A new Syrian restaurant has opened for business in Bluemont, serving traditional cuisine straight from the kitchen of a Damascus native.
Alshami Restaurant offers a wide array of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, platters and flatbreads at 5216 Wilson Blvd. It takes the place of Ya Hala Bistro, a Middle Eastern restaurant that closed last year.
“In Arlington, there is only us,” owner and head chef Basema Chouban told ARLnow. “Not everyone makes real Syrian food, but because I’m Syrian — I’m from Damascus — I make real food.”
It seeks to provide authentic Syrian food
- The menu features popular dishes like falafel, shawarma, kibbeh and fatteh, which Chouban prepares by hand.
- For dessert, Alshami sells baklava, rice pudding and kunafeh, a cheese pastry soaked in syrup and layered in phyllo.
The owner has been serving food for decades
- Chouban worked for 27 years in the same building at the now-closed Layalina Restaurant at 5216 Wilson Blvd, which she owned for the final eight years of its run.
- “Alshami rises from that legacy, not just as a restaurant, but as a testament to resilience, family dedication and cultural pride,” Chouban’s daughter told ARLnow.
It has indoor and outdoor seating
- Alshami can seat about 60 people.
- The dining room has high-top seating, low-top seating and tables for groups of two to eight. An outdoor garden patio can seat about 20 people.
- Alshami is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, offering dine-in, pickup, delivery and catering.
Photos 4-5 via Alshami Restaurant/Instagram.
