The Best Lebanese Restaurants In London

Whether it’s a grab-and-go falafel wrap at lunchtime or a long mezze dinner with friends, Lebanese food suits almost any dining occasion. From establishments that have been running for over 30 years to hole-in-the-wall hidden gems, these are the best Lebanese restaurants in town.

1. Orjowan

Patisserie, Restaurant, Middle Eastern

Family-run with friendly service, Orjowan is always an inviting place to eat and thanks to their generous portions, you never leave feeling hungry. With everything from stuffed baby aubergines to spicy sojok sausage to lamb and pine nut pastries, you could quite easily order from the hot and cold mezze sections alone, although the lamb skewers are also excellent and pair well with one of their Lebanese wines.

2. Mes Amis

Restaurant, Middle Eastern

Once you step inside Mes Amis you’ll realise how much stuff it’s possible to find inside a one-room restaurant. This tiny place in Fulham is covered in beads, fans, instruments, embroidery and figurines, meaning that there is not a lot of space left for the kitchen. In fact it’s just a one-man set-up in there; owner James cooks everything himself from scratch, including tabbouleh, grilled prawns, fried cauliflower and meat skewers piled on rice and it all tastes great.

3. Al Waha

Restaurant, Middle Eastern

Al Waha has garnered many devoted diners over the years, food critics amongst them, by maintaining a consistently high standard of cookery. With white tablecloths and lots of greenery, it’s a smart restaurant but doesn’t ever feel stiff, especially once the food starts coming out. Their moutabel (like baba ganoush) is one of the best in town and their grilled meats are always tender. If you’re after something stronger than wine, you can pick your poison from a selection of arak, a traditional anise-flavoured spirit made from grapes.

5. Arabica Bar & Kitchen

Restaurant, Bar, Diner, Middle Eastern, Turkish

Arabica is a Levantine rather than solely Lebanese restaurant, so you’ll see Armenian lahmacun, Turkish muhummara and aubergine and cauliflower magloubeh with Eygptian rice sitting alongside fattoush, kibbeh, and falafel. Likewise, bottles from Cyprus, Syria and Israel appear next to Lebanese wines on the list. It’s all so fresh and vibrant and the restaurant has a wonderfully convivial atmosphere, no doubt thanks to its location inside Borough Market. They even have a cart that serves up shawarma, falafel and pastries on market days so you can still get a taste of Arabica without needing a table.

6. Ishbilia

Restaurant, Middle Eastern

A meal at Ishbilia will set you back more than at most of the other Lebanese restaurants in London – that’s the Knightsbridge address for you – yet there is little to fault when it comes to the quality of the food. The menu is huge with over six types of hummous and a variety of lamb kafta, so you definitely get spoiled for choice. Ishbilia also puts on a different daily special, like sapanekh (spinach stew topped with lamb) or sayadieh (baked cod on spiced rice, topped with mixed nuts and hot tahini sauce), which you don’t see at many other restaurants, making it worth the extra expense.

7. Maroush

Restaurant, Middle Eastern

Maroush first opened on Edgware Road in 1981 and over the next three decades it has grown into a chain of sites scattered across West London, including Ranoush Juice, Beirut Express and Maroush Bakehouse. The emphasis has always been on quality ingredients – they cook with meat from their own butchers – and traditional recipes, from lamb tongues in lemon and olive oil to Lebanese milk pudding. The original Maroush also hosts live music and belly dancing, so you can be sure of a lively atmosphere and late night fun.

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