Sam’s Saj

Hard to find truly authentic Lebanese sandwiches. Had the falafel and labneh. It was the real deal. Done the right way, fresh ingredients. Falafels seem hand made and fried on the spot. Definitely recommend.

Had the best shawarma reminded me of the ones I’ve tried back in Lebanon. Love their bread! A must try!

Definitely a must try location! They are the real deal. Fresh, delicious and so friendly!

I go to this cart just about every day for my lunch breaks and get the falafel and fries.
Made with fresh ingredients and love daily and it shows in the great food quality at a very reasonable price from a great staff. 5 stars!

Good falafel wrap! The other fillings added crunch and good flavor to it. The Sam’s fries had some tasty spices on them. The service was good and I didn’t wait long for the food– a plus on a chilly and rainy day.
Will come back to this place next time I’m in the mood for Mediterranean mood in Portland!

Best arabic food in town. Delicious lamb and chicken shawarmas. I’m trying the falafel next time Tayyeb

Got to visit this spot on my trip to PDX. My first time I tried the falafel. I have to say the best I’ve ever had… and it was cold by the time I got to eat it. I came back the next day and got the Fattouch with chicken and more falafel… and because it’s made fresh all day, the Saj bread. If I have time tomorrow, it may be lunch then too! On top of the excellent food, the service is too notch! Make this a definite when you visit the food trucks in PDX!

The yogurt and eggplant is one of my favorite dishes EVER. I fell in love with it at The Lebanese Taverna restaurants in WashDC area and am so happy to have found it here. Sam’s Saj does it even better :-) Rich and creamy yogurt with the crunch of toasted flatbread on the bottom. Pomegranate seeds top it off. It is amazing.

The chicken shawarma was so good I had to come back for it again the next day. The fresh baked bread just takes it to another level. He makes it legit with the garlic sauce, French fries and pickle.

Amazing fresh, in-​house baked bread, crisp ingredients, kind service, and one of the best middle eastern food carts. I’ve been back twice and will be back again. I’ve tried the lamb shawarma and the fatoosh salad. Both were perfect!

I my opinion, besides Sam’s Saj and another one or two food carts in downtown, Most of Mediterranean food here is not up to standards at all. I’ve been back here a few times already.
First and the most important thing, the bread! It’s baked fresh! It’s not like the fake pita bread you buy from grocery stores that’s chewy. I’ve had Falafel and Lamb Shawarma already. Both tastes exactly like what they should. Delicious! I can’t believe I used to walk past Sam’s Saj all the time and haven’t had it until lately!
The falafel has the right toppings! The pickled turnips, radish, and mint. Taste of heaven!
The food cart is so kept clean at all times. Ingredients are fresh too. If anyone asks me for a mediterranean food cart, I’ll ship them here! This is gonna be a regular spot for me now.

This is really a wonderful falafel wrap — as good as any brick & mortar in town. Friendly owner. What sets this wrap above the rest is he will adjust the heat of his sauce, but especially, the pickled turnips & onions. It’s a great downtown lunch! Check them out!

Vegetarian review
Got the Falafel wrap with hot sauce and the SAMs fries
Perfecttttt!!! Super fresh and filling but not super heavy either

Really really incredible food! Don’t expect your usual falafel cart, the menu is fresh, flavorful, and delicious. Lots of vegan and vegetarian options too.
If they have a daily special, go for it, you won’t be disappointed. Otherwise the cauliflower is amazing and the Sam’s Fries put other fries to shame. The bread is made fresh in house and even the fries can end up in a wrap. I haven’t yet made my way though the entire menu but I have no doubt it’s all fantastic.
The staff is also incredibly friendly and knowledgeable in answering my ingredient based questions. I’ll definitely be back this week.

This is my new favorite falafel vendor on a block that features many unimpressive and/​or ripoff falafel vendors. The freshness and care were palpable in every bite, from the lovely crunchy outside and moist interior of the falafel themselves, far above the quality of most I’ve had in Portland (even from the strangely hipster-​favorite but not that great Wolf and Bear), to the excellent flavor of the pickles and sauces and toppings, distinctively Lebanese in sour savoriness. Honestly on my first visit the house-​made saj bread was the weakest part of the experience, being sort of thin and far too dry, but I expect from the photos and the pride they seem to take in it that I may have gotten a bad batch (I’ll be trying again).

Words are not enough to describe how great the food here is. I don’t usually write reviews but I just had to write one for this place. While I was on vacation in Portland from California in June/​July 2015, I was looking to have some awesome Mediterranean food, and Sam’s Saj HIT THE SPOT! It was so good we tried almost everything on the menu during our stay there.
First off, the saj bread, meats, and veggies are all spectacularly FRESH! Apparently, they bake the saj on the food truck everyday and prepare the meats daily.
Second, the service is wonderful. The food was ready within minutes (though I wouldn’t mind waiting in line here for hours!)
Third, and most important, the food is AMAZING. My recommendations: the chicken and lamb shawarmas (SO FLAVORFUL, and exactly how I’ve had them in the Middle East, if not better); the turkey and cheese (it was delicious and perfect), the zaater and cheese (great, light, and yummy); the eggplant and yogurt, and Sam’s fries! Honestly, I recommend you try everything, you can’t go wrong!
If you want great food with high quality and low cost, this is THE place. You won’t regret it!

So good! I went there every day this week. EVERY DAY. Yes. While this is a very embarrassing fact for me, it should speak volumes about their food. Don’t miss their cauliflower. It is highly addictive.
Yes, there are many «Middle Eastern cuisine» options nearby (quotes intentional!), even a few specifically Lebanese carts. But Sam’s dishes are super flavorful and exceptional in freshness and seasoning. What may seem like a simple salad is full of flavor and have a level of sophistication you won’t find in other similar carts. That’s the reason why I keep going back!

We were in Portland and walking around looking at the various food carts that were all around this block. It was a bit overwhelming because there was so many items to choose from. My son saw Sam’s Saj and wanted to try their falafel wrap, so I said ok.
The wrap came was stuffed with falafels, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, lettuce and a delicious yogurt sauce. It was definitely delicious and at a reasonable price, about $ 7.50. The wrap was large enough for my son and I to share and fill up. They knew we were splitting it, so they offered to cut it in half and individually wrap each portion.
Overall we are a big fan of this place. Looks like it’s pretty new and doing well. There were to people in the cart and both very friendly. Great service and great food, can’t wait to come back and eat here again!

Not-​so-​boring Middle Eastern fare offered by a former cook at Paley’s Place and New York transplant. Sam’s Saj (a saj is the domed grill used to cook food and bread on in Middle Eastern fare) is a great addition to Middle Eastern food on an otherwise yawn-​tastic stretch of gyros carts. They offer everything from French fries to eggplant and yogurt to falafel – all of it seems typical until you eat it.
We ordered the lamb shwarma ($ 9) and chicken shwarma ($ 8); but the Kofta ($ 7.75) was an attractive option that we almost got.
The lamb was marinated, flavorful, and fresh. Adorned with your choice of vegetables (tomato, onion, parsley, garlic aioli, pickles), this really came together nicely. The chicken shwarma was similar in offerings, but boasted the addition of french fries inside the wrap. It sounds weird, but it worked. What struck us about this place, other than the friendliness of the owner, was the simple quality of the meat. Our only complaint about the food was that the flatbread was like a tough tortilla and added little to the meal; something slightly fluffier like a pita you get at any number of Lebanese restaurants in town would have been nice.
Time: It took us under 10 minutes to get our food. Quick, efficient, friendly service.
Value-3:This is our one demerit; we felt that this was just a little bit expensive: nine bucks for lunch from a cart kind of betrays the pupose of eating at a cart, no? That said, you do pay a bit extra for quality, and the meat quality was very good.
Gut check at 3pm: I could eat. I’m not hungry, but I will be in an hour.
Sustainability-​2: I have no idea about how the meat was sources or where the ingredients came from, but they seemed fresh and very good. He gets a boost here for the simple, meager amount of garbage left behind: a foil-​lined paper that wrapped both sandwiches fit into my palm after our meal.
Fear Factor-​1: Who’s afraid of high-​quality meat and fresh vegetables served to you by a nice, young family man?
Staying Power-​4: Like with E-​San, out of all the places you could go to, Thai and Middle Eastern are dime-​a-​dozen enterprises. But this place is above and beyond; it is simply *better* than all the other places that are like it that we’ve been to.
Creativity-​4: Deep-​fried cauliflower, zesty garlic aioli, fries in your shwarma sandwich, pickled turnips in a falafel sandwich: all of these are a cause for a tiny bit of creative celebration. Sure, you can get these things at Nicolas, but this is a cart. Yay for that.

There was a huge line at Grilled Cheese Grill, and they have nothing on their menu as affordable as here — so I walked right up and had this delicious wrap before some others had even gotten to order down there!
Tried the cheese and zaatar saj for this first time around. It was so tasty, hit the spot for sure! Like a zesty spiced grilled cheese. Melty mild cheese, zaatar spice, sesame seeds, mint leaves, cucumber, and tomatoes.
And the lady who made my food was so nice and helpful.
I do wish they had a website with the menu on it, not just a vague Facebook page, but even so, I’m going to go back and try something else, and if it’s as good as this one, I will be bumping the rating up to 5 stars!
Hey, go try it so I know what else I should try!