DarSalam (restaurant)

Last updated
DarSalam
DarSalam (logo).png
Portland, Oregon, December 19, 2024 - 15.jpg
Exterior of the original location on Alberta Street in northeast Portland's Concordia neighborhood at night in 2024
Restaurant information
Established2012 (2012)
Owner(s)
  • Ghaith and Tiffany Sahib
  • Shaymaa Alquriqche
Food typeIraqi
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Website darsalamrestaurant.com

DarSalam, or Dar Salam, [1] is a small chain of Iraqi restaurants in Portland, Oregon, United States. The original restaurant opened in northeast Portland's Concordia neighborhood in 2012 and a downtown location followed in 2015. The business has also operated on Hawthorne Boulevard in southeast Portland and in northwest Portland.

Contents

Description

The family-owned Iraqi restaurant chain DarSalem operates in Portland, Oregon. The business name means "house of peace". [2] There are locations on Alder Street in downtown Portland [3] and on Alberta Street in northeast Portland's Concordia neighborhood. The Concordia location operates in a former carriage house and has a garden and patio. [4] The interior of the downtown location has a mural resembling Babylon's Ishtar Gate, [5] a bar and private dining room, and a stage. [6] DarSalam has also operated on Hawthorne Boulevard in southeast Portland and in northwest Portland. [7] [8]

DarSalam's menu includes meze , chicken and rice, baklava, and cardamom tea. [9] Red lentil soup and beet salad are among appetizers. [10] The restaurant has also served baba ganoush [5] and hummus with pita, [11] dolmas, [12] falafel and queema, as well as lamb stew with chickpea. Lamb shanks are served with eggplant stew or pickled mango salad. Meats are halal and organic. [1] There are many gluten-free and vegan options. [9]

Drinks include Iraqi beer, [13] an anise-flavored cocktail, Lebanese wines, coffee, and mint lemonade. [10] Other cocktails use Middle Eastern ingredients such as hibiscus, saffron, and tamarind. The Tree of Life has sage-infused gin with Herbsaint, Peychaud's barrel-aged bitters, dry cider, and grenadine. [3]

History

Exterior of the restaurant in southeast Portland, 2021 Southeast Portland, Oregon (January 2021) 069.jpg
Exterior of the restaurant in southeast Portland, 2021

Spouses Ghaith and Tiffany Sahib are co-owners, along with Shaymaa Alquriqche. [14] [15] [5] Ghaith Sahib has been credited for starting the Concordia restaurant in 2012. [10] The business suffered a fire in 2013. [16]

The downtown location opened on August 12, 2015. [3] DaSalam was Portland's only brick and mortar Iraqi restaurant in 2016. [5]

In 2017, a marine was charged with hate crime after he threw a chair at one of the servers at the Concordia location. [2] [17] [18] The charges were later dropped. [19]

Like many restaurants, DarSalam was forced to close temporarily upon the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both locations closed and multiple employees were laid off. [20] The downtown location was burglarized in 2022. [21]

Reception

In 2020, Karen Brooks of Portland Monthly said the restaurant's falafel was arguably the city's best. [15] Brooke Jackson-Glidden included DarSalam in Eater Portland 's 2025 overview of the city's best halal restaurants. She described DarSalam as Portland's "most famous" Iraqi restaurant. [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2023-03-23). "Portland's Best Halal Restaurants". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2025-03-01. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  2. 1 2 Acker, Lizzy (2017-04-25). "Marine charged with hate crime in attack at Portland Iraqi restaurant". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  3. 1 2 3 Bamman, Mattie John (2015-08-20). "One-Of-A-Kind Iraqi Restaurant Dar Salam Lazurdi Opens Downtown". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  4. ↑ Hilton, Thom (2021-02-19). "17 Portland Restaurant Patios for Outstanding Outdoor Dining Year-Round". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bakall, Samantha (2016-03-02). "Dar Salam review -- Cheap Eats 2016". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  6. ↑ Bamman, Mattie John (2015-08-21). "Iraqi Dar Salam Lazurdi Opens Downtown With Dazzling Ishtar Gate Mural". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  7. ↑ Carlos, Lauren (2019-01-16). "Where to Find Next-Level Hummus in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  8. ↑ Moore, Jenni (2020-09-09). "13 Standout Vegetarian Meals in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  9. 1 2 Stevenson, Jen (2017-04-18). Portland Family Adventures: City Escapades, Day Trips, Weekend Getaways, and Itineraries for Fun-Loving Families. Sasquatch Books. ISBN   978-1-63217-100-9.
  10. 1 2 3 Williams, Nathan (2023-10-17). "12 Standout Restaurants in Northeast Portland's Concordia Neighborhood". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-05-12. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  11. ↑ "These Are the 10 Best Places to Get Hummus in Portland". Willamette Week. 2019-11-05. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  12. ↑ "Restaurant Guide 2013: Dar Salam". Willamette Week. 2013-10-16. Archived from the original on 2024-11-03. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  13. ↑ Hamilton, Katherine Chew (2016-10-10). "The Best Restaurants and Bars on Alberta Street". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  14. ↑ "Portland restaurants prepare for beginning of Ramadan". kgw.com. 2025-02-28. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  15. 1 2 "DarSalam's Ghaith Sahib on Life as an Iraqi Restaurant Owner during COVID-19". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  16. ↑ Bingham, Larry (2013-06-03). "Alberta Main Street hosting fundraiser for fire-damaged Dar Salam in Northeast Portland". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  17. ↑ Philipps, Dave (2017-10-18). "A Marine Attacked an Iraqi Restaurant. But Was It a Hate Crime or PTSD?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2025-04-14. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  18. ↑ "Marine charged with attack at Iraqi restaurant in Oregon". NBC News. 2017-04-26. Archived from the original on 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  19. ↑ "Charges dropped against Marine in Portland Iraqi restaurant assault". kgw.com. 2017-05-10. Archived from the original on 2018-04-15. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  20. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-11-13). "How DarSalam's Owner Defied the Odds and Opened Two New Restaurants in 2020". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  21. ↑ "Downtown Portland restaurateur to leaders: 'We ask for change'". KOIN.com. 2022-12-20. Archived from the original on 2023-01-26. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
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