Levant

It is clear why they are closing at the end of the year. Food was exceptionally bland and over priced, service condescending.
I was sad to learn they were going out of business and wanted to eat here one last time. Turned out to be one of the most disappointing meals I’ve had in Portland.

Amazing! We enjoyed a beautiful anniversary dinner here last night. We started with the lamb cigars and the hummus and pita. We tried not to lick the plates. Then we moved on to the fish of the day for two which was a mung fish with black squid ink hummus… Again… Amazing! We also enjoyed the pistachio pudding thing and the pot de crème. Unbelievable meal, so romantic and great service! The ambience is great too, nice lighting, warm textures all around.

We came for the brunch. I’ve always loved Israeli breakfast food, and they offer a $ 23 per person Israeli breakfast on the weekends.
It starts with seasoned almonds and olives. Then they bring out pita and labneh. And then hummus. A plate of dates and oranges sprinkled with pistachios. A plate of pastries. Feta cheese. Pastries. Shakshuka.
It’s a good time. Unlike my favorite Mediterranean brunch, it is not a bottomless experience, though it is filling. Although the menu varies, I think I’d try requesting a standard tomato-​pepper shakshuka. Ours was like a version of Persian Asheh Reshteh, with spinach and herbs — it was my least favorite part of the meal.
Service was friendly, although things function on Portland time. The drink menu is impressive. Parking is street only, which can be a bit painful in this neighborhood.
All in all, the breakfast is definitely worth a visit. You should make reservations, though, because it gets packed for brunch (and almost every table will have been reserved).

Dude. Duuuuude. Dude! Dude. This place takes reservations. It’s on ultra-​hip Burnside & 28^th, and with a little planning, you don’t have to jostle for position in a badly-​organized clump of huddled hipsters in the drizzle in order to get some grub down your gullet. What a freakin’ concept.
And speaking of concepts — this place has a great one. Israeli brunch? I love it so hard. You can get TWO kinds of shakshuka. It’s SO of the moment, what with that Jerusalem cookbook hot off the presses. It’s all the delightfulness of making your own crazy-​yummy Israeli food, with none of the hassle of figuring out where to get the best harissa.
I recommend popping in anytime for some great food and great service — although note that although there’s patio seating, that doesn’t mean you can bring your dog (unless it’s a service animal). The chef’s tasting menu is particularly suitable for a big brunch group — you get to try everything! You’ll leave stuffed but not feeling gross, because all the food is very fresh and on the lighter side. Such a nice contrast to Portland’s usual focus on heavy, greasy brunch fare. Love this place!

Levant came highly recommended and did not disappoint. We ordered the 5 Course Chef’s Choice. The whole dining experience was beautifully choreographed from beginning to end. The food was sublime! The service outstanding; informative and unobtrusive, the space was beautifully designed (make sure you visit the bathroom. You’ll be so happy you did!).
Be aware, that this menu changes with seasonality, as any good restaurant’s menu should. Cocktails came first. J.P. is brilliant behind the bar, anything and everything is good. Make sure to try the Ferrari Fizz at brunch. Beautiful and perfect. And Pfriem on tap.
The first round started with spiced almonds, fried garbanzo beans (these were crispy and delicious) warm, marinated olives, creamy hummus and right out of the oven pita.
Then the next amazing wave came. Grilled shrimp, lamb «cigars», and last, and my favorite, shredded, raw, butternut squash, apple, pomegranate seed and feta in a toasted pistachio butter. That transported me. Seriously.
Did we have enough to eat yet? Yes… but the food kept coming. And we were glad. Roasted lamb, in all it’s magnificent manifestations; on the chop, corned and seared lamb tongue, lamb sausage, braised lamb… I mean… come on, people. This food was crazy-​good.
Dessert was amazing too; panne cotta, candied pumpkin, ginger cake. Thank you to Scott Snyder and everyone in the kitchen and the front of house, for creating such a beautiful meal!
P. S. I forgot to mention that we came back a few days later for brunch. The pastries were delicious, as was everything else. I don’t understand why there aren’t lines out the front door waiting to get in!

This place was delicious! As I work my way through Portland’s top 101 restaurants, Levant was on the list. The ambiance was nice, calm, and clean.
We decided to order a few things family style:
Wood Fired Pita, Olive Oil, Za’atar, Urfa Chili Pepper
Hummus with Duck Livers and Pomegranate
Grilled Beef Kofta with barberries, pine nuts, herb relish, sumac yogurt
Fish of the day (trout)
The pita and hummus blew my mind. I loved the flavor of it all, and while I was expecting more of a pâté, the duck liver pieces were so yummy! I even dipped a piece of the beef kofta into the hummus, it was SO good! The beef was also amazing. Lots of flavor, tasty spices. Our bellies were pretty much full after this.
But we had our final entrée, which was the trout. It was yummy, but a little too lemony for our tastes. It was good though, and filled us to the brim so we didn’t have room for dessert.
I enjoyed this place – seems like a good spot for a romantic date.

Celebrated my 30^th birthday here with my 9 closest friends in the private room. The staff was very prepared for our party and was willing to work with all our preferences. The chef surprised us with several different dishes. Each dish was executed to perfection. From presentation to flavor to freshness. We finished our night having the best time and look forward to coming back for brunch! Thank you to everyone at Levant for making my birthday so special!

Chef and owner Scott Snyder grasped for the stars and has succeeded.
The brilliance of his food awakens new tastes of spices and rises to improve on the French Middle Eastern cuisine, a stunning effort and a deserved success.
Kudos to the chefs who took the responsibility tonight and should make Scott proud.
The space is perfect down to the cutlery.
Contemporary and yet warm and inviting
The service was skilled and friendly and. handled by Bernadette with a smile and a sense of humor.
Can a Michelin star or stars be far off? No question about it.

Brunch Review: Get everything. All of it. All of the food.
Each month a friend of mine arranges brunch somewhere and there are always about 10 people that show up. This is nice because it takes about 8 people or more to get a reservation for most places for brunch, which is super lame BTW. It was especially nice here because they put us in a back room that was completely private and pretty sexy space. The sex got sucked right out of the room when the people with kids showed up, but alas. Anyway, nab that room if you can.
As far as the food goes, well, they actually deserve their spot as one of the «anointed ones» by PoMo. Even though the Israeli Style brunch sounded nice for the table, we all kind of wanted our own things and went that route. I got the Hummus with Spiced Lamb and it was fucking stupid. So amazing, so savory, so flavorful and tender. It is literally the only time I have ever and will ever order lamb, and I’m not even sorry. My husband got the green shakshuka (yeah, they have two on the menu!!) but we both preferred my dish. I tried a bite of the red shakshuka and preferred it over the green. My ONLY qualm was with the Bloody Mary. It was so thick that I had a hard time choking it down until the ice melted and watered the whole thing down. Never had that problem before, anywhere.
Service was great, she was attentive and patient with our large group. We had a pretty unique experience, but given the quality of food I’d definitely come back or recommend this place to friends.

Wow. Wow. Wow.
I actually don’t think I could love this restaurant more. Let me start off by saying you get what you pay for — it’s definitely on the pricey side, but worth every penny. Oh and you want to make reservations at least a week ahead of time, especially if you’re going on a friday or weekend night.
We started off with the hummus with toasted chickpeas which was delectable (the pita is sold separately, and I would order two rounds of pita bread for 4 or more people). I can’t speak for the rest of my table’s food, but I ordered the Bandari Spiced Albacore Tuna (note: it has hummus on the bottom) which was perfectly spiced and just plain delicious. It’s served with edible flowers which make the dish look like a piece of art.
We split the Pistachio Milk Custard which I would definitely recommend if you’re feeling adventurous. It’s definitely not a «traditional» dessert, and much like the edible flowers on my tuna, was an art piece in and of itself.
Wine prices average around $ 12 which again is a little on the spendy side, but again, you get what you pay for.
The service was good — the waiter (I think he may be in a management position) was very kind and patient, though he did accidentally spill one of our waters, he definitely made up for it by throwing in a couple complementary cookies with our check.

Hummus & pita: perfect
Lamb «cigars»: delicious
Arugula salad: expertly dressed
Beet salad: beautiful
Octopus: zesty & flavorful
Definitely recommend the patio, it’s quiet and we were surrounded by roses.

One of the best undiscovered brunches in PDX! We went with a big group and there was nearly no wait at all. They also take reservations, which is super rare. Love that!
Get the French toast and bloody Mary. The other cocktails were OK.
All of the food was exquisite and uncommon. We had red and green shakshuka, omelette, lamb and hummus with pita and the amazing halva pastries.
Our server, Julia, was friendly. I love that they didn’t tell us that «you will have to wait for every member to arrive before we can seat you» nonsense. We were just served in an efficient and courteous way.
I also enjoyed their music playlist. It was perfectly chill.

I went during the dining month. One of the best three course meals I have had in a while. Wait! that was too bland a description for such an explosion of taste. Here’s the correct statement:
Levant’s dining month menu was orgasmic.
The appetizer was a choice between a salad and lentil soup. The salad was good but lentil soup was, for lack of adjectives, heavenly.
There were quite a few choices for the entrée. I chose the cod which melted in my mouth, aided with some hummus and chickpea curry.
Levant had saved the best for the last: pistachio custard in pistachio butter. I have run out of words. So, let me say this: if you are visiting Portland, do not leave without tasting this dessert.
I hope they offer it again for 30 $ next year.

We came for Portland Dining Month after seeing that the chef/​owner of Langbaan recommended it on Instagram. I probably wouldn’t have picked it otherwise. They say to eat where the chefs eat, right? Well, Earl didn’t steer us wrong.
The space was beautiful. Lots of windows, beautifully decorated, and you could just tell after walking in that this was going to be a special experience. My husband and I ordered one of each course so we could taste everything. My husband had the wine pairing and he raved about how perfect each selection was with each course. I felt like everything we put in our mouths was perfection and I really appreciate the very memorable meal we had here.
I feel like when restaurants participate in dining weeks or months or what have you, some of them don’t put much thought or care into the menu and see it as a nuisance. There are others though that see it as an opportunity to gain new customers and really wow with the creativity and care they put into their food. The latter is what we experienced at Levant. We will definitely be back and will recommend it to all who will listen.

Levant was in my bucket list of restaurants I wanted to try out for the Portland dining month. I heard good things about their brunch and was glad they participated in the dining month special. The place is fancy. We started with the salad and the pita bread which were good. The main course was the alaskan cod with hummus and chick peas. While the dish was good it was not something I would go back for. The highlight of the meal was the dessert (pistachio cream) which was good. The only problem was the portion size was so small. After leaving we had to stop by local pizza joint for a slice to make up for the meal :). I think it comes in a mastercard ad where the couple after a fancy dinner for date night eat at a local joint. Anyway I might go back for brunch but not sure I would repeat a dinner there.

AHHHH Portland Dining Month, the time of the year I love to try new places. When in Rome do as the Roman’s do, order the lamb at a mediteranean restuarant — cooked three ways including seared and a sausage on a bed of white beans with pistou was a hearty fix. The radicchio salad prior with apples and the saltiness of the cheese was sublime. The dessert reminded me of Racion with candy floss and freeze drying, but it was surprisingly refreshing panacotta tiers on a choclate base with the floss on top. The suggested wine pairing of the syrah was spot on. I’d like to come for brunch.
Service was on, and they take and I recommend a reservation. Bar area is a small top and I heard some commotion of happy hour peeps not being able to get a seat.

Update: For their dining month menu, every single item of their three courses was knockout. No choice but to upgrade the review to five stars. Best meal of dining month for me.
Fantastic food. Had the red shakshuka — baked eggs, spicy tomatillo broth, merguez (lamb sausages) — which was delicious. The halva croissant will resonate with anyone familiar with Indian desserts. And the challah French toast (with molasses) was sinfully rich and delicious. It’s a relatively new place. So you want to go there before the crowds get there. Also, for a relatively fancy place, their brunch is very reasonably priced, ~$ 20.

Holy cow, was this place amazing. We came here with friends for dinner and checked out the menu while we waited for our table to be ready. To share, we got the fried halloumi, lamb «cigars» and fried cauliflower. The portions were perfect for sharing with four, especially considering we couldn’t wait to try more.
I couldn’t resist the shaved celery root salad with pickled celery, shallots, shanklish, candied almonds, and apple. I had never had shanklish (a Levantine cheese) before but consider me a huge fan. I hope I can find it somewhere in my own hometown. It’s a shanklish job, but somebody’s gotta do it. Ay-​o!
For my entrée, I chose the winter squash phyllo pie and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It had so many wonderful flavors and a frisee salad with the most surprising dressing of pomegranate molasses. That’s another thing I need to find to make my life better.
The service was excellent and the décor is really lovely. I’d definitely come back when I visit again.

Went here for brunch yesterday and had my very first Shakshuka. I had the green one and was a little nervous because the menu said spicy and I’m a wimp. Well, let me tell you, if by spicy they mean delicious and amazing, they are right.
It was served steaming in a little cast iron skilled with a giant piece of toast to sop up all the goodness. The green one had spinach and feta which I know isn’t traditional but man, was it a tasty and healthy breakfast. The spice was not an issue at all, I couldn’t even detect any. Next time I’ll be brave and try the red one.
My companion also had the pistachio roll and said it was divine. I couldn’t’ go within 10 feet of it since I’m deathly allergic, but it looked amazing.
I definitely want to go back to try some other brunch items as well as dinner.

French Arabic style cooking! I’ve just come back from Morocco and the food there was so amazing that I’ve tried to look up what similar stuff exists in PDX, and this one is the winner by far so far!
Went there for brunch on my birthday and got there just 20 mins before they close but the service and staff were impeccable. We got the chefs choice brunch menu on the recommendation of the server and it was the RIGHT choice! Just get that if you go for brunch its totally worth it.
You start off with two types of olives, followed by some warm feta cheese, hummus and a baba ghanouj type paste. Then comes two decadent french pastries, we got a lime cream flavored one and a flaky fluffy pastry with a very nice sweet filling for the other. Fresh warm pita bread of course to accomapny the hummus. But the star of the show was the Shaksuka. For the uninitiated this is a moroccon/​israeli/​berber egg based dish, cooked in a flavorful tomato gravy and baked in a skillet. It is just spectacular. Need to learn how to make it now since I’m totally a fan!
All in all, I think this place is one of the top 5 brunches in PDX, right up there with the other big league players!