[2] Lauren Carlos and Michelle DeVona of Eater Portland wrote, "Huge murals grace the walls at this homey ... standby, where visitors find homestyle Lebanese food as well as classic street fare".

[4] The menu has included falafel,[5] shakshuka[6] pita and hummus,[3][7] lamb bacon and shanks,[8] meatballs,[9] eggs, sujuk and beef kafta kebabs, and burgers with arugula, eggplant, and tahini-Dijon dressing on a brioche bun.

Instead, the restaurant spice-routes American greasy-spoon dishes alongside pots of fragrant Turkish coffee and traditional Lebanese breakfast fare.

According to Eater Portland, the rotating dishes "meld Attar's memories of Lebanon with Pacific Northwestern ingredients," such as asparagus moussaka, beef shanks with Swiss chard kibbeh, and kishk soup with black garlic toast.

[30]In 2008, The Oregonian said, "Every neighborhood should be so lucky to have a family diner like this: loud and bustling, with well-priced, piled-high plates of Lebanese food and a Mideast grocery store next door.

[32] In Walking Portland (2019), Becky Ohlsen called Ya Hala "an excellent choice if you're hungry" and said the restaurant was among the first established along a section of Southeast Stark Street.

[3] In the website's 2022 overview of recommended eateries in Montavilla, Alex Frane and Nathan Williams wrote: "A stucco wall painted with faux windows adds an immersive charm to Ya Hala, one of the city's best Lebanese restaurants.

Most nights of the week, families and couples on dates fill its dining room, with tables covered in baba ghanoush, shawarma, lamb sausages, rice-stuffed grape leaves, and much more.