Esher, 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.

2021 Review: Understated trio of “good neighbourhood Lebanese” in Hampstead, Maida Vale and St John’s Wood; “consistently tasty food” is served “in huge portions for the hungry at reasonable prices”.

“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.

“Outstanding, really tasty Lebanese food” can be a surprise find at this “very ornate pub” – a beautifully restored, late-Victorian, Renaissance-style gin palace in St John’s Wood, whose dazzling interior was originally supposed to act as that of a major railway hotel (due to the ‘folly’ of the owner, as the tracks ultimately ended up terminating in Marylebone). In its current guise, it’s “one of the few Maroush group restaurants that survived post-Covid”.

2021 Review: Understated trio of “good neighbourhood Lebanese” in Hampstead, Maida Vale and St John’s Wood; “consistently tasty food” is served “in huge portions for the hungry at reasonable prices”.

2021 Review: “Cheap ’n’ cheerful” Beirut-style street-food duo that offer “a top Lebanese experience” in a hidden Soho alleyway and Fitzrovia. “The food is very good and very good value”, with some “unusual and delicious choices – try the mixed fish with za’atar and sumac”.

2021 Review: “Cheap ’n’ cheerful” Beirut-style street-food duo that offer “a top Lebanese experience” in a hidden Soho alleyway and Fitzrovia. “The food is very good and very good value”, with some “unusual and delicious choices – try the mixed fish with za’atar and sumac”.

2021 Review: Understated trio of “good neighbourhood Lebanese” in Hampstead, Maida Vale and St John’s Wood; “consistently tasty food” is served “in huge portions for the hungry at reasonable prices”.

“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!”.

“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”.

“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.

“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.