Food was delicious but service not so good. They have a lot of waiters but they have poor customer service. read more

Al Arez - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

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I am a regular at Al Arez and go there too often. lol I have been going there since 2008 and I have always loved the food. The quality and price is perfecto. Great to see that they are expanding. Surely coz of their good work. read more

Over the years that i have been in London, i have frequently lusted at the delightful middle eastern eating joints that line both sides of the stretch of Edgware road between the Edgware Road tube station and Marble Arch, while travelling on the number 23 bus. But fate conspired to keep me away from there until last night when we dropped in to Al Arez after returning to London from a day out in the Midlands. I was greeted by the smell of the hookah smoke combined with that of lamb. It was enchanting. I looked around to find a huge plate of rice and minced lamb placed on the top of the counter. The decision was made ... i must have that. It was much like biriyani except for the fact that there weren't any big, solid pieces of meat. If you have it with yoghurt, it tastes just the same. My friends ordered hummus and chips for starters. The hummus was very nice, with just the right amount of olive oil and chickpeas at the centre. It was accompanied by a plate of olives and chillis with vinegar inside. I usually stay away from green chilis but this was a positive revelation to me.The chips were very english in nature ... and fresh. For the main course one of my friends ordered rice with an okra dish. I thought it was a decent dish, but my friend was of the opinion that it was quite bland. Another ordered kafta kashkash, a spicy kebab dish with lots of onions (both raw and fried) on the side ... very similar to seekh kebabs. I had the lamb schwarma which was very good ... the meat was cooked to perfection. Two of us had the Ayran yoghurt drink which was very similar to the Indian "chaas", but with mint. The quantity of food served in each of the preparations were significantly above what we had expected. Their side-dish portions are more like that of a main course elsewhere. Unfortunately we couldn't possibly eat it all :( The only downside of the place was that the service was extremely slow, lousy and haphazard. It took inordinately long for the main courses to arrive. We had to move tables and they mixed up our orders after that and charged us for things we didn't have. The soft drinks were not cold and at least one of the servers was quite unhelpful (though another did a lot to make up for the first one). This place gets very crowded on saturday nights, but it seems that they don't have the systems to deal with the surge in customer numbers. But at only about £16 per head for a full spread of food, its definitely a place i would return to if i am ever in that area. read more

We are visiting London and are staying off Edgware road. Tried this restaurant with family. Really disappointed. Service was horrible. Food was mediocre at best and mixed grill we ordered was not cooked well at all. Kebabs were under cooked and food was served a bit cold. To top it all drinks we ordered were not served despite repeated reminders to the server. Staff was pretty rude and not apologetic at all for bad service. Really amazed that this kind of restaurant can function in such competitive area. Really one of the worst restaurants we visited in London. read more

An employee at Harrods told us to go here when asked or something close by for lunch and we are glad we took his advice. Large portions, great prices, solid Lebanese food. Service was good and the place was packed during lunch on a weekday. I had the khafta and started with the hummus, both great. I was surprised at the menu size vs. what Ive seen at similar restaurants in the states, could easily go back a few times and try a few new dishes. read more

I love this place, you can get supremely good value for £10! My favourite dishes are: The stuffed lamb The mixed grill Chicken or Lamb Shawarma Avocado and Honey Smoothie Halloumi Cheese Always always get the garlic and chilli sauce read more

Had lunch here the other day, the food is fantastic. The service was excellent and its a nice, cozy space. We both had the Shish Taouk plates, which was grilled marinated chicken. I had hummus with mine and my partner had baba ganouj. I really have never had anything like this in the US, the flavors and textures were outstanding. The olive oil that was drizzled on my hummus was incredibly flavorful. Unfortunately, i couldnt stop eating and had to walk a few extra miles just to breath. read more

All you need on a day out! Prices are good! Food is amazing even if you not a fan of Lebanese food. Would recommend to visit! Very affordable prices and friendly workers read more

Hukka was alright. Drinks were super sweet. We had rose water and date drink and a lemonade. Both were extremely sweet. Our appetizer never showed up. My husband had to ask for coal at least 5 times for his hukka before it came. The waiters looked confused and flustered. read more

Friendly staff. Delicious kebab. Nice shisha. Solid.

Excellent place for authentic Lebanese food, quick service, and reasonably priced!!! their kibbeh, hummus, tabouli, lamb kabobs are great! At the end of the meal they serve a plate of bakhlava which is to die for! Must visit if you are in london. read more

Our first night in London, service was good, friendly and the atmosphere was lovely...Gotta try the baklava!

The food is excellent! Stuffed myself on the spicy skewers, don't miss the garlic sauce.

This is an update to my previous 5 stars: this place should be rated at least 7 stars! The service is phenomenal! My family and I went back for dinner and the food was delicious again, the service was superb and they even packed our food to go! And I mean packed in a container and with pita - a whole new level of service! I wish we could have this restaurant, food and the nice people back home! Awesome and thank you! read more

I've visited twice. Savoury food is tasty, desserts terrible. My big gripe is the bread, bought-in khobez flatbreads, that they don't even bother to heat them so they are not at all pleasant. service is hit and miss- one lunch time was fine, although so quiet they had to be efficient! however iftar time during ramadan, i was really cross that we had to wait 15mins for soup to arrive, when everyone else seemed to get fed within 2mins of fast-breaking time. they also forgot half our order until we'd finished the other stuff, by which time i didn't really want it. plenty of better places in the area read more

Great value tasty meal across the road from Harrods. Was planning on lunch in Harrods but the crowds were maddening so decided to pop across the to Al Arez instead. Great food, big portions, lovely service read more

Consistently solid food. Didn't care too much for the service here because of its casual ambiance. Some favorites were: couscous, al arez salad, shish taouk, and the mixed shawarma. read more

First time on Edgware road. Looked up reviews on other places and walked around before choosing this place.Great decision.Food was great, portions very generous - coming from the U.S. And being used to their portions, this was a great treat in GB. Crowded on the weekend, nice atmosphere. Friendly staff. Awesome bakhlawa (complimentary). read more

Its great place for breakfast and lunch, but the only concern is that the majority of staff do not speak English..!

The manager of the company kicked us out on 18/8/16 - a family of 14 people. The reasoning changed every time this person was asked. We went in for their café and juice bar - this is clearly displayed outside above their doors. When they realised we weren't there for food, but rather for the café and desserts, they started making up rules for us to be allowed to stay there. The waiter was very rude and then brought his manager who was equally rude. Both had a very poor grasp of English. They stipulated we had to spend £10 per head or leave. I argued that this wasn't anywhere to be seen on their menu or on their shop window. However they insisted on this. They then told me there wasn't enough space - this was pathetic as there were at least 6 or 7 4 seater tables which were completely empty. When challenged on the above they said they were only a restaurant. Again I showed him the juice dessert and coffee bar section and asked him if that looked like a restaurant. They clearly had a designated area for their restaurant and another area for their café. Another blatant lie. The manager was then reluctant to give their full name, showing they had no courage or conviction to stand by their decision. Overall and embarrassment and a shameful way to treat a large family with young children and babies present. Never going back there again. read more

On the main st of Edgward road. Very good service & you can always see Hassan, the owner, with guys. Shisha taste is 4/5 price is £12 considered good. read more

Me and two of my other friends went to this restaurant today for dinner i was so disappointed with the food and service was appalling. we were served with cold, dry & tasteless chicken sharwama. We spoke to the manager and all he wasn't really helpful. He just didn't care the fact we were very unhappy with the food. None of the staffs were t acknowledging our complaints and just left without any single apology. overall my experience at 'Al Arez' Was awful i would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. What a let down. read more

Responsive and polite staff combined with excellent food makes a winning recipe. The management obviously tries hard to keep the restaurant's good reputation and succeeds in my opinion. The meals are delicious and the variety in the menu is bigger than most restaurants of this kind. read more

Very disappointing experience that included the waiter spilling sauce on me, the other members of my party hardly touching their main dishes and rude wait staff in general. The atmosphere is very loud and chaotic and it seems like there are waiters standing around everywhere, and I do emphasize standing as they sure aren't bringing us the water we asked for. The starters were delicious (sausages and spicy hummus) but that was the only bright spot of the evening. When the waiter was setting my plate down, he titled it too much, spilling a greasy sauce all over my shirt. After muttering a quick sorry, he finally brought a warm cloth for me to clean up. He offered to take my shirt to the dry cleaner, but I asked for a discount instead as I wasn't going to give him the shirt off my back or return later as I don't live in that area of London. He replied no, saying "These things happen." My lamb kebab was pretty good, but my other three friends barely touched their dishes. In general the wait staff gave the impression that it was a chore to do their job. We had to ask three times for everything and then didn't always get it. At least they didn't include service charges in the bill, which I suppose is fair, as what they provide could hardly be classified as service. I'll never go back there and would recommend for others to go elsewhere. You're not starved for choice for Lebanese restaurants on Edgeware Road or in London in general, don't settle for rude wait staff and mediocre food. read more

OMG I have never had Lebanese food like this. UNBELIEVABLE. The prices are good but the food is phenomenal! I just can't get enough. We go every weekend. Love anything lamb there. Its just amazing....enough said. read more

horrible service. unhygenic cooking, place is full of smoke. oily salty food. stay away.

If dining while surrounded by burkas doesn't interfere with your appetite, you will enjoy this place. Featuring excellent grill meats, fresh juices, etc. Very tasty. Price as good as well. read more

Very good restaurant. Large portions, reasonable prices and very tasty. I just ordered a few of the smaller side items--hummous (which came with a lot of pita bread), tabouleh, lamb sharwma sandwich. All was excellent and more than I could eat. read more

Please avoid avoid avoid....................This used to be good but not anymore.....Really terrible customer service , they will make you feel that you are eating for free. food will arrive really late and waiters will not care about you at all . you will have to ask for everything you have ordered many times separately. they will be willing to fight with you too so , if you want to get insulted and want to pay someone for that go here.. read more

I would not recommend this restaurant, very poor service, waiters seem to move fast but never to serve you. We went there to have family dinner but evening was spoiled by restaurant's poor service, nobody cared to serve us, no napkins or cutlery on the table, order was mixed up and forgotten. Had to keep on asking waiters to check on our order for food and drinks. Very bad experience, complete chaos. Food was ok, on par with other restaurants in the area. Would not go there again. read more