This has always been our favorite restaurant in Bend, but it is NOT open for dining, unless you reserve the entire place or have them cater an event. Supposedly they are having difficulty with staffing, but there have been a number of new restaurants opening in Bend over the last year and those seem to be thriving. So disappointed - would be happy to pay more for our meal (as the prices have always been very reasonable) so that they could pay staff more and reopen.
Una L.
The food was incredible. So many delicious flavors. I'd highly recommend the forbidden black rice chicken bowl and the date cake! If you don't make a reservation, get in line early to try and be seated at the bar. The staff are super friendly.
Erin S.
One of the best restaurants Bend has. I can't wait to eat here when they reopen. Supreme food and cocktails.
Cee G.
Really really good middle eastern food that's extended to other ethnic cuisines. If you like their flavors, this place is worth even a longish drive. I'm not sure of their status now (July 2022) because the pandemic is being rough on them, but omigosh the hummus and babaganoush, not to mention the entrees.... Watch for them to open again because their food make your mouth wanna dance. They should just open deli-style because their food keeps well, except for the breads of course.
Dana H.
This place is amazing. We've been on a road trip in Oregon and Washington for the last 2 weeks and have had some fantastic food of all kinds but last night we hit the jackpot. My husband and I were greeted by a really nice and helpful waiter. Unfortunately I don't remember his name. Sadly he's moving to another state so he'll be missed by this restaurant. We ordered the hummus platter and vegetable forbidden rice bowl with 2 skewers of chicken. An incredible sauce also came with our skewers. The bowl was plenty big to share and was chocked full of veggies and amazing flavors. The atmosphere is very nice and comfortable. We made reservations which took some time but I'd recommend since they appeared to be very busy. We heard this place has been hit hard by the labor shortage so we hope they can hang in there because this place needs to stick around.
Adrienne E.
It's been awhile since I've been to Joolz. It's hard to get in without a reservation, and the wait is long if you don't get a first come first serve seat RIGHT at opening. We ordered a lot of different dishes off the menu to share, and everything was delicious, as usual. The 3 star comes from the cocktails. I ordered a Mediterranean style margarita, and when it came all I could taste was the sourness of old citrus. I told our server exactly what was wrong with it and she brought it back to the bartender. When she came back to get a new drink order, I asked what the bartender said, and she relayed that they both tried it and found it very sour, but they thought it must be because they put too much limes in. I said "No, it's definitely old citrus." She said "Well, it wasn't expired." She then proceeded to tell me they don't fresh squeeze their citrus. Like, they don't even squeeze it the day of. Nasty. I'm so surprised with the amazing menu they have that they would ruin it with cocktails like this.
Craig Albin
Wow, First time coming here. We had a party of 12 in the back room. Great service, great atmosphere. I had the Trophy Elk Chilli. Amazing!?!? Everyone was raving about how good their dishes were. I would definitely go back. ?
Alice G.
Run don't walk. This place is some of the best food I've had since becoming an Oregonian. The dips (labneh, hummus, and baba), falafel, and halloumi we tried were all delicious, but the real star was the date cake. After tonight I'm thinking you probably can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Might be my top restaurant in Bend!
Tom & Brandi Wurtz
One of the best meals I have had in a long time. Will be come a regular stop in our trips to bend.
Mark R.
Food was good but nothing to write home about. I'd give it a B- The drinks though were very good. However, the service was awful. Our reservation was for 6 pm with the next sitting to be at 8. At around 7, while we were still in the middle of our entree, the waiter began pushing us to order desert and to rush finishing our meals. Not a very relaxing dining experience. Won't rush back to Joolz anytime soon. Too bad, because I really like middle eastern food and the menu there showed great promise.
Having just arrived while stopping off for the night, we found Joolz and luckily had seating right away for a busy Thursday evening crowd. We were recommended the cauliflower appetizer by an off shift employee eating at Joolz because the food is that good. I got the beef shawarma plate and my guest had the seared salmon. Both were absolutely delicious! Will be recommending Joolz to anyone, and will be coming back at my next opportunity!
Lisa C.
Great location, great atmosphere, great service, and great food with something for everybody. I was dining with Mr. Crankypants who has a low tolerance for tapas or "small plates" of any kind, but plying him with prawns and fingerling potatoes did the trick. I really like that the menu accommodates all kinds of eaters. If I lived in the area I would go back several times and try everything on the menu. The mandatory date cake was too overly sweet for my tastes, but had a nice crumb, very moist, and dense without being heavy. Next time I would try the apricot baklava instead. Waitress gets extra points for bringing me a splash of two different wines to taste in order to make sure I was pleased with my choice. I see a few negative comments about attitude and service but we did not experience any of that. Also, compared to other fine dining in the area, I thought their prices were very reasonable.
Desiree A.
This place always has exceptional food and service. It's the place we tell everyone from out of town that they must visit.
Peter O.
Left my reservation on answering machine. They just didn't care. Onwards, make sure they know who you know and all that. F*#k '3m.
kstaway
It had been awhile since we had been to Joolz(out of the country for a few years). We have fond memories of eating there in years past. Hankering for a taste of the mesa meeting the mezzah, we invited friends to join us. My anticipation at having baba ganoush was quickly dampened by the incredibly small amount that arrived in a too big of a bowl. That it was barely enough for one, was shameful. Its not THAT expensive to make. And if eggplants are in short supply, its the 1st I’ve heard of it. The friends ordered hummous, and had the same reaction to the same small amount that arrived. Having lived in the middle east, we are used to not having the same schwarma taste here in the States. But, beef? My bowl dish, with a hint of Morocco was quite good. I cannot speak for the one who ordered clams. But the lamb dish was reported to be quite good. C’mon Ramses, those of us crave the exotic flavors of Middle Eastern foods have relied on Joolz to deliver. But may we have some more please?
This has always been our favorite restaurant in Bend, but it is NOT open for dining, unless you reserve the entire place or have them cater an event. Supposedly they are having difficulty with staffing, but there have been a number of new restaurants opening in Bend over the last year and those seem to be thriving. So disappointed - would be happy to pay more for our meal (as the prices have always been very reasonable) so that they could pay staff more and reopen.
The food was incredible. So many delicious flavors. I'd highly recommend the forbidden black rice chicken bowl and the date cake! If you don't make a reservation, get in line early to try and be seated at the bar. The staff are super friendly.
One of the best restaurants Bend has. I can't wait to eat here when they reopen. Supreme food and cocktails.
Really really good middle eastern food that's extended to other ethnic cuisines. If you like their flavors, this place is worth even a longish drive. I'm not sure of their status now (July 2022) because the pandemic is being rough on them, but omigosh the hummus and babaganoush, not to mention the entrees.... Watch for them to open again because their food make your mouth wanna dance. They should just open deli-style because their food keeps well, except for the breads of course.
This place is amazing. We've been on a road trip in Oregon and Washington for the last 2 weeks and have had some fantastic food of all kinds but last night we hit the jackpot. My husband and I were greeted by a really nice and helpful waiter. Unfortunately I don't remember his name. Sadly he's moving to another state so he'll be missed by this restaurant. We ordered the hummus platter and vegetable forbidden rice bowl with 2 skewers of chicken. An incredible sauce also came with our skewers. The bowl was plenty big to share and was chocked full of veggies and amazing flavors. The atmosphere is very nice and comfortable. We made reservations which took some time but I'd recommend since they appeared to be very busy. We heard this place has been hit hard by the labor shortage so we hope they can hang in there because this place needs to stick around.
It's been awhile since I've been to Joolz. It's hard to get in without a reservation, and the wait is long if you don't get a first come first serve seat RIGHT at opening. We ordered a lot of different dishes off the menu to share, and everything was delicious, as usual. The 3 star comes from the cocktails. I ordered a Mediterranean style margarita, and when it came all I could taste was the sourness of old citrus. I told our server exactly what was wrong with it and she brought it back to the bartender. When she came back to get a new drink order, I asked what the bartender said, and she relayed that they both tried it and found it very sour, but they thought it must be because they put too much limes in. I said "No, it's definitely old citrus." She said "Well, it wasn't expired." She then proceeded to tell me they don't fresh squeeze their citrus. Like, they don't even squeeze it the day of. Nasty. I'm so surprised with the amazing menu they have that they would ruin it with cocktails like this.
Wow, First time coming here. We had a party of 12 in the back room. Great service, great atmosphere. I had the Trophy Elk Chilli. Amazing!?!? Everyone was raving about how good their dishes were. I would definitely go back. ?
Run don't walk. This place is some of the best food I've had since becoming an Oregonian. The dips (labneh, hummus, and baba), falafel, and halloumi we tried were all delicious, but the real star was the date cake. After tonight I'm thinking you probably can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Might be my top restaurant in Bend!
One of the best meals I have had in a long time. Will be come a regular stop in our trips to bend.
Food was good but nothing to write home about. I'd give it a B- The drinks though were very good. However, the service was awful. Our reservation was for 6 pm with the next sitting to be at 8. At around 7, while we were still in the middle of our entree, the waiter began pushing us to order desert and to rush finishing our meals. Not a very relaxing dining experience. Won't rush back to Joolz anytime soon. Too bad, because I really like middle eastern food and the menu there showed great promise.
Restaurantji Recommends
Having just arrived while stopping off for the night, we found Joolz and luckily had seating right away for a busy Thursday evening crowd. We were recommended the cauliflower appetizer by an off shift employee eating at Joolz because the food is that good. I got the beef shawarma plate and my guest had the seared salmon. Both were absolutely delicious! Will be recommending Joolz to anyone, and will be coming back at my next opportunity!
Great location, great atmosphere, great service, and great food with something for everybody. I was dining with Mr. Crankypants who has a low tolerance for tapas or "small plates" of any kind, but plying him with prawns and fingerling potatoes did the trick. I really like that the menu accommodates all kinds of eaters. If I lived in the area I would go back several times and try everything on the menu. The mandatory date cake was too overly sweet for my tastes, but had a nice crumb, very moist, and dense without being heavy. Next time I would try the apricot baklava instead. Waitress gets extra points for bringing me a splash of two different wines to taste in order to make sure I was pleased with my choice. I see a few negative comments about attitude and service but we did not experience any of that. Also, compared to other fine dining in the area, I thought their prices were very reasonable.
This place always has exceptional food and service. It's the place we tell everyone from out of town that they must visit.
Left my reservation on answering machine. They just didn't care. Onwards, make sure they know who you know and all that. F*#k '3m.
It had been awhile since we had been to Joolz(out of the country for a few years). We have fond memories of eating there in years past. Hankering for a taste of the mesa meeting the mezzah, we invited friends to join us. My anticipation at having baba ganoush was quickly dampened by the incredibly small amount that arrived in a too big of a bowl. That it was barely enough for one, was shameful. Its not THAT expensive to make. And if eggplants are in short supply, its the 1st I’ve heard of it. The friends ordered hummous, and had the same reaction to the same small amount that arrived. Having lived in the middle east, we are used to not having the same schwarma taste here in the States. But, beef? My bowl dish, with a hint of Morocco was quite good. I cannot speak for the one who ordered clams. But the lamb dish was reported to be quite good. C’mon Ramses, those of us crave the exotic flavors of Middle Eastern foods have relied on Joolz to deliver. But may we have some more please?