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    Arabica Bar & Kitchen

    3.7 (39 reviews)
    ModerateArabic, Middle Eastern
    Closed 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Arabica Bar & Kitchen Photos

    ARABICA BAR & KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Arabica Bar & Kitchen

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    Jennifer S.

    I popped into here for dinner a few days ago with no reservation as a solo diner. It was hopping as usual. I was seated promptly but then ignored by waitstaff for the next 10+ minutes. I mean they were standing at a booth a few feet AWAY FROM ME but of course, London servers have amazing tunnel vision and cannot see beyond their narrow scope. Thus they passed me continuously, whilst I was sitting looking straight ahead and obviously ready to have my order taken. Finally the waiter at the table adjacent to me noticed only because I gave him eye contact. I always notice how restaurants treat solo diners so this was quite disappointing. Anyway the food arrived shortly and was wonderful as always: the smokey, creamy moutabel with the piping hot pita is always on point and the freeke is a generous, rich portion. Lovely to look at and even more so to eat. The twist on the aperol spritz is divine. Will I return to eat here again? Probably but not solo.

    Veal
    Shannon W.

    We stopped by here for lunch and we're seated at the bar. The menu has many options. The dish descriptions were not perfect. We ordered the Mediterranean olives which did not mention they were covered in salt and chili. The crispy squid was very good. I would have preferred less salt but perfectly cooked and served. The veal kabob was perfectly tender. The green asparagus turned out to be more of a risotto dish than asparagus. They have a lot of good vegetarian options. The waiters were not around much we waited a while to order and even longer after we were done to pay our bill. The restaurant was clean and the bartender was very entertaining.

    salt and Aleppo pepper squid
    Sophia L.

    The best Mediterranean that I've had in London. We just beat the lunch crowd and luckily they sat us even though we didn't have reservation. We were seated right by the hostess stand, and during our lunch, they turned away several parties because they didn't have space, so making a reservation is probably the move. We had no clue where to start with the menu, but our waiter gave us a great tour of the menu and gave us several suggestions which we heeded. We ordered about 2 plates per person, which was perfect for our appetite and left a little space get some dessert in Borough market. We ordered the hummus and Turkish muhummara as dips which came with thin pitta. They were both on the chunky side and had plenty of flavor. The muhummara has a bit of a kick (in the best way possible!), so be warned if you weren't expecting it. For mains, the salt and Aleppo pepper squid was lightly and crispily fried and the squid was tender. So yummy! We also tried the lamb Adana kebab which was quite tender for lamp and the chicken pistashio shish which was a nice twist on a classic. The heirloom tomatoes with za'atar had both plum and heirloom tomatoes of different colors and had a refreshing taste, although nothing particularly special. Surprisingly, my family and I really enjoyed the summer vegetable freeke! The green wheat has chew and the flavors are pulled together by the horseradish labneh. I will most definitely be returning!

    Batata hara with a beirut port and mirage
    Reema B.

    3.5 stars from me Located under a lovely Victorian railway arch this is a cute Mediterranean restaurant. First impressions - nice spot for a date. Delicious cocktails, interesting menu with a range of vegetarian options. We tried the zatar flatbread - could have used a little more flavor but it had a thin and crispy crust - yum ! Falafel was hot and crisp, but the batata hara was the best dish on our table. Service was great though.

    Roasted octopus- pretty small portion for the price!
    Heather B.

    Visited for dinner last week with a friend after wanted to try Arabica for ages! There were some high points and low points overall... The good: hummus and flatbread was absolutely delicious! Creamy and smooth, with a lush drizzle of olive oil to serve. We opted for the version served with lamb which while tender and flavourful, the portion felt a bit skimpy for the price. The grilled halloumi was excellent though quite salty- but luckily I love a bit of salt! Service was excellent, staff were super friendly! The not so good: charred octopus dish at first had to be sent back as the potatoes served with it were completely undercooked. Not just a bit al dente, they were bordering on raw. When we asked for it to be replaced, the wait staff were super helpful, but I did see the chef in the open kitchen vehemently objecting to our comment on the cooking, which made me feel a bit awkward! Portion was extremely small for £11!! Taste was...ok, but had a slight metallic taste that left a bit of a sour note. Wine selection was great and at good price points however, and I'd come back just for the drink and a plate of hummus alone.

    Sliced beef, so so good
    Amanda M.

    I really like this place, because of the fun variety. There are so many options that are vegetarian and it actually could get a little overwhelming. We had an incredible waitress who helped us navigate the menu. We were three hungry girls, so we ordered a lot of different things and just shared. Not gonna lie, it got pretty expensive and the portions are not big, but everything I ate was very delicious. The waitress was so helpful, and the menus are cool because you can write on them. Unfortunately, I am not well versed in Levant (Levantian?? I don't know) food, so the names are foreign to me and I cannot remember them well. I apologize. However! We picked several vegetarian dips, some falafels, breads, and salads. There was even some meat in there and I did try the air dried beef... it was incredible. Service was great, and location is amazing- right next to Borough Market. Just be aware that the dishes are intended for sharing, which means you'll probably order quite a few, and they add up.

    Some of the dips. Menu isn't clear about it, but they do come with flatbreads.
    Shona B.

    We were looking for somewhere to eat near London Bridge and stopped at Arabica, which is a Middle Eastern tapas restaurant right next to Borough Market. I think this is one of those places which is either a bit meh or amazing depending on what you order, so do ask your server for recommendations! I certainly preferred the dishes our waitress chose. I wasn't blown away by the aubergine dip or hummus (both okay, but I've had better). The mushroom flatbread was packed full of rich earthy flavours and the lamb belly was absolutely delicious with a crispy belly and tender meat. Thanks to the waitress for suggesting the lamb - I rarely eat this animal, but it was great, would order again. Coming straight from a gin night, we weren't that interested in the wine list, however it was nice to see a soft drinks list that consisted of more than just your average Coke and Sprite. The spiced apple soda and Lebanese lemonade were both nice and there were plenty of other non-alcoholic drinks to choose from. Teetotallers go crazy: as Yelpers say, "this is your moment". What I found really refreshing was when we ordered our tapas and I mentioned I had an allergy, the waitress checked with the kitchen and told me our dishes were fine. No lengthy disclaimer. I hate getting a caveat with my food: life has a trace of nuts and accidents happen. Big thumbs up from me for actually dealing with my dietary requirements properly. Word of warning though, there is very little dessert-wise for any nut allergy sufferers. You would probably expect that from the type of cuisine but just making it clear! Fill up on the meats and skip the sweets. The servers were all really friendly and helpful and I would happily eat at Arabica again. I don't think I've tried the best dishes on the menu yet though. Roughly £35 for two with soft drinks and service with a smile. Not bad!

    Kunefe

    (Let me highlight that my review is solely for the kunefe, not other food) I am on the hunt for the best kunefe in town, so this is my 5th (and happened to be the worst one) in the past 2 weeks. Typically kunefes are made by cooking the kataifi on both sides (the chef needs to flip the pastry over at least once during the cooking), I'm not sure it was done here as the bottom was quite pale. And with the syrup drenched over the whole kunefe the base was soggy (who likes soggy bottoms?) Also some parts of the top was burnt as you can see from my picture. I really disliked the orange blossom flavour as well as it gave a strange medicinal taste and an unpleasant aftertaste. The cheese used (probably Halloumi) gave it a meaty flavour, which in my opinion does not go well in this dessert. It's easy to find better kunefes elsewhere; I wouldn't recommend having the kunefe with the kitchen's current recipe, which I would rate 3/10. Service was prompt which I appreciated.

    Sofia L.

    Everything you order here is excellent! One of my favourite restaurants in London, I believe the quality is better than that of Harrods mezzah lounge. It's quite difficult to get a dinner table on weekends, which is a downside because you usually have to book a week in advance. The service and wines are excellent as well. Recommended: hummus with lamb, halloumi, fattoush, and boregi.

    Halloumi and pistachio chicken skewers
    Jheryl C.

    Nothing groundbreaking. Good middle eastern food, small menu done well and In the heart of borough market. Try their food cart next door!

    Whipped Feta!  Awesome!
    Deena S.

    Came back again and was not disappointed!!! Great food - has to be good to compete with the rest of Borough Market!

    Sammijo S.

    Amongst quite a few mezze and tapas style restaurants is Arabica in London Bridge. A stone's throw away from Lobos (Spanish), Padella (Italian) and Brindisa (Spanish), Arabica similarly focuses on sharing plates in an informal and vibrant setting. On a Monday, you may expect it not have picked up the pace yet. We were wrong. The place was busy, but we managed to get squeezed into a corner table by the window. Great spot to people watch, not so great having a wobbly table. Having used the good old trick of placing a pile of paper napkins under the guilty leg, it was ready, "steady", go. Not so much of the "go" to start with, as the service was slow. We waited and waited to have our order taken. When our waitress arrived at the table, her voice was really low and her voice appeared to slur. Not sure if this was the style of the service, but it was a struggle to get the order taken. This showed when we ordered two glasses of white wine, to ony receive one. We had also ordered water, to then receive none. Due to the time it had taken and the lacking in accuracy of the service, we contemplated getting the hell out and going to Lobos, Padella or Brindisa, but our food order was a little more prompt, so we gave it a go. As I said, the style and best way to enjoy this food is to order a selection to share. As our waitress had little knowledge other than to read the menu verbatim, we took the risk of ordering what sounded good and/or was familiar. We started with falafel (chickpeas, broad beans, onion, herbs and spices) and a dish from the clay oven, Mushroom & truffle man'ousheh (a leventine flatbread, with mascarpone, sautéed mushrooms, halloumi cheese, wild rocket and truffle oil). Eleanor was not keen on the falafel, she found it to be quite bland in taste. Having tasted one too, I had to agree. However, my man'ousheh was gorgeous. You cannot go wrong with truffle it if is your thing, but the entire dish was gorgeous. I had to throw all manners out of the table, cut and just pick it up with my hands to eat. Yum. We also had Sujuk Pide, a Turkish style pizza, with barbecued red pepper sauce, spicy beef sausage and halloumi cheese. Eleanor was definitely a fan of this. I had imam bayaldi a dish I am familiar with, which is fried aubergine, spiced lamb ragu with toasted pine nuts. This was almost cooked to my liking. I would have loved to have been a little bit more experimental. It was just a shame we did not have a more enthusiastic and knowledgeable waiter/ess. This is a great place and opportunity to introduce diners to a wider range of Middle Eastern food, it just needs the guidance of the right people on the floor to take that leap.

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Ambience is just ok but food is excellent! Authentic Greek food - every dish was great - meat and vegetarian options. Great cocktails!

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    Review Highlights - Arabica Bar & Kitchen

    Arabica's Sujuk pide is the best dish I've tried this year so far.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    People searched for Arabic 117 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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    Masgouf

    Masgouf

    4.1(21 reviews)
    2.7 miBelgravia, Hyde Park
    ££

    Regrettably this place is super under expectations in term to everything in my opinion…read more. I'm from the middle east in origin and I do have a great knowledge in how the middle eastern food should be . I visited them yesterday for dinner, lord ! Terrible entrance that you don't know here to get in from .. no one to receive you at the entrance to seat you. After I went and found the waiter thankfully he seated me. I had to wait more than a 35 min and to speak to couple of waiters just to place an order ! While ordering the waiting - kinda old man- had a weird attitude! He was kinda mocking me ! I still took it lightly.. he tried to have over ordering and was asking why you don't want soup or or ? I'm by myself and I didn't wanted to over ordering ! Ordered Beef biryani, the plate came sad ( 0 sides ) , I'm still wondering why they named it (beef) biryani ! As you will need to dig deeply and make a good search to find a little small piece of beef ! It was just a yellow rice ! I ordered in addition a cucumber yogurt as the rice was so dried . The yogurt was like a paste ! Asking for the bill alone costed me to speak to a 3 diff waiters and took them about a 38 min to get me that damn bill ! Paid them what they asked for ( about a £40) which it a bit high than average! Naaaah bad choice !

    I want to give this place 4.5/5 but don't have this option…read more I had a chance to come back and try the masgouf and mixed mezza plate. I must say, the mezza mixed plate with humous, babaghanouj, taboula and lebna were the best I've ever had. I usually leave it to the Lebanese to perfect them, but these Iraqi guys did an awesome job. A must try. I also had the masgouf fish. It was amazing. The quality of the fish, presentation, and taste were all very appetizing. I found the fish to be big for 1 person. If you get a chance to try it, share it along with dishes. This restaurant is a solid and genuine Iraqi restaurant. I am definitely coming back for more!

    Photos
    Masgouf - Iraqi kabab with rice.

    Iraqi kabab with rice.

    Masgouf
    Masgouf

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    Azmar Restaurant

    Azmar Restaurant

    4.3(4 reviews)
    3.8 miLisson Grove

    Went here with family on the weekend and there was a line outside the door. The place is small and…read moretight waited around 30 min, but it was worth it. They get you started with tasty lentil soup and bread. We ordered kabobs, Dolma (stuffed grape leaves and other vegetables) I'm normally not a fan of this dish but, this one, was delicious. It came with a Shank of lamb which was literally falling off the bone. The kabobs were juicy and filing. Drawbacks is the place is tiny and when your with a large crowd it can be a little hard. Visited June 2019

    Having taken the Number 6 Bus up and down Edgeware Road several times, I was resolved to stop in…read moreone of the many middle eastern restaurants that line both sides between the canal and Marble Arch. After seeing such beautiful fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and fish on my nice walk down the Church Street open air market just off Edgeware Road, I turned north on Edgeware Road and stopped in Azmar Restaurant. There's a counter in the window that serves take-away and stairs leading up to a mezzanine seating area with lovely table service. The decor is simple but tasteful and I felt it might be a place where local businessmen might have a nice lunch or where you might take your family or a group of friends for dinner. And it, indeed was filled with locals--always a good sign. It's a step up, literally, from the street cafes. The menu is extensive. I ordered a lamb shwarma plate with salad and was unexpectedly pleased at the large portion of meat served. Thinking I'd eat half and take the rest, I found myself gobbling up the whole thing because it tasted so good. They brought some bright red pickled cabbage and peppers and a small bowl of very tasty bean soup before the meal was served and an enormous, round, hot bread with the meal. I ordered tea which came in the traditional small glass with a thoughtfully added sweet philo pastry on the side. I was stuffed! Total bill at lunch: £8. They wouldn't serve tap water, but that is the only fault I found with this otherwise delightful restaurant. The service was attentive, polite and swift. Recommended and would return.

    Photos
    Azmar Restaurant
    Azmar Restaurant
    Azmar Restaurant

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    Arabica Bar & Kitchen - arabian - Updated May 2026

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