Introduction: I was very happy when Notos opened a couple of years ago because it was something unique to my neighborhood. I bought my home in Russett in 2020. And while Russett is a nice neighborhood and has a lot of advantages, one of the disadvantages is somewhat the lack of unique local restaurants within 2 miles of me. Go a little further to Laurel in Prince George's County, 3-5 miles away there are some more local options, or some other areas a bit further. But if I want to quickly grab some food near me, before Notos, my options were Panera, Chick Fil-A, Chipotle, Popeyes, McDonald's, Burger King, & Royal Farms. In early 2021, &pizza opened, which was a nice addition. Charley's Steaks too was good more recently. But those are still chain restaurants. Granted chains can be great. For example, I love CAVA, and I learned one opened in Laurel about 4.5 miles from my home (where Potbelly used to be), but I still haven't been to that location. I'm more likely to go to the Columbia location of CAVA a bit more than double the distance. Restaurant Experience in General: Notos is somewhat like CAVA in that they have bowls & wraps on their menu. But they also have a "Southern" menu with fish, fried chicken, etc. I've mainly had the Mediterranean bowl with rice &/or lettuce as a base, typically chicken, hummus, olives, & a few other ingredients. This place like CAVA is delicious! The price is comparable around $11-12 for a bowl nowadays. They are pretty nice in here too, and the service is efficient. I'd say I come to Notos on average once a month as this is a solid option in the area. They also have specials on Monday & Tuesday advertised in front. Unfortunately, it just seems like I never end up going there on either of those days. November 2023 visit: I had a second date here at lunchtime on a rainy November Sunday during Thanksgiving weekend. I told her the thing to get was a bowl and that it's excellent. She got this much more expensive platter that was like double the price. I paid for hers, but was annoyed. She said it was way more food than she thought. I told her, she should've gotten the bowl like I did, and she admitted after the fact mine would've been a better choice. I helped eat a couple of the things, but some of the food ended up going to waste. The food was still high quality. This 2nd date was a strange one. The first date was great, and this one fell flat. This chick was from Indonesia, worked with kids living at the home with the family & kids in Lanham, and had just moved here in October. She told me that she & the family were moving to California next week! I said how crazy it was. Who knew if it was true or not? She Uber/Lyft to get to the first date in Greenbelt with me taking her back home. This time she did the same but quite a bit further to Maryland City, and she said don't worry about taking her back home. Visits with my girlfriend in 2024 & Fried Chicken: I got a girlfriend in February. We've been to Notos together a couple of times. She really liked on our first visit on Oscar Sunday in March. This has been an option for us. I had mentioned to the person making the food &/or cashier a couple of times in 2022-2024, that one of these days I should try the Southern side of the menu like the fried chicken. The guy assured me the fried chicken is great, and I said I live close to here, and there's already Royal Farms & Popeyes for fried chicken, so I'm not sure when I would get. One day in the summer I believe it was Friday evening, my girlfriend saw the outside posters with Monday/Tuesday specials. Of course, it wasn't those days, but she said I didn't know they had fried chicken! I said yes they do, but I've never had since I've always gotten the bowl here! And if I'm in the mood for fried chicken, I'd likely go to Royal Farms with a small chance I'd go to Popeyes. This was one of those days when we were undecided on what we wanted to eat, and I said, let's just go to Notos. She said that she wanted to get the fried chicken, and since I wasn't dead set on any particular food option that day, I said I think day is the day I'm going to finally try the Notos fried chicken myself too. I have to say the fried chicken was excellent too. On par with the high quality of Royal Farms, but different. Also, it was more expensive than RF. But I definitely wouldn't rule out as an option here, but if I'm going to Notos, I'm almost always going to get the bowl since I know that's excellent and the only of its kind in Maryland City. Conclusion: Definitely will keep coming back for the bowls & even the fried chicken on a rare occasion. Maybe I'll try getting a wrap and/or other options.

To be completely honest, I did not know what to expect when I chose to eat at this restaurant. The interior is very similar to the trending cafeteria/warehouse looking interiors with exposed air conduit and pipes on the ceiling, and cafeteria tables and chairs on a tiled floor. There is a soda machine and utensils station on the left side of the restaurant, and the line to put in your order is on the right. I usually try to avoid restaurants like this one because when they offer two completely different styles of food, and I've noticed that when that happens one or both of the offered styles of food suffers. However, Notos definitely pulled it off. We ordered off of the kabob menu (as opposed to their assemble your own meal menu like Chipotle). I ordered the Chicken and Beef Kabob combo meal. My wife ordered the Salmon and Shrimp Kabob combo meal. They both came with rice, salad, and bread. The kabob's for both meals were dusted with some spices and were fantastic. The meat was nice and juicy, and the salad that came with the meal was very fresh. This was not the only time we ordered from this establishment. A few weeks later we ordered the Six Piece Fried Chicken combo meal (it came with a biscuit). I have to tell you that I was completely taken by surprise by Notos' fried chicken. It was one of the best pieces of fried chicken I have had in Laurel in a long time. I'm talking just as good if not better than any of the national franchise fried chicken restaurants all across America. It was hot, juicy, crispy, and when they say it is spicy they mean it ( definitely leaves your lips burning a bit). Their French fries are good too (the battered type). My only complaint is that the restaurant is a little pricey, but what restaurant isn't these days since Covid spiked up all the pricing. I definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who is a big fried chicken fan such as myself. You will not be disappointed.

I stopped by Notos Southern Bites on my way to work, and I was pleasantly surprised by the twist on their name. Though I expected soul food given the "Southern" in the name, it turns out they serve Mediterranean cuisine. Ambiance was good as it was a clean bright restaurant store front with lots of lighting. The food was quite good. The chickpeas were perfectly spiced, the hummus was creamy and delicious, and the fish was well-prepared. The service was a bit slower than expected, though it wasn't too busy when I visited. I'm guessing the delay was due to the fish being made to order, which is understandable. Parking was convenient since it's located in an outlet. Overall, I enjoyed my meal and will likely return to explore more of their menu.

My daughter and I had a wonderful experience at the Southern Bites located in Maryland City, located near Laurel. The food was so delicious and the service was fantastic. We spoke to the cook, I believe he said his name was Mike! Excellent dining. Compliments to the Chef. God Bless Him and this wonderful establishment. The food is so fresh!

Tried the 3pc tenders and a chicken Shawarma wrap. Both were very good, service was friendly, and the food came out fast.

Very good eats. Idk what kind of special they had to get me this chicken curry but it was soooo good. I didn't try any of their southern bites but I will have to go back and try it. Everyone in here was nice too!

Great experience and easy to order I got the lamb and beef kebab I think it needed to be on the grill for maybe 5 min more it was a bit mushy in the middle. I love that when you done in they serve you on real plates it elevates the experience of being there. The gyro was good but the white sauce tasted similar to ranch and not white sauce. The resturant looked clean but I didn't walk around to inspect. The prices were pretty fair and the naan was pretty good. The fries were spectacular!!!!

At first glance, you do a double take of the menu because this business offers fried chicken and dishes from the Middle East! I had the chicken Shawarma and basically it's like going to a chipotle. You can get chicken or lamb and pick the ingredients you would like either in a salad bowl or a wrap. I chose and it was moist and luscious. I just told the young lady she knew what was best and she picked all kind of ingredients to put on my wrap and it was simply delicious. Everybody that works in this restaurant is so friendly and kind and the restaurant is spotless. A coworker of mine brought back some fried chicken the other day and it was delicious as well. The restaurant offers specials on Monday and Tuesday where you can get a really good meal with a drink for under $10. And these dates were the average fast food cost is $15-$20 per person. This is real good food that taste great and is nutritious. It is located in Laurel in the same shopping center where the target is.

Pros: *Ordered custom bowl, fried chicken, + biscuit. Food was fresh + flavorful. *Value pricing - bowls are $10 + majority of options are $10 or less. *Diverse menu w/mediterranean food, fried chicken, seafood, + southern sides - all 100% halal. Cons: *Wasn't crazy about the fried chicken -- would've tasted better if pressure cooked (Chick-fil-A), instead of deep fried (KFC). *Bowl didn't feel super filling, but can add biscuit for $1 - biscuits were amazing! *Limited vegan sauces + no vegan meats (would love to see more options in this area + for allergen info to be added to website.) Overall: Fast-casual mediterranean/southern comfort spot w/fast + friendly service. Great food + prices - solid option for fresh halal food in the MD area. Would definitely return to get another bowl or try another menu item.