Cafe Istanbul

This family-owned Middle Eastern restaurant serves award-winning food. The Tempe eatery’s all-you-can-eat lunch buffet is available on weekdays for $10 and includes a selection of salads, sides, meats, vegetarian entrées, dishes like lasagna made with lamb and cream sauce, and warm pita to sop up various dips. For dinner, the Al Amir combo with creamy hummus, minty tabbouleh, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), feta, baba ghanouj, mjadera, loubyeh, moist falafel, chunks of medium-rare lamb, outstanding chicken, and kafta kabob will provide enough to fill up two bellies for $29.95. Café Istanbul and Market also has a wide variety of sandwiches like shawarma, gyros, falafel, ma’anek (Lebanese lamb), soujok (Armenian beef sausage), baked lamb, and lamb tongue sautéed with garlic lemon. Save room for dessert, including chocolate mou, peach melba, nissreen cocktail, and Mike’s specialty (ice cream with melon and chocolate sauce).