house stone oven. It's the perfect partner to kabob, shawarma, hummus, baba ganoush, and especially tashreeb (where torn samoon soaks up rich braised lamb broth).
Iraqi kabob is distinctive — ground meats (beef, lamb or chicken) seasoned with fresh herbs and spices, hand-shaped onto skewers, and char-grilled over open flame until smoky and juicy. Our mixed grill platter brings together beef kabob, lamb kabob, chicken tikka and chicken kabob, served with basmati rice, samoon and grilled vegetables. It's the centerpiece of any Iraqi feast.
Masgoof is the dish Iraqis travel home for. A whole freshwater fish is butterflied, seasoned with tamarind and salt, and slow-cooked vertically beside an open fire until the skin chars and the flesh is meltingly tender. It's a dish for celebrations, gatherings, and anyone who wants to taste Iraq the way it's been eaten for centuries. We're one of the only restaurants in Dallas serving it.
Tashreeb is comfort food, Iraqi-style. We slow-braise lamb until it falls apart, then ladle the rich broth over torn pieces of samoon bread. The bread soaks up everything — fat, spices, broth — and turns into something between a stew and a bread pudding. It's the dish you ask your grandmother to make.
Quzi is the showstopper. A whole lamb shank, slow-roasted until the meat falls off the bone, served on a bed of fragrant basmati rice studded with raisins, pine nuts and toasted almonds. It's a wedding dish, a holiday dish, a 'we're celebrating something' dish.
Iraqi dolma is a labor of love. Grape leaves, peppers, onions, zucchini and sometimes tomato are hollowed out and stuffed with a seasoned mixture of rice, ground lamb, herbs and spices, then slow-cooked together in a tomato broth. The flavors meld for hours. We make it every single day.
Different from Indian biryani — Iraqi biryani is gentler in heat but rich in spice, with long-grain basmati rice layered with chicken or lamb, raisins, almonds and a unique Iraqi spice blend. Often served at celebrations and large family gatherings.
Kanafa is the dessert that's having a moment everywhere — and we've been making it the right way for years. Shredded phyllo dough, melted cheese, rose-water syrup and crushed pistachios. The trick is the contrast: crispy top, gooey cheese center, syrupy sweetness. Reviewers consistently call ours the best in Dallas.
Our baklava is made fresh in the bakery — paper-thin phyllo layered with walnut, pistachio and honey-syrup. We sell it by the piece or by the tray (perfect for parties, Eid, weddings).
Crispy phyllo rolls stuffed with sweet cream and dipped in fragrant syrup. Light, crunchy and beautifully sweet. A bakery favorite.
