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DarSalam (restaurant)

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DarSalam
Exterior of the original location on Alberta Street in northeast Portland's Concordia neighborhood at night in 2024
Restaurant information
Established2012 (2012)
Owners
  • Ghaith and Tiffany Sahib
  • Shaymaa Alquriqche
Food typeIraqi
LocationPortland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States
Websitedarsalamrestaurant.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.

Description

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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]

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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

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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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Acker, Lizzy (2017-04-25). "Marine charged with hate crime in attack at Portland Iraqi restaurant". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  3. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "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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