Albilad Restaurant & Bakery

I was hesitant to come here, considering some of the negative reviews I saw. The main complaints I saw were terrible service, dusty soda cans, and terrible tasting shawarmas. All of these complaints are far from the truth! If anything, this humble establishment serves delicious and affordable food.
The moment I looked at the prices, I knew I was in for a big meal. The waiter/​cashier was very friendly and suggested how I could order all my food within a nice package. I ended up getting a medium platter of hummus, baba ghanoush, and dolmas, with a meat pie, beef shawarma, and one falafel (I was happy that I could just order one!) Keep in mind all of this was delicious and only costs 11 dollars!
They offer free Iraqi bread with seasoned oil at every table. That bread is addictive. but my first bite was a little off putting, since I was expecting a similar texture to normal pita bread. Iraqi bread has a bit more of a doughy chew to it. Dont be alarmed like I was, cause its still really damn good. Also make sure to scoop from the bottom of the oil bowl to get all the seasoning.
The hummus is super creamy and smooth. This was almost as good as the hummus from the House of Gyros. Their dolmas are probably the best Ive had from a restaurant. They were fresh, with the right amount of seasoning, oil, and good texture. I could have ate a dozen of those! From all the experiences Ive had with baba ghanoush, this was probably the best one Ive had. The texture is not for everyone, but it was overall enjoyable. I would more than likely stick wth just the hummus though. The falafel they served was fresh from the fryer so it was piping hot. Texture wise it was exactly what I wanted. Flavor wise, Ive had better, although it was all the way in San Jose. But within the DFW, its still good.
Those beef shawarmas are phenomenal! Everything about it was wonderful! The right amount of vegetables, the freshness of the ingredients, the robust flavor of the meat, and the bread was warm and soft. The only way they could improve it is by making the meat a little warmer. Other than that, Im stll drooling over them as I type this.
Those meat pies are kinda mediocre in flavor. They taste no different from a store bought pizza from walmart. But considering it was only 1.50, I cant complain. But I certainly wouldnt recommend it.
This is not a fancy, romantic environment for a date. This is a modest, cramped bakery/​restaurant that serves great good at a great price. I cant wait to go back here!

If you want to feel like you’re inconveniencing someone as you’re handing them money for their food/​service this would be the place to go. From start to finish, by far the worst service I’ve ever experienced in a restaurant setting. To be fair the food was ok (not awful, not great) but the people that run that place are as rude as they come! On top of that, the place looks dirty, seating is incredibly awkward and limited, they don’t allow you to order just a side unless you make it a meal, and drinks come in cans that are still dirty around the rim from where they’ve been stored. You should avoid this place of possible!

While this place isn’t Lebanese (it’s Iraqi), they do make some good Middle Eastern dishes and they make their own pita bread too. I thought that their pita bread was tasty even though they do not have the thin pita bread which is what I always am on the lookout for.
Taking its cue from their tasty breads, they also have mana’eesh (arabic pizzas/​pies), although they’re a bit thicker than normal, and use a different kind of cheese for their cheese pies. I’m accustomed to seeing akawi cheese used, but here they use some kind of yellow and white cheese combination that I’m not familiar with quite yet. Still, for $ 1.50 each, they’re tasty, filling, and a steal. Of the four pies they offer, I recommend the za’atar and the veggie.
I have yet to try the other offerings, but I plan to soon since I have been pleased with them so far. When I do, I’ll update the review further.
Atmosphere: Good market atmosphere with few tables and chairs
Service: Friendly

At first I was so excited that I found this place because it was near by where I lived… I walked in and I didn’t know where to order from. The people there were rude… service was awful… I felt like I was being judged by ordering.. The food was not even all that… The soda u buy is a can, and they don’t give u cup/​ice for it if your dinning in! Just didn’t think it was clean got disgusted and left… sorry I normally don’t like to write bad reviews!

Good people good prices and the food is delicious. They Bake their own pita bread. It’s delicious and fluffy.

Their Iraqi bread is really the best! I always have my sandwiches with their Iraqi bread rather than the normal bread for that added chewy, yummy goodness. I have had their chicken sandwich, felafel sandwich, hummus platter and chicken shawarma platter. Everything has exceeded my expectations and I keep returning for more. Their sandwiches, I like the most because they are quick and delicious. Also their hummus platter very yummy (according to me) and authentic (according to a 1^st generation Iraqi-​American friend).

This is basically carb heaven. If you like bread, you will love Albilad. They also have the best chicken shawarma in the area. I’ve tried the beef shawarma as well and it was fabulous. I’ve only tried it in Iraqi style bread, which is the popular route. There are several Arabic food establishments within a 5 mile radius of Albilad but this one beats them all in the shawarma department. I’ve had shawarma in the Middle East as well and while it is not ‘the same’, it’s just as good. I haven’t tried other entrees but people do rave about the hummus here. The salad options are mediocre and the fatoush is unusual but not bad. If you just want good Arabic pita bread to take home, or flavored Arabic pita bread — this is also the place to go. They have the standard (thick, chewy goodness) and the flavored — so topped in a spiced vegetable spread, cheese or zatar. The meat and spinach pies are very good too. There’s an attempt at a grocery store here that one can appreciate…

Always good. Their sandwiches are really good. Their meat pies should be offered by the dozen! :-) :-) Anwar Arif/​Anwar Insurance.

PLEASE READ FULL REVIEW.
This place is pretty interesting. This place is far from fine dining but it has many hidden treasures in it that make it shine. Let me start off by saying not everything is «5 stars here.» As a matter of fact there are a lot of 1 – 2 star things here, but you really have to try the right things in order to have an appreciation for this place.
The Pita bread. Probably the best in Dallas. for $ 1.49 you can get 6 pieces of thick pita to take home. They have 2 – 3 different kinds, but I would just stick to the norm. I think they make their pita in a special oven like the ones they use overseas. I went here on a Saturday and the guy told me that I had to wait another 30 mins for pita because they were sold out. Usually on the weekdays they always have bread in stock.
The Hummus and Baba ganoush are a must try here. Again, the best in Dallas by far. Their recipe is a winner, and if you’re a hummus lover then I would really suggest taking some to go. The falafel is pretty good.
Other than that I think I would give everything else two stars. The service is not that great, and neither is the atmosphere. I would stray away from the Shawerma, I didn’t like it at all.
Remember Pita, Hummus Baba ghanoush, and falafel. I always take my stuff to go because the seating is a little weird.

For the average palette this restaurant would be a satisfactory. As a person of Arab descent, I would say that the food is not bad but not great. My hugest complaint would be the lack of consistency; each visit I leave with a different experience, some times good but mostly left feeling disappointed in the lack of quality.

The food is amazing. Some of the most authentic middle eastern fare I’ve had in DFW, and the prices are very reasonable. They lose a few points for sub-​par service, although this may be a language barrier.

This place is absolutely amazing. I married into an Iraqi family and have visited Iraq, so I have been very fortunate in being able to eat amazing and traditional Iraqi food regularly. I had visited some other MidEastern places in the area that were terrible and this place more than made up for it. It was great, fresh, the real deal… My husband was so happy to have the real deal in America. We have travelled all over the U.S. and this was the first time we succeeded in finding authentic and delicious Iraqi food. I will travel over 3 hours to eat here any day of the week.

I arrived at 8:25 on today/​Sunday and the doors were locked. That was very disappointing. I was looking forward to trying the Iraqi bread

One of my favourite places in Richardson for wonderful Middle Eastern food. I had the fabulous chicken shawarma, dolma and finished it off with a kanafa. The prices are a bit pricey for a sandwich that doesn’t include chips.
They’ve got a really good selection of Iraqi breads, sweets and snacks.
This is a cool place to go for lunch. A little on the small side but good if you don’t have a large group. (Highly recommended).

This place is great! I had the Chicken Shwarma on Iraqi bread with hummus and cucumber yogurt on the side. It was sooo good! I also got an Arabic coffee which was really nice — perfectly balanced flavors of coffee and cardamom and just a little sweet. Friendly staff, but only one person as hostess/​waitress/​cashier so you might have a bit of a wait at peak meal times. Seems like more of a take-​out place than a sit-​down although there are some tables and chairs inside. I’ll definitely come back when I’m in the area again!

Get the beef shawarma in Iraqi bread. It’s just… better.

Best middle eastern food around. Beef shwama is so amazing I would do almost anything for one!!! Good plates of food too! Prices are good! Service is great!!! Highly recommend! Eat there as much as I can! lol

Good Iraqi/​middle eastern food … worth to visit for sure
i tried the Shawrma with Hummus & Meat pie & they were both Great

When it comes to Shawarma I would know. It’s fast food from where I came from. Wherever I lived in the US of A I looked for a Shawarma place. Sometimes I had to drive for 25 miles each way to get that nostalgia I’m craving. Sometimes I’d never find it but I kept looking. In Dallas this place is as real as it gets for Shawarma. There are few good middle eastern restaurants here but none of them qualifies as a Shawarma joint, this place does.
They have your standard beef and chicken vertical skewers. No Gyro here as they aren’t trying to fake it. They have the standard pita bread and a twist that I haven’t seen back home which is the Iraqi bread. The Iraqi bread is a nice twist but it’s not life changing.
The seating area is OK. It’s not for a date night that’s for sure. Neither it’s for you to take your iPad and get some work done. Not that you can’t. You can if you want to. But for me a place for the iPad needs to look like Panera or corner Bakery which this place doesn’t.
Despite the seating are it would give a 10 star if I could because it delivers the best Shawarma in Dallas. Now if somebody can tell me where can I get some Kenafeh?

I’d heard good things about this place from an Indian buddy of mine at work so I thought I’d give it a try.
I had the Beef Shawarma sandwich with a side of the pickles with amba. I could not have been happier. That had to be one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in some time. I liked it so much I went back the next day and got the Beef Shawrma w/​appetizers this time. The appetizers that were provided were a Yogurt with Cucumbers and some sort of salad that had onions, bell pepper and thinly sliced lemon in it. It was tasty but a little tart for me.
They have a running special of buy 4 sandwiches and get 1 free.
I would definitely recommend to anyone and will be going back.