Arabesque

Meh. I believe the owner of this restaurant can make amazing food. The chicken and hummus both had good flavor. The problem is that it’s very expensive for what you get. I ordered the chicken shawarma plate for $ 11. At most middle eastern restaurants that would be a feast. This barely filled me up for lunch and I’m not a huge eater. It was a plate of mostly field greens directly from a plastic bin, with a quarter cup of hummus and a small amount of chicken. And a few tablespoons of yogurt. Literally, that was it. I was pretty disappointed. I didn’t have any personal run ins with the owner, but I did observe the behavior others have noted. Her daughter appeared to be the server, and the owner said something snarky to her about how she had seated people. I could definitely see how the previous incidents could have happened. I love middle eastern food, but sadly I won’t be returning.

Incredible restaurant/​café. I recommend it to anyone in Boulder. It’s delicious and always fresh.
The Mid-​East Sampler is my go to order, because it offers a variety (and I love it all), but everything on the menu is stellar. Man, I’m actually salivating as I write this…
The desserts… oh God, the desserts… The Baklava is wonderful. The larger order is definitely enough to share, and your group will appreciate it.
This place is off the beaten path, but is a true gem. And it’s still close to Pearl Street. I’m just surprised more people don’t know about it. I wish them well with their business, and know they’ll succeed given the sheer quality of their food and their friendly service.

I honestly love this place! Great quality food, the owner grows all the veggies, in a great part of town. Family owned and run by a mother and her two daughters. Worth a try !

I’ve eaten at Arabesque several times over the past couple of years. Friendly service and the best shawarma in the area. But something went sideways in our last visit. My GF and I both ordered the chicken shawarma plate. Both had little meat and what was there was dried out. The food was served to us by the owner, who looked at us with a mixture of curiosity and disdain when tossing down the plates in front of us. Our waitress (the presumed daughter of the owner) who’s usually fairly friendly, didn’t come by and ask how our food was, instead she was engaged in a heated, existential argument with her mother over the future of the restaurant and why they weren’t going to stay in business. Overall, a not so pleasant experience. One that I hope isn’t repeated should I choose to return. But I am not holding my breath as several other reviews indicate even worse experiences. I’d give this a one star, but had good experiences there in the past.

I have dined at this location previously and enjoyed it. Today, however, I was very disappointed. I ordered the chicken shawarma plate. Field greens laid across a layer of hummus and topped with chicken (which is already cut into pieces). The owner brought out two dishes, shot my boyfriend and I a sneer and slammed down the dishes on the table.
The chicken came out dry, overcooked and almost inedible. Two pieces were set aside, they were brown, seared to the point of leather and tough. The wait person never asked how the meal was, but instead stomped in and out of the restaurant (there were diners out on a patio), displaying her disdain with the owner.
The owner (who prepares the food and appears to be the wait person’s mother) argued noticeably with the wait person about the state of the restaurant. Regardless it was unprofessional and definitely had an impact on the food as well as our dining experience. Too many great places in Boulder to eat good food. From the other reviews, it sounds like the owner is an angry woman who has good days and bad ones. This was definitely one of her bad ones– we won’t be back.

2 stars.
Poor customer service, but good food when they try.
2 stars

Great food, super friendly service, and unique menu! I loved it! I will come back! Loved the colorful iced-​tea and lemonade… and the food was memorable. The servers worked together and were very accommodating. I sat outside with my dog and they just brought him water without me asking for it. I can’t wait for my next visit to Boulder!

More than food, arabesque nourishes my soul. Artistically and thoughtfully prepared middle eastern cuisine. Soothing rosehip water. Amazing Arabic coffee. This is one of my favorite places to eat breakfast or lunch in boulder.

This was a surprising little gem to discover. You’d almost never know it exists — it’s not on the well-​worn Pearl street mall area — but I’m glad to have gone there.
Me and my girlfriend got the beef shawarma and breakfast omelet respectively, and it was gooooooood. Fresh looking and tasting veggies and greens, the house-​made pita bread was fantastic, and the beef was deliciously spiced. My girlfriend’s omelet was light, fluffy and even a little crispy. The shawarma portion was perfect, and the omelet was absolutely huge.
We washed it down with iced black tea loaded with fresh fruit, and an Arabic coffee with baklava afterwards. The baklava was light, flaky, sweet, balanced, delicious.
We were attended to by an attentive waitress and an older man who I assume was one of the owners. He was very welcoming and helpful to all the guests, including us. Everyone there seemed happy to share their food with us.

I think the owner of this restaurant is mentally ill, it’s the only possible explanation for her behavior. I went many times over the course of a summer and she was nice to me and my husband. The food is fresh and delightful and I championed this tiny place to anyone I could. But one day I walked in and she made it clear I was not welcome in her restaurant. I have no idea why. I have tried returning with friends because I feel the food is great, but each time she has been so rude, condescending and unprofessional that I cannot imagine why she is even in the service industry.
When my guest asked the difference between Turkish and regular coffee, she yelled at him, «I can’t tell you that! Just pick one.» We were all so uncomfortable that we were being overly nice (to compensate for her rude behavior) and she said, «Are you going to say thank you every time I come to your table?» like we were inconveniencing her.
She treated me and my companions like we were trash. She would say, «Are you going to order?» and then walk away without a word if we paused for a moment to consider. There are no printed menus and when we had questions, she told us to go inside to look at the wall, as if it would kill her to just talk to us.
My party was large (10 people) and she said we should have called in advance to let her know we were coming. Since when do you have to do that. It was clear that she did not want our business.
It’s a shame. I used to love this place. Yes, it is small, sometimes slow (it’s just one woman with a two burner stove doing the cooking), the menu is limited (but good) but I cannot fathom how anyone could treat customers so poorly. Especially ones such as myself and my husband who patronized her store, recommended her to everyone, and had never had any quarrel with her.

So lucky to have this in Boulder. I wish there were more places like this in Denver/​Boulder. The owner is so sweet, beautiful, and nice. An authentic and charming atmosphere. Everything is good on the small menu.
(I just came back to edit bc I thought it was so funny how everyone was complaining about the owner? It makes no sense to me. I go here all the time she is amazing… haha. And why are people mad that they don’t have descriptions on the menu? It’s like dolmas and shawarma… it’s not difficult)

Wonderful place! I work nearby and love to sit on the quaint, and quiet, patio while I enjoy the infused water. Thursday’s special of ‘dijaj’ is my FAVORITE! Marinated roasted potatoes and veggies. Delicious in every way!
Hidden gem in Boulder — tell ALL your friends.

So I am going to be true to the review. Looking at the other Unilocal reviews it looks like people think the owner is rude. I just don’t think they understand her humor and attitude which is what brings this place its personalized charm. I was 30 minutes late to lunch and she was very nice and let me order a relatively big order. When I got my to go order the only think I was completely upset about that the fact that I couldn’t tell her personally how amazing the chicken shawarma was! I went to other so called «amazing» Mediterranean restaurants in Denver and this beats them all. I like how your not bombarded with meat and you get lots of vegetables with amazing yogurt. If I could ill put that yogurt an everything.

I’m going to be real: this place is heaven-​sent. It’s located just a block away from Pearl and probably in one of the quietest parts of Boulder. The atmosphere is simply astonishing. I’ve always been wanting to come here since I moved into the area and it lives up to the hype.
The inside is small but it adds charm. The walls are decorated with local art that you can buy. I’d like to think of Arabesque as a quaint café that’s worth the while.
Customer service is excellent. I went on a Saturday and it was well staffed if that makes a difference. I know other reviews talk about the cook/​owner (an elderly lady supposedly) being completely rude, but I guess I came on a splendid day. The waitstaff was happy and there seems to be a personal connection with everyone that walks in. I found the overall aura
of the people and place inviting and warm.
The water is delicious, I think they flavor it with a hint of jasmine or something. The Arabic coffee was delicious too. Would definitely recommend if you need that strong pick me up.
The shawarma plate was outstanding. The portions are fair and the plate itself offers a lot other than meat. Surrounded by a healthy size of greens, the chicken was succulent and well flavored. The yogurt sauce was delightful and a nice tangy twist.
For dessert, I had baklava. Some baklava can be too syrupy or too dry, but Arabesque is that perfect consistency. I had it with another cup of Arabic coffee. Definitely recommend.
Price wise: you’ll get what you paid for and you’ll be «comfort-​full» by the end of your experience. The only nitpick that stands out is the lack of physical handheld menus, but people will complain about anything and everything these days. Their giant sign with all the foods is plenty enough menu for me. I will definitely be back for seconds.

My husband and I both had the chicken shawarma and it was delicious! We also ordered the baba ganoush. The ambiance is very nice in this restaurant. The owner was very sweet and let us try the lentil soup. We will definitely be going back!

The owner/​cook was appallingly rude. My handicapped mother was treated very poorly by her. She was very irritable with her and essentially seemed inconvenienced by the fact that she wanted to look at the menu on the wall and that it took her a long time to move. She was very mean to her servers and they kept having to apologize for her behavior. One of my kids ordered a wrap that had hummus on it and simply asked for them to keep it off. She came out to our table with her hands on her hips and scolded us all saying she had no idea how she could possibly make the wrap without hummus. I honestly can’t tell if the food was good or not, I was stunned at how horrible of a person she was and how determined she seemed to make everyone else around her miserable too. I will never go back and tell everyone I know to avoid it as well.

Reasons why this place rocks so hard: The water is flavored with mint. They have a book of poetry to read by the faux fireplace. The food is best — super best and fresh and wow. Food came quick! If I could give this place a sixth star I would. If you eat here once you will come back for sure. You can also buy a few items, like the baklava market style — from a glass case — no joke!

If I could give Arabesque zeros star I would. I have never in my life been treated so poorly by anyone — let alone a business owner. The owner is so unbelievably rude that I sincerely question her mental health.
My sister tried to «surprise» me by going inside to pay our bill while I dined outside. She, as a waiter in a past life, paid with a credit card but intended to tip in cash. Before she could come outside, while I WAS STILL EATING, the owner came to my table and yelled at me for being «cheap» because we didn’t tip. I was confused because I didn’t see the bill or even know it had been paid… I explained that she must be wrong — OF COURSE we were going to tip, we weren’t done yet. She went on to comment on how «fat» and «cheap» we are, and to «go back to where we came from.» She then continued to insult our clothes and our appearance. I was so upset by the way we were treated that I walked away shaking… as I heard her tell random strangers walking by that we didn’t tip. I honestly feel that her behavior was abusive.
I fully support independent restaurants — my husband is a chef, both he and I have worked in restaurants for many, many years. However, this woman does NOT deserve your business.
Plus — the food is mediocre at best.

The food here is very flavorful and fresh. I recommend trying the Thursday-​only lunch special which is a spiced chicken and potato dish that is very unique and delicious.
The chicken sharwma plate and mid east sampler entrees are also both excellent choices. I appreciate the small touches like the rose water and fresh baked bread. My only bone to pick with this place and the reason I gave a 3 star rating– is the very blunt and salty woman who owns and runs the restaurant. I have seen her really offend her customers on several occasions. On one visit, she actually told me and my friend to leave because they were trying to close up and said next time for us to get there earlier. They close at 3 p.m. daily and I think she approached our table and told us to leave at exactly 3:05. It was not a very pleasant way to end our dining experience which is a shame because the meal was very satisfying.
If you do not offend easily, then I would recommend this place.

Thanks to Unilocal,we found this place off of the beaten Pearl Street path, and enjoyed every minute of it.
The recommendation I read said to try the Sampler Platter, which was an excellent suggestion. A delicious combo of hummus, baba ganoush, tabouli, curry chicken, grape leaves, and pita. The pita was especially outstanding — nice and fluffy, just like the ones we had in Jerusalem.
Service was spotty, but the food is totally worth the trip.