Al Aqsa - Mediterranean restaurant in Salem - 1326 State St, USA

I ordered the lamb plate. The rice was had plenty of rice plus it was fluffy and not over cooked or dry. The lamb was tender and had the right amount of spice. This was my first time her and I will go back

Don't really have anything to complain about here. Gyro was solid, hummus was solid, pita was good. It was a little awkward at first, when I entered everyone just stared and I couldn't even figure out who was supposed to take my order, over time they warmed up and became more friendly though. Very small family owned restaurant though, so I am happy to support the restaurant and see that it is still in business.

Decent spot for a quick and budget friendly meal… it’s definitely not fancy, pretty bare bones… the service is good, the lady at the counter is very sweet, wait time is maybe 5 minutes for your food so definitely quick I ordered the falafel and lamb gyro… the falafel was a 3.2/5 for me… the flavor is decent, texture is light and is moist but very greasy, seem like it was double fried, also I feel like hummus would be better served with it rather than just tahini… the gyro is a solid 4.2/5… no ingredients spared for those one, it’s packed, plenty of meat unlike others I’ve had… the lamb is tender, moist, but could use some more flavor, lacks punch… the sauce is good… overall great but could have some more flavor Overall would recommend for a quick and cheap bit that’s of decent quality… but not the best Mediterranean I’ve had

Food was so good and so was the service. I was fully satisfied. Best place in town. 100%. I highly recommend 🔥🔥🔥

The last time I tried food like this it was from a fast food joint type of establishment so everything came out premade out of a package. This place definitely makes everything from scratch. The customer service was great and the atmosphere was nice. My beef in my gyro was super tough and the whole thing was really soggy. The rice was good and the falafel was good for my first time trying it.

So delicious! Both the chicken shwarma plate and lamb kebsa plates were superb. Tadziki sauce has big chunks of cucumber, kebsa rice perfectly spiced, lamb super tender. Huge portions at great prices. Only downside was seemingly microwaved?? falafel, not at all crispy, but we still ate them. Definitely one of our new spots.

I love this place. I was driving back from a doctor appointment in Salem and noticed a sign for Middle Eastern food. I had never noticed it before, so I turned around at the next street and am so grateful to have found it. I used to go to Al Jebal in Corvallis and since its closing, I have missed it sorely. Now knowing that Al Aqsa is in Salem is awesome. I ordered baba ghanoush with pita and the chicken kabob plate. Also had some mint tea. I had a chance to chat with the owner, who was wonderful and says they’ve been around for 13 years. Now that I know where the Middle Eastern food is in the area, I will definitely be back. Open Sesame in Belmont Shore (Long Beach CA) was a regular staple in our lives til moving to the Pacific Northwest and having access to Middle Eastern food in this area is beautiful. Love love love it. Good people, good food… it was a great “surprise” visit for me. Great little place. 5 stars! **** update! I recently went back (months later) and the food wasn’t great. It was great last time, but this time the kabob ordered was completely burnt. Barely edible and the baba ghanoush was so acidic it was like sucking on a lemon. It was pretty bad. I really loved this little place so I’m hoping it was an off day and I can try it again, but it was so bad, I really don’t know. 1 star for this last visit (which makes me so sad because I loved this place last time!).

Amazing Mediterranean food at a good price. Quality ingredients. The flavors of everything I've had on the menu are a great representation of Mediterranean cuisine in my opinion. I recommend starting off with baba ghannouj as an appetizer. My favorite entrées are the rice plates or a chicken gyro. Get a baklava to go on your way out! I have gotten falafel that I could tell were not freshly fried but that is the only negative i can think of and it only happened once. Good selection of fountain and bottled drinks.