The kitchen
Halal restaurant in Washington DC
One kitchen, one rule, since 2001. Everything that leaves it is halal, from the dips that open the table to the lamb off the grill.
What it means here
Halal is not an option on our menu
Guests ask us this at the door often enough that it deserves a straight answer, so here it is in three lines.
- There is no halal menu, because there is no other one
- Every dish we cook is halal. Not a section of the menu and not a substitution you have to ask for: the dips, the pastries, the fish, the grill and the sweets are all one kitchen, and that kitchen is halal.
- All of our meats are halal-certified
- The lamb, the beef and the chicken that reach our grill are halal-certified. There is no second supply line and there never has been, so nothing on the plate depends on who is cooking that night.
- Since 2001, on 18th Street
- We opened in Adams Morgan in 2001 and the kitchen has worked this way from the first service. Twenty-five years later the family is the same and so is the rule.
From the fire
Halal kebabs, lamb and köfte
The open flame is the heart of the kitchen. Here is what comes off it, each plate halal, each one on the dinner menu tonight.
Off the grill
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Adana Kebap
$26.99Grilled ground lamb on a skewer served over lavash with bulgur rice and vegetable.
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Şiş Kebap
$21.99Grilled seasoned tender lamb on a skewer, served with a side of yogurt sauce and basmati rice.
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Beyti
$27.99Grilled ground lamb on a skewer, wrapped in lavash bread, served with tomato and garlic yogurt sauce and bulgur rice.
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Köfte
$18.99Turkish-style grilled beef and lamb meatballs, seasoned with parsley and onions, served with basmati rice.
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Tavuk Kebap
$18.99Marinated grilled chicken breast on a skewer, served with a side of ezme dip and basmati rice.
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Kuzu Pirzola
$24.99Two grilled baby lamb chops served with port wine sauce and French fries.
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Kuzu İncik Kebap
$31.99Roasted lamb shank, slowly simmered in oven with rosemary, garlic, tomato and celery served with basmati rice and grilled veggies.
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Karışık Kebap
$69.99Adana Kebap, Şiş Kebap, Tavuk Kebap, Izgara Tavuk Göğsü Dilimleri, Köfte and Döner on one platter. Served with basmati and bulgur rice, yogurt sauce, side of ezme and hummus dip, grilled vegetables and onions.
The whole table, from the warm dips and hand-rolled pastries to the fish and the sweets, is on the dinner menu. Every dish on it is halal.
Saturday & Sunday
Halal brunch in Adams Morgan
Weekend brunch is the same kitchen: eggs with sucuk, köfte benedict, Turkish breakfast for the table, all of it halal.
The full list is on the brunch menu, and the three-course one with bottomless drinks is on the bottomless brunch menu.
The bar
Halal kitchen. Full bar.
Both are true, and neither touches the other. We pour a full bar of cocktails, wine, beer and raki for the guests who want it, while the kitchen stays exactly as it is. Nothing in a dish is cooked with alcohol.
The list is on the drinks menu, and the early evening is on happy hour.
Gatherings
A halal table for a crowd
A family breaking their fast, an office of forty, a wedding party or a room you fill yourself. The kitchen does not change for any of them.
- Ramadan, a set iftar served per guest Iftar dinners
- A family-style menu for the whole table Set menus
- A room of your own, upstairs Private events
- Halal food delivered to your office or home Catering
Questions
Asked most often
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Is Mezè halal?
Every dish at Mezè is halal. We have been one of Adams Morgan's longest-running halal kitchens since 2001, and all of our meats are halal-certified.
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What kind of food does Mezè serve?
Mezè is a Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant built around meze: small plates made to share. Think warm dips and hand-rolled dough to start, char-grilled kebabs and fresh fish off the open flame, and house sweets soaked in syrup. Everything is halal and made from scratch, the way it has been since 2001.
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Do you have vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free or nut-free options?
Plenty. Much of our meze table is naturally vegetarian, with vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free dishes throughout. Tell your server about any allergies and we will guide you.
Everything else, from corkage to parking, is on the FAQ.