Ashtead, Lebanese Restaurant Guide

“The best Middle Eastern for miles” – a smart operation, handy for Hampton Court Palace, that offers “bold flavours a world away from many Lebanese places”; there is “lots on offer to explore – if anything perhaps too much”, and also a newer offshoot, Mezzet Dar, a couple of doors down, that turns out Spanish and Lebanese-inspired tapas.

“A great neighbourhood place” – this Tooting café maintains its reputation with “reliably fresh and tasty” Lebanese cooking.

“Consistently delicious Lebanese food” remains a hallmark of Marouf and Houda Abouzaki’s well-established restaurant group after more than 40 years. Even experienced Beirut hands report “very authentic” cooking, although service can be “inconsistent”. The group shrank during the pandemic, but has bounced back with a large new restaurant/bar/emporium further west, in Park Royal. A sandwich wrap in the busy café on the ground floor of the Beauchamp Place branch is one of the top cheap eats in the Knightsbridge area.

2021 Review: Surprisingly little feedback on this posh Lebanese, swankily located near Belgrave Square – the London outpost of a well-known, Beirut-based chain with 18 branches in the Arab world. Such as we have suggests it’s good all-round, but doesn’t set the world on fire.

“A very nice selection of Lebanese fare” helps win an early thumbs-up for this three-year-old venue, which occupies a simple, modern café space in the town centre. In his September 2022 review, The Observer’s Jay Rayner was also a fan: “a small but perfectly judged, perfectly run restaurant with… open kitchen pumping out the smells of good things grilling over charcoal” cooker “with an especially light, fresh touch”.

“Cake shop by day, Lebanese by night” – this “very friendly and welcoming” spot on Chiswick High Road is an “excellent spot for lunch and a good dinner venue, too”. “I’ve recently discovered their breakfasts – awesome!”.