Black Seed Cafe & Grill

Went here for the first time today, got the lamb kebob plate. I was pleased with the lamb (cooked really well), the generous portion of yummy rice pilaf, a little surprise falafel with hummus and the Greek Salad. The salad was not a highlight for me, a little to chunky for me and just okay, nothing insanely great to rave about. I was pleasantly surprised with how well the lamb was cooked though, it was not overdone at all which it can tend to be at places like this. The two young women behind the counter assisting me were very nice, quick and efficient.

One of the best places for breakfast, halal burgers and kebab dinners. The portions are very generous, the service is fast and friendly. The only down part is its location — hard to find parking nearby.

I love middle eastern food, when it is done right. Unfortunately, This place is doing the exact opposite.
The meat is overcooked. Everything is greasy, and the heavy dressing they use makes even the fresh vegetables on the salad seem. well. not fresh.
Avoid.

Excellent food, I went there in Christmas Eve, it was crowded. But despite the crowd, the staff was really efficient & organized. The food is delicious, just for you, not microwaved as the usual restaurant do. The table space is limited. Parking either in the street or near by parking.

I’ve passed by many many times but never ever went inside. Finally went for the first time and was greeted by an employee at the cash register. He was very nice and very patient because I took a while looking at the menu. I was debating between the chicken kofta or the chicken kabob plate but I decided to just get the chicken kofta which was around $ 10. For $ 10 it is a pretty decent price which comes with rice, half a pita bread, 3 – 4 pieces of chicken kofta, and a side of salad. The chicken kofta was like a grilled chicken patty made with spices and probably some herbs. I’ve never had it anywhere else but I thought it tasted pretty good. I would definitely come back here because the plate was filling and healthy. I prefer to eat rice when I’m hungry and there isn’t a lot of places that sell healthier rice like the ones here.

It’s an average restaurant. I’ll give it 4 stars only because they open late, and their food is better than other late-​night restaurant. The food is somewhat ok, the seats are good for a fast food restaurant. The burger here is tasty but I didn’t like many of the sandwiches.

This place is great if you are looking for affordable place to eat and you don’t have too much time to go to a restaurant. The wraps/​panini are yummy. I almost always get the chicken avocado wrap. The lentil soup is really good as well.
One thing that I do need to critique on is their ability to take an order. There has been many time when I have asked for no dressing on my Wrap and they have put dressing. The last time I went with my boyfriend he order the lamb and Beef combo and they gave him a beef and chicken combo. Either the person that takes the order doesn’t pay attention or the chef isn’t. I have never taken anything back but they need to be more focused on the order taking.

During breakfast this morning, I accidentally spilled my chai latte. It was early and they were busy w/​the morning rush, so I embarrassingly asked for napkins and towels to clean up my mess. Without hesitation, they came by and cleaned up the entire thing and didn’t make me feel bad about it at all. They re-​filled my latte, told me not to worry and sent me on my way.
I opened up my to-​go box in the Common and ate my breakfast in peace. The omelette was really tasty and it came w/​hashbrowns and fruit. A great hearty way to start my day. Highly recommended for their service, food quality, and value.

I stopped at black seed café on my way to the hotel room after a tiring 6 hour tour of the entire city and when i entered there was nothing on my mind but to get something to eat. There a lot of options you can choose from when ordering specially for the wraps. I ordered the Bahamas chicken hot wrap to try something out of the ordinary and it was delicious. Beside from having a lot of tomatoes in it, the zucchini and eggplant were well done and enhanced the flavor. If you ever go there let them know what to hold in your wrap so you don’t end up with a lot of tomatoes on you plate in the end.

After walking around and realizing that UBurger was gone, we ended up coming here for lunch.
I got the chicken kebab plate and my husband got the falafel plate. Mine came with veggies, chicken and yummy rice pilaf. Josh’s came with salad, dressing and about 4 falafel and hummus. I got two falafel on the side too, which came with hummus. All were very, very good. Fresh, delicious and tasty. Both plates came with a pita too.
Location has a varied menu — falafel, kebabs, wraps, burgers, breakfast items, ice cream, fresh fruit and yogurt parfaits. Lots to choose from and prices aren’t bad either.
Yeah…not cooking or eating dinner tonight.

50¢ falafel! What a deal! The best I’ve had for the money. Good sized, tasty, and came
with a dollop of hummus and tahini. Free wifi. Good, inexpensive.

We were in the area and were looking for a quick and easy lunch. My boyfriend is omni; I’m vegan. He suggested this restaurant, and as a major falafel fan, I agreed.
I was very pleased with my experience here. Not only was my falafel platter excellent, but the service I received was fantastic. I checked with the clerk at the register if the platter was vegan, and he assured me it was. As I watched another server prepare it, I saw him throw feta on it. When I inquired what it was, and confirmed it was feta, he asked, «Can you not have feta?» When I told him I could not, he simply set it aside and prepared me a brand new one, sans feta. I was so impressed and grateful!

Great souvlaki. Great grill. Great meze veggies. OK, the name is funny. There was a time when it was known as something else, but that was pre-​2009. And the location attracts tourists, students, and being right across from Park St, the occasional bums.
We have been coming here since 2007, and its great food has been consistent from the start. If you enjoy middle eastern food, this place has simple, fast, and clean food.
If you like veggies and slaw, try Piperi. If you like chicken kabob, try Falafel King, that’s their bread winner And there’s Sultan’s Kitchen, which has nice Turkish meze plates but it’s not always consistent after 5pm. Recently, we’ve had Café Hemshin, which has a good mixed grill, but their grilled fish emanates a greasy odor. And of course, you have Bishops in the West End Apartments corridor on Staniford, for good Lebanese shawarma.
STILL, I consider Black Seed to be the king of STEAK tips in all of the Mediterranean/​Middle Eastern joints around town. For juicy marinated char-​grilled steak flavor, you still have to come back to Black Seed.

Breakfast is dive dinner quality.
I got the steak and eggs $ 11.78. Big mistake.
The steak was all grizzle and fat. The edible parts were undeterminable to me. The potatoes were bland and oddly cooked, outer crust on some but wet, almost steamed. Aka sitting for a long time.
The egg portion I asked for egg whites. Yellow is not white. I didn’t eat the eggs, couldn’t allergy to egg yolks. The steak just plan scared me and the potatoes too. Get something right!!!
It all went in the trash. I’ve been here a few times never really perfect so if you go just know it’s cheap; cooked, served and literally in quality. The entire restaurant should show more pride in its quality.
Very disappointed but black seed seems an adequate name.
Oh well. Moving on to brighter seeds to sow, grow and eat!!!

Falafel wrap — falafel with greens, pickles, and hummus in a toasted wrap. I wonder why the reviews were so low. I entered without looking at Unilocal initially but then after checking in and seeing the amount of stars I kind of grew the assumption that it wasn’t going to be good. But it was really good. This was probably the best falafel wrap I ever had. They pressed the wrap too so it has a nice crunch but still soft to chew. The falafels weren’t bland and each bite tasted the same, which makes wraps great, since it’s evenly disturbed.
They are far from cheap on the stuffing so eat up! The wait time wasn’t long during their busy time and it’s a good portion for a hungry person, so I suggest checking this place out.

Halal meat right next to the T entrance is a gift (I barely have to be outside when it’s negative 20 F in Boston). Other than that, the quality is average and prices decent.

Caught starving in the dead hour of 3pm on a Sunday near Boston Commons, my sister and I agreed: no fast food.
We’re so glad we stopped in at this little café.
Chicken kebab plate was generously filled with a mound of rice, spiced chicken, salad and pita bread. It was a bit expensive at $ 10, but much better for you than a yucky burger from McD’s.

Walked by this place literally hundreds of times without giving in. Came here last night and I don’t regret my decision at all. I didn’t know the difference between the chicken kofta and chicken kabob, so an older man who worked there gave me a piece of the kofta on top of my chicken kabob. I actually preferred the kofta over the kabob — the chicken was very flavorful and moist. The chicken kabob is a bit too dry for me. While I didn’t like the pita bread on the side, the salad was amazing (and let me tell you, I am no salad person). The portion was as expected, but I do admit, the total was more expensive than I thought. I think it was $ 9.50+ for the kabobs and koftas. I love the location and atmosphere. Note: there’s a lot of hobos outside of this café.

I usually get the falafel wrap which is always good.
I love their grab and go fruit cups and salads.
The place could use a little TLC but it still good.
It gets very crowded around lunch time so be prepared to wait.

The place is a bit dingy, and a bit over priced, but the salads are solid.
You can add meat (I usually do chicken) to any of the pre-​made salads for an extra couple of bucks. They really load on the meat. My favorite is the spinach salad, which they do differently then most joints. Instead of the usual goat cheese, walnut, cranberry trio, they do: almonds, blue cheese and green peppers. The verdict is still out on the blue cheese, but, generally I leave satisfied.
Smoothies are famous in these parts, but rather expensive.
For the those on a budget, they serve breakfast all day, big portions for half the price of most lunch options.
Every meal comes with pre-​wrapped pita (eh). The servers will usually hit you up with not one, but two cups of dressing on the side, which is a nice touch.
One of the only Halal places in downtown area, it seems to draw a dedicated following.
Fast and friendly service, I never leave here feeling grumpy.